The Catch turns 35 today!

Originally posted by DaDivaRecieva15:

Damn yall some old asses.

i was a kid when the Catch happened, but now all you younger dudes only know the end of the Steve Young era, the brief Harbaugh renaissance, and multiple years of grab-ass, buttf**king, dont know what the hell we are doing shenanigans of the York/ Paraag era. Lol

Originally posted by Bluefalcon61:

Originally posted by DaDivaRecieva15:
Damn yall some old asses.

i was a kid when the Catch happened, but now all you younger dudes only know the end of the Steve Young era, the brief Harbaugh renaissance, and multiple years of grab-ass, buttf**king, dont know what the hell we are doing shenanigans of the York/ Paraag era. Lol

Kinda sad. My Joe Montana RC is an antique.

I was 13 when I saw that game, and it is safe to say the elation I felt at that moment will never be matched (marriage and birth of my son excepted). I feel sorry for younger fans that never experienced that magic we had for 2 decades.....KNOWING we were the best every time we played....The Catch, that last second TD to Rice against the Giants in '88, the two 90+ yd TDs against the Rams on Monday night Football, the comeback against the Eagles after they sacked Montana like 6 times in the first half...Montana was amazing. New England is the closest to what we had since, IMO, but they have played in such a soft division for so long that simple competence is all they need to win out every year.

Originally posted by ajsjohnson:

I was 13 when I saw that game, and it is safe to say the elation I felt at that moment will never be matched (marriage and birth of my son excepted). I feel sorry for younger fans that never experienced that magic we had for 2 decades.....KNOWING we were the best every time we played....The Catch, that last second TD to Rice against the Giants in '88, the two 90+ yd TDs against the Rams on Monday night Football, the comeback against the Eagles after they sacked Montana like 6 times in the first half...Montana was amazing. New England is the closest to what we had since, IMO, but they have played in such a soft division for so long that simple competence is all they need to win out every year.

Almost same for me as age when The Catch happened and all the glory and heartbreak (83 NFCCG, Craig fumble, etc.) and current misery that followed.

AFC East during Pats' 16-yr run not much softer or harder than what NFC West was during Niners 18-yr run...both teams had about equal number of years where there were 1 and maybe 2 other teams in the division that were good, and then years where no real challenge at all. Although it is my opinion that in those years when another team was strong in the NFCW, they were better and more viable threat than what Patriots typically have had to deal with.

Originally posted by ComeOnDeberg:

Originally posted by Niners99:

Originally posted by ComeOnDeberg:

Still have my ticket stub..have the original broadcast on dvd..im up close on TV twice

Was this you?

LOL no. But I remember him

In my hat collection I still have the same beanie hat as lady on the left, and trucker hat as guy on the right. Sadly I do not have the pimp hat.

Originally posted by ajsjohnson:
I was 13 when I saw that game, and it is safe to say the elation I felt at that moment will never be matched (marriage and birth of my son excepted). I feel sorry for younger fans that never experienced that magic we had for 2 decades.....KNOWING we were the best every time we played....The Catch, that last second TD to Rice against the Giants in '88, the two 90+ yd TDs against the Rams on Monday night Football, the comeback against the Eagles after they sacked Montana like 6 times in the first half...Montana was amazing. New England is the closest to what we had since, IMO, but they have played in such a soft division for so long that simple competence is all they need to win out every year.

This^

One of the best memories of my life.

I was working at Squaw Valley, where I lived for 30 years. I was in the "Beer Garden" partying w/my buds.

when Joe was scrambling to his right we all stood up and were yelling, Get rid of it" and then -

"The Catch" and we went wild!

was very nervous when Boys started to move it back down the filed on their next possession and time running out.

Great saving tackle on Pearson - can't recalll who.

Then, I'm sure it was Dyane Board closed it out w/tackle & fumble.

Not sure if he made the tackle that caused the fumble or recovered it or both.

Man - those were the days!

Originally posted by LasVegasWally:
One of the best memories of my life.

I was working at Squaw Valley, where I lived for 30 years. I was in the "Beer Garden" partying w/my buds.

when Joe was scrambling to his right we all stood up and were yelling, Get rid of it" and then -

"The Catch" and we went wild!

was very nervous when Boys started to move it back down the filed on their next possession and time running out.

Great saving tackle on Pearson - can't recalll who.

Then, I'm sure it was Dyane Board closed it out w/tackle & fumble.

Not sure if he made the tackle that caused the fumble or recovered it or both.

Man - those were the days!

good to know that I am not the only old fart in here. Great memories...

Eric Wright made the game saving play.
Jim Stuckey made the recovery of the fumble after Board sacked Danny White

What people forget is how poorly the Niners really played that day. 6 turnovers! They should have won that game easily but kep shooting themselves in the foot.

Damn. SO long ago when I was young and not an old guy like now. Nice to know though that there are several of us old enough to remember this game and all of the Niners glory in the 80s

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by LasVegasWally:
One of the best memories of my life.

I was working at Squaw Valley, where I lived for 30 years. I was in the "Beer Garden" partying w/my buds.

when Joe was scrambling to his right we all stood up and were yelling, Get rid of it" and then -

"The Catch" and we went wild!

was very nervous when Boys started to move it back down the filed on their next possession and time running out.

Great saving tackle on Pearson - can't recalll who.

Then, I'm sure it was Dyane Board closed it out w/tackle & fumble.

Not sure if he made the tackle that caused the fumble or recovered it or both.

Man - those were the days!

good to know that I am not the only old fart in here. Great memories...

Eric Wright made the game saving play.
Jim Stuckey made the recovery of the fumble after Board sacked Danny White

What people forget is how poorly the Niners really played that day. 6 turnovers! They should have won that game easily but kep shooting themselves in the foot.

Damn. SO long ago when I was young and not an old guy like now. Nice to know though that there are several of us old enough to remember this game and all of the Niners glory in the 80s

Thanks Ninerjohn!

Those were the days my friend - and hopefully we'll "return to those thrilling days of yesteryear."

BTW, being "Old" sure beats the alternative of dead and buried.

Watched it in a dorm lounge with 100 other people. To this day still the iconic play of post rozelle era. So stunning. Every single person in the room thought joe threw it out. No one banked on clarke reaching like a stork on a torture rack. It was miraculous with signature execution from some of our all time performers.

THE CATCH PHOTO ANALYZED:

Originally posted by :

Deconstructing the Catch

By the Hungry Hungry Hipster

I've been fascinated by the famous photo of the Catch for years and have always thought it to be the greatest photo ever of NFL action, and possibly the greatest sports photo, period. The photo has always been very visually pleasing to me, so I recently decided to find out why.

Out of curiosity I applied the golden ratio, the rule of thirds, and perspective to the photo, and I was completely blown away by the results. Now I know why this photo has always been so visually stunning to me: Compositionally, it is divine. I've prepared a series of exhibits to support my points. [To learn more about the golden ratio, the rule of thirds, and perspective, look here. Also, for all of the images that follow, you can click on the image to see a larger version. — PL]

EXHIBIT A
I began by overlaying a golden spiral on top of the photo and right away I was floored:



I couldn't believe how certain elements in the photo were lining up exactly with the lines and curves in the golden spiral. Arrow A points to a horizontal line lining up with the top of the stadium. Arrow B shows the curved line touching San Francisco player number 71's right hand. Arrow C shows Dallas player number 58's right foot touching the curved line. Arrow D shows number 58's body touching a vertical line. Arrow E shows a referee's and another 49er's feet touching the curved line. Arrow F shows the curved line going over the left corner of Cowboys player number 24's shoulder pads. Arrow G shows the curved line coming in contact with the border where the top of the stadium comes in contact with the border.

EXHIBIT B
Next I rotated the spiral 180 degrees. Again, I got spectacular results:



Arrow A shows how the longest vertical line passes over the football. Arrow B shows how the top of Dwight Clark's pants is aligned with and is an extension of the longest horizontal line. Arrow C shows how the longest vertical line goes through Clark's left knee, up his left arm, and through the football. Arrow D shows a vertical line in the middle of Dallas player number 24's body. Arrow E shows a vertical line aligned with the edge of 24's torso. Also, the bottom of the 2 is aligned with a horizontal line.

EXHIBIT C
Next I flipped the spiral horizontally. Again, great results:



Arrow A points to the longest horizontal line lining up with the bottom edge of the stadium's upper level. Arrow B shows 49er number 71's foot touching the curved line. Arrow C shows Cowboy number 58's body aligned with the longest vertical line. Arrow D shows the football touching the curved line. Arrow E shows the curved line moving down Cowboy number 53's body, all the way to his foot, where the line touches the border where the goal line touches the border.

EXHIBIT D
Next I rotated the flipped spiral 180 degrees. Take a look:



Arrow A shows the top of 49er number 71's helmet touching the curved line. Arrow B shows 49er number 49's right hand touching the curved line. Arrow C shows the bottom edge of the stadium's upper level coming very close to lining up with the longest horizontal line. Arrow D shows the spiral starting at the top edge of the stadium, continuing through the 49ers logo on Clark's helmet and moving through his hand clutching the football. The green circle shows that the longest vertical line passes over Cowboy number 24's right hand.

EXHIBIT E
Next I applied the rule of thirds. Again, the results were remarkable:



Moving from left to right, the green oval shows the bottom edge of the stadium's upper level aligning with the bottom horizontal line. The blue oval shows the right edge of Cowboy number 58's body aligning with the left vertical line. The pink oval shows the top of the stadium, the top of Clark's helmet, and the bottom of the stadium lighting's support pole meeting at a crosshairs in the rule of thirds grid. (That stadium lighting support pole pretty much acts as the right vertical line.) The pink oval also shows the edge of Clark's right sleeve aligning with the top of the stadium and the right vertical line passing over the 49ers logo on Clark's helmet and his left TV number. The yellow oval shows Cowboy number 24's right elbow very close to a crosshairs, the tips of his fingers on his left hand touching the bottom horizontal line, and the bottom horizontal line moving across the left corner of his shoulder pads.

EXHIBIT F
For one final analysis (as you can tell, I've really been studying this photo), I applied some perspective:



I noticed strong diagonal lines between Clark and Cowboy number 24. At first glance I thought they were parallel, but after actually putting lines over the photo I noticed they all emerged from a vanishing point. Line A is at the same angle as Clark's shin and also touches the top of Cowboy number 58's helmet. Line B is at the same angle as Cowboy number 24's arms and also touches the bottom of the 8 on Clark's jersey. Line C connects the tops of the two players' helmets, and Line D is aligned with the angle of the ball from tip to tip.

Overall, a really fascinating experience, and it probably helps explain why the photo is so famous and iconic. If you want to know more, here's an article about the photo and the photographer who took it.

Bump since "The Catch" Turns 36 today. Birth of a Dynasty !

Originally posted by Jamespowers:
Bump since "The Catch" Turns 36 today. Birth of a Dynasty !

i recommend going to the 49er museum at Levis where they have life size statues of all the 49er greats.

Clark's is the catch and they have it the same height he caught the ball, dude was super human

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by LasVegasWally:
One of the best memories of my life.

I was working at Squaw Valley, where I lived for 30 years. I was in the "Beer Garden" partying w/my buds.

when Joe was scrambling to his right we all stood up and were yelling, Get rid of it" and then -

"The Catch" and we went wild!

was very nervous when Boys started to move it back down the filed on their next possession and time running out.

Great saving tackle on Pearson - can't recalll who.

Then, I'm sure it was Dyane Board closed it out w/tackle & fumble.

Not sure if he made the tackle that caused the fumble or recovered it or both.

Man - those were the days!

good to know that I am not the only old fart in here. Great memories...

Eric Wright made the game saving play.
Jim Stuckey made the recovery of the fumble after Board sacked Danny White

What people forget is how poorly the Niners really played that day. 6 turnovers! They should have won that game easily but kep shooting themselves in the foot.

Damn. SO long ago when I was young and not an old guy like now. Nice to know though that there are several of us old enough to remember this game and all of the Niners glory in the 80s

"Pillars hit him, and Stuckey got the ball!!!" - from the TV broadcast.

I was in JC and watching the game on the tube with a buddy from school. Drunk, stoned, and stuffed full from the snacks his gf made. What a perfect day!

I still have the VHS tape (from a network rebroadcast years later - I know it's cheating) even though it's been decades since I've had a VCR. I refuse to throw it away.