The Dwight Clark halftime ceremony was the ‘best’ part of the day

The San Francisco 49ers honored one of their most beloved alums during halftime with an event that left everyone a little misty eyed. It was the best moment of Sunday, although given the reason they were celebrating Dwight Clark, it is hard to use the term “best.”

Clark announced that he had been diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease less than a year ago and to commemorate what he has meant to the organization, more than 30 members of the 1981 Super Bowl team and a few others showed up at Levi’s stadium to support of their “brother.”

Attendees included John McVay, Carmen Policy, Joe Montana and Eddie DeBartolo among others. After a video montage of “The Catch” and the story around it, Montana gave an introduction of his very close friend and fought back emotions during it. He explained that his friend and receiver not only “saved him” in making the catch but so many other times on the field.

The video board then switched to a feed from one of the suites where Clark stood next to DeBartolo who actually helped him as he stumbled a little towards the microphone. As you can see above in Al Guido’s photo, Clark already needs a wheelchair to move around.

Clark spoke about ALS as going “through a little thing” right now. He shared how Jed and the York family flew all of the players in for this event after he expressed that for “his day” he just wanted to see his teammates again. As he spoke, DeBartolo wiped away tears. Clark’s speech was slow and deliberate, already showing the effects of ALS. He asked for prayers and thoughts from the Faithful.

Finally, he thanked DeBartolo for making the team into a family and for still taking care of him. He revealed that DeBartolo had called all over the world to find remedies and even flown Clark to Japan for the best possible treatment.

If you were not at the game, the 49ers broadcasted the ceremony on their periscope as did I. It’s definitely worth a watch but make sure you have your tissues ready.