The NFL world is in mourning following the passing of legendary San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark, who had been battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Hurt most by the loss are those who knew him personally. Two of his former teammates, fellow receiver Jerry Rice and tight end Brent Jones, discussed the loss on Monday.
One common theme, other than how great of a person Clark was, during the conversations with Rice and Jones was how the Bay Area icon welcomed and taught them upon entering the NFL.
"I made it a purpose to stay in touch with him after we found out he had ALS," Rice said on 95.7 The Game. "I would call this guy every day. We would talk about certain things, and I wanted him to know how important he was to me because when I first came into the league, he was like that role model. And I remember Dwight teaching me how to run that square out, teaching me how to be a professional."
Rice says there was never a dull moment while spending time with Clark.
"I used to always use this [analogy]: He's like Clark Kent," he said. "He's this good-looking guy, and I remember him back in the day, he would wear a fur coat, he would do all of those things. He was that type of individual that you knew that he didn't have a bad bone in his body. He would always welcome you, and he enjoyed being that legend.
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"He started that tradition with 'The Catch' and I never seen the guy turn anyone down for an autograph or a picture. If he signed an autograph or something like that, he would [draw] the play on there that started that dynasty for the San Francisco 49ers."
While Rice is considered the greatest receiver to ever play the game, it was Clark to whom he looked up early on in his NFL career.
"Overall, I just loved the guy," Rice said. "I idolized him. And I would just sit back and watch him, and I wanted to just try to emulate him on the football field (and) off the football field. He's going to be missed, but we're going to try to carry on that tradition and let people know that, this guy, he was one of the greatest football players to ever play the game. But also, he was a great individual ... It's a really tough day for me because I felt like he taught me everything."
Jones shared that those closest to Clark knew that the end was near because he had already entered hospice.
"It still doesn't prepare you for the news," Jones said on KNBR.
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Jones shared that he grew up a fan of the Dallas Cowboys and didn't like the 49ers because they were so bad during the 70s. Then players like Clark, Joe Montana, and Ronnie Lott arrived.
"They proceeded to dismantle my Cowboys during the season in '81," Jones said. "And I said, 'Man, that had to be the biggest fluke,' and what have you. 'Just wait until playoff time. We're going to show these guys who's boss.' And I bet it all ... I was a really bad sport that whole game because I thought we were going to throttle the 49ers. I say 'we,' the Cowboys.
"The reality is, I had to watch that game 15 times. I've watched the catch probably 115 times. I still don't know how he caught it. And then five or six years later, I'm standing in the huddle with the guy."
Jones, like everyone, was shocked when he learned of Clark's diagnosis. Clark had taken him under his wing when he joined the 49ers and treated him like a fellow receiver in practices. It meant a lot to Jones because his father used to drive him to Rocklin during his college days at Santa Clara specifically to watch Clark practice.
"To this day, I can remember thinking, 'You've got to be kidding. It's got to be wrong,'" Jones said. "And so, that started the journey, and he handled it with so much grace, and style, and humor. He wanted his friends and family around as much as he could."
You can listen to the entire interview with Jones below and the conversation with Rice here.