Hello, and welcome to the forty nine Ers First and Ten Podcast, ten minutes of the most up to date forty nine Ers news First Thing in the morning. I'm your host Brionna McDonald, and I'm joined by forty nine Ers team reporter Lindsey Polaris. Today is a very special day at the forty nine Ers training camp because the team is celebrating Dwight Clark Day, also known as eighty seven Day, hence it being held today on August seventh.
Dwight Clark was such a special member of the forty nine Ers organization, helping the team win each of their five Super Bowl championships, twice as a player and three more times in the forty nine Ers front office, and obviously known by the faithful, so near and dear for a play that is simply now known as the Catch, which is arguable the single most famous moment in Bay Area sports history and one of the greatest in NFL history.
That catch sent the forty nine Ers to their very first Super Bowl, and that play runs forever through the history of this team. You see it all over the stadium and all over the forty nine Ers media. It was such a special moment in time for this organization. Lindsay, throughout your time working with the team, how have you seen the forty nine Ers honor Dwight Clark's legacy.
Yeah, it's been amazing, just the dedication to the type of player and the memory that Dwight Clark was. And I think, you know, as somebody that didn't grow up as a forty nine Ers fan, I didn't have an NFL team, just because I didn't have an NFL team when I was growing up in southern California, it's been great to really just learn about the history of this organization.
And I remember when I.
First got hired, the catch was something that I feel like I got a very detailed explanation into and I did a deep dive into as well, and I just think it's so it's so cemented into history because, like you said, it was the play that sent the forty nine Ers to their very first Super Bowl, Super Bowl sixteen. From Joe Montana to Dwight Clark, you see it enshrined
in the forty nine Ers Hall of Fame. Dwight Clark is in the position in which he made the catch, and then you know, before you even walk into that room, in the museum you see his Furst coat from the celebration of that, And Yeah, I think it's an event, especially eighty seven Day, that the players hold very near
and dear to their hearts. All the proceeds today from training camp will go to the Golden Heart Fund in memory of Dwight Clark, and it's something that the organization really bands together to celebrate and it's one of my favorite days of the year with the forty nine Ers.
Yeah, Dwight Clerk Day has been held at the forty nine Ers training camp for a number of years now and pretty much the whole team will honor his legacy by wearing shirts repping eighty seven and recognizing not only how great of a player he was, but also how
great of a person he was. And one of the most special parts about Dwight Clark Day at training camp is that the team dedicates a space for those who are diagnosed and battling with als and their families to recognize them and support them as that's how Dwight Clark
unfortunately passed away just five years ago. And really all of the faithful, like you mentioned out here at training camp are supporting Dwight Clark's legacy, as all of the proceeds from ticket sales today have been donated to the Golden Heart Fund, an organization ideated by Dwight Clark that strives to provide comprehensive support to the forty nine Ers
players after their career their football careers. And lindsay, you and I have had the fortunate opportunity of working closely with the forty nine Ers Foundation and seeing how the Golden Heart Fund sort of operates with them. Can you give us some insight into how much this organization supports its alumni and strives to carry that legacy of the dynasty that was built back in the days.
Alumni are parts of the backbone of this organization, and I think it's just great to see how much the alumni come around, not just to games, but you see them roaming the sidelines during practice here at training camp, and you have some of them joining the front office. We had the signing of Frank Gore very recently, and then you have some of the alumni becoming coaching fellows. We have Deshaun Goldson, you know, joining the ranks there, and they're always around, and I think that's great.
The Ties never really fade.
And I think it's just a testament to the joy that players have being a part of this organization that they want to keep coming back, staying close. You know. I feel like I interview at least one alumni, if not to every regular season game, and they're always just raving about their time here. And you can see the smile that comes on their face when they start talking about just being around the building, being around their teammates.
And obviously there's been so many successful team over the years, it's hard not to replace some of the big plays, and so I love hearing about it, and I think, again, just a testament to really the gold standard that the forty nine ers hold and how they treat their players, and not just the players, but their families and all their loved ones.
It makes it a place that you want to keep coming back to.
Yes, this organization is definitely a family that dates years and years back. But a couple of days ago, after practice, I was able to catch up with some of the new faces to the team, defensive linemen Austin Bryant and Cleveland Ferrell, and see how they're acclimating to the Bay Area and although they're new to the team. They are very familiar with Dwight Clark and the amazing history he's built. As Ab and Cleveland are also very well known for
their connection that started at Clemson. Dwight Clark was also a Clemson alumni, So those two players have looked up to Dwight since their college days, and they said as when they came to the forty nine ers organization, they really appreciated how much Dwight Clark is honored here and
the legacy is truly being carried on here. You know, those once in a lifetime moments and those unimaginable plays like the catch that go on to live forever is what truly inspires them to stay dedicated to their game and hone in on the art of really being a football player, because they said, you'll never know when your Dwight Clark moment can happen. And so they keep on stacking the days at training camp, just building closer and closer to the start of the season, waiting for those
unimaginable place to happen. So, what's the energy been like there at camp. It's been now a couple weeks in. How's it out there on the field.
Yeah, so I would describe especially this last week as the dog days of training camp, because truly the sun is pelting down on these players. The practices are getting longer, and this is where you really grind it out. I heard several people describe these practices as callous building. Right, These are the days that shape who you are as a player because they're tough to get through. The reps are getting higher, and you still have to go out there and perform. And I think we've seen a pretty
good showing, especially from the quarterbacks. Lots of really good completion rates, specifically in team drills on Friday and Saturday, and.
You know, everybody is tired.
You know, it's easy to get dehydrated, and you know, let the sun get to you. But it's it's all about pushing through that and we've definitely had some highlight reel worthy moments.
On Saturday.
I have to give both offensive plays of the day to wide receiver Willie Snead had just a couple really great touchdown passes, one from Brandan Allen and then to end the day an incredible one handed grab from Trey Lance to close out the team period. And I think after you know, again, a day like that that's longer and tougher.
It really just hypes everybody up.
And he was really celebrated by a lot of his teammates and the wide receivers because it was quite a catch. It was made actually with Sam Woomack all over him in coverage. So again, just a really great time to find out the type of player you are because these are the tough days.
Yeah, and I mean you can't discredit them for having tough days. I mean, on Friday it was definitely one of the longest practices of camp. Jake Brendle spoke that they had about ninety reps back to back. How can you see this energy kind of being revitalized as they look to joint practices. Can you preview what that's going to look like when we're out to Las Vegas.
Yeah, it's kind of like what head coach Kyle Shanahan said, all of these long practices are just part of the ramp up process, and it's to ramp up to this week. The team is taking off in I guess well a little over twenty four hours to Las Vegas.
They'll be joint practices with the Raiders this week.
They'll be practice after an off day Wednesday, so Thursday Friday for joint practices, off day Saturday, and then I don't know how we got here, but the first preseason games is on Sunday, which is crazy to think about because I feel like training camp just started and we're actually at our last open practice today on Monday for eighty seven days.
So it's all coming very quickly.
But there's a lot of anticipation from the coaching staff and the players to finally be able to go up against somebody that is not on your team right, because there is a conscious effort that.
You want to keep guys upright. You don't want to be hitting anybody too hard.
You have to take care of your teammates because y'all have to make it through the year together. But to finally be able to go against somebody that's not wearing your colors, I.
Think that's gonna be a very refreshing feeling for a lot of these guys.
Yes, it's gonna be very exciting practices for a very exciting game coming very soon, But that will do it for today. Be sure to look out for all of the forty nine ers training camp content on forty nine ers dot com. Thank you so much Lindsay for joining me in this training camp update. Don't forget to follow First and ten on Spotify and Apple podcasts. Be sure to turn on the notifications so you're in the know when we post any breaking news updates. And thank you
faithful for tuning in. It doesn't don't to the