RIP Monte Clark

by Bitter Fan on Sep 17, 2009 11:04 AM PDT Comment 4 comments

AKA the guy Joe Thomas fired. Turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it eventually led to the hiring of Bill Walsh but for a couple years Niners fans were truly in hell. Clark was a highly-touted assistant with the Dolphins and was hired by the 49ers to be their head coach in 1976, returning home to the organization for whom he had started his NFL career as a defensive tackle.

He went on to take a team that wasn't all that talented (a lot of older guys from the Nolan era, some younger guys who would only blossom in the Walsh era) to an 8-6 record, the first winning season since 1972. They'd actually started the season 6-1 and three losses by a combined 11 points kept them from the playoffs. At the end of the season Eddie D. bought the team and bought in Joe Thomas as GM. Clark, who had previously been the GM and had known Thomas's insanity from Thomas's period at the Dolphins, wanted no part of the ordeal and demanded that either Thomas go or he go. Thomas stayed and so he left.

National Football Post article

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Context, people. More context is good. Less context is bad. If you're willing to be reductive, then you're willing to be wrong.

by howtheyscored on Sep 17, 2009 11:46 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Monte and Bill Walsh

Monte was also a close friend of Bill Walsh’s; I believe he coached for Bill during his return to Stanford in the early ‘90s. There’s a picture of Clark and Walsh embracing after the Lions’ tough loss to the Niners in the ’83 division round playoff.

by arnec on Sep 17, 2009 12:01 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs