Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to the forty nine Ers First and
Speaker 1: Ten Podcast, ten minutes of the most up to date
Speaker 1: forty nine Ers news First Thing in the morning. I'm
Speaker 1: your host Brionna McDonald, and I'm joined by forty nine
Speaker 1: Ers team reporter Lindsey Polaris. Today is a very special
Speaker 1: day at the forty nine Ers training camp because the
Speaker 1: team is celebrating Dwight Clark Day, also known as eighty
Speaker 1: seven Day, hence it being held today on August seventh.
Speaker 1: Dwight Clark was such a special member of the forty
Speaker 1: nine Ers organization, helping the team win each of their
Speaker 1: five Super Bowl championships, twice as a player and three
Speaker 1: more times in the forty nine Ers front office, and
Speaker 1: obviously known by the faithful, so near and dear for
Speaker 1: a play that is simply now known as the Catch,
Speaker 1: which is arguable the single most famous moment in Bay
Speaker 1: Area sports history and one of the greatest in NFL history.
Speaker 1: That catch sent the forty nine Ers to their very
Speaker 1: first Super Bowl, and that play runs forever through the
Speaker 1: history of this team. You see it all over the
Speaker 1: stadium and all over the forty nine Ers media. It
Speaker 1: was such a special moment in time for this organization. Lindsay,
Speaker 1: throughout your time working with the team, how have you
Speaker 1: seen the forty nine Ers honor Dwight Clark's legacy.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's been amazing, just the dedication to the type
Speaker 2: of player and the memory that Dwight Clark was. And
Speaker 2: I think, you know, as somebody that didn't grow up
Speaker 2: as a forty nine Ers fan, I didn't have an
Speaker 2: NFL team, just because I didn't have an NFL team
Speaker 2: when I was growing up in southern California, it's been
Speaker 2: great to really just learn about the history of this organization.
Speaker 3: And I remember when I.
Speaker 2: First got hired, the catch was something that I feel
Speaker 2: like I got a very detailed explanation into and I
Speaker 2: did a deep dive into as well, and I just
Speaker 2: think it's so it's so cemented into history because, like
Speaker 2: you said, it was the play that sent the forty
Speaker 2: nine Ers to their very first Super Bowl, Super Bowl sixteen.
Speaker 2: From Joe Montana to Dwight Clark, you see it enshrined
Speaker 2: in the forty nine Ers Hall of Fame. Dwight Clark
Speaker 2: is in the position in which he made the catch,
Speaker 2: and then you know, before you even walk into that room,
Speaker 2: in the museum you see his Furst coat from the
Speaker 2: celebration of that, And Yeah, I think it's an event,
Speaker 2: especially eighty seven Day, that the players hold very near
Speaker 2: and dear to their hearts. All the proceeds today from
Speaker 2: training camp will go to the Golden Heart Fund in
Speaker 2: memory of Dwight Clark, and it's something that the organization
Speaker 2: really bands together to celebrate and it's one of my
Speaker 2: favorite days of the year with the forty nine Ers.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Dwight Clerk Day has been held at the forty
Speaker 1: nine Ers training camp for a number of years now
Speaker 1: and pretty much the whole team will honor his legacy
Speaker 1: by wearing shirts repping eighty seven and recognizing not only
Speaker 1: how great of a player he was, but also how
Speaker 1: great of a person he was. And one of the
Speaker 1: most special parts about Dwight Clark Day at training camp
Speaker 1: is that the team dedicates a space for those who
Speaker 1: are diagnosed and battling with als and their families to
Speaker 1: recognize them and support them as that's how Dwight Clark
Speaker 1: unfortunately passed away just five years ago. And really all
Speaker 1: of the faithful, like you mentioned out here at training
Speaker 1: camp are supporting Dwight Clark's legacy, as all of the
Speaker 1: proceeds from ticket sales today have been donated to the
Speaker 1: Golden Heart Fund, an organization ideated by Dwight Clark that
Speaker 1: strives to provide comprehensive support to the forty nine Ers
Speaker 1: players after their career their football careers. And lindsay, you
Speaker 1: and I have had the fortunate opportunity of working closely
Speaker 1: with the forty nine Ers Foundation and seeing how the
Speaker 1: Golden Heart Fund sort of operates with them. Can you
Speaker 1: give us some insight into how much this organization supports
Speaker 1: its alumni and strives to carry that legacy of the
Speaker 1: dynasty that was built back in the days.
Speaker 2: Alumni are parts of the backbone of this organization, and
Speaker 2: I think it's just great to see how much the
Speaker 2: alumni come around, not just to games, but you see
Speaker 2: them roaming the sidelines during practice here at training camp,
Speaker 2: and you have some of them joining the front office.
Speaker 2: We had the signing of Frank Gore very recently, and
Speaker 2: then you have some of the alumni becoming coaching fellows.
Speaker 2: We have Deshaun Goldson, you know, joining the ranks there,
Speaker 2: and they're always around, and I think that's great.
Speaker 3: The Ties never really fade.
Speaker 2: And I think it's just a testament to the joy
Speaker 2: that players have being a part of this organization that
Speaker 2: they want to keep coming back, staying close. You know.
Speaker 2: I feel like I interview at least one alumni, if
Speaker 2: not to every regular season game, and they're always just
Speaker 2: raving about their time here. And you can see the
Speaker 2: smile that comes on their face when they start talking
Speaker 2: about just being around the building, being around their teammates.
Speaker 2: And obviously there's been so many successful team over the years,
Speaker 2: it's hard not to replace some of the big plays,
Speaker 2: and so I love hearing about it, and I think, again,
Speaker 2: just a testament to really the gold standard that the
Speaker 2: forty nine ers hold and how they treat their players,
Speaker 2: and not just the players, but their families and all
Speaker 2: their loved ones.
Speaker 3: It makes it a place that you want to keep
Speaker 3: coming back to.
Speaker 1: Yes, this organization is definitely a family that dates years
Speaker 1: and years back. But a couple of days ago, after practice,
Speaker 1: I was able to catch up with some of the
Speaker 1: new faces to the team, defensive linemen Austin Bryant and
Speaker 1: Cleveland Ferrell, and see how they're acclimating to the Bay
Speaker 1: Area and although they're new to the team. They are
Speaker 1: very familiar with Dwight Clark and the amazing history he's built.
Speaker 1: As Ab and Cleveland are also very well known for
Speaker 1: their connection that started at Clemson. Dwight Clark was also
Speaker 1: a Clemson alumni, So those two players have looked up
Speaker 1: to Dwight since their college days, and they said as
Speaker 1: when they came to the forty nine ers organization, they
Speaker 1: really appreciated how much Dwight Clark is honored here and
Speaker 1: the legacy is truly being carried on here. You know,
Speaker 1: those once in a lifetime moments and those unimaginable plays
Speaker 1: like the catch that go on to live forever is
Speaker 1: what truly inspires them to stay dedicated to their game
Speaker 1: and hone in on the art of really being a
Speaker 1: football player, because they said, you'll never know when your
Speaker 1: Dwight Clark moment can happen. And so they keep on
Speaker 1: stacking the days at training camp, just building closer and
Speaker 1: closer to the start of the season, waiting for those
Speaker 1: unimaginable place to happen. So, what's the energy been like
Speaker 1: there at camp. It's been now a couple weeks in.
Speaker 1: How's it out there on the field.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I would describe especially this last week as
Speaker 2: the dog days of training camp, because truly the sun
Speaker 2: is pelting down on these players. The practices are getting longer,
Speaker 2: and this is where you really grind it out. I
Speaker 2: heard several people describe these practices as callous building. Right,
Speaker 2: These are the days that shape who you are as
Speaker 2: a player because they're tough to get through. The reps
Speaker 2: are getting higher, and you still have to go out
Speaker 2: there and perform. And I think we've seen a pretty
Speaker 2: good showing, especially from the quarterbacks. Lots of really good
Speaker 2: completion rates, specifically in team drills on Friday and Saturday, and.
Speaker 3: You know, everybody is tired.
Speaker 2: You know, it's easy to get dehydrated, and you know,
Speaker 2: let the sun get to you. But it's it's all
Speaker 2: about pushing through that and we've definitely had some highlight
Speaker 2: reel worthy moments.
Speaker 3: On Saturday.
Speaker 2: I have to give both offensive plays of the day
Speaker 2: to wide receiver Willie Snead had just a couple really
Speaker 2: great touchdown passes, one from Brandan Allen and then to
Speaker 2: end the day an incredible one handed grab from Trey
Speaker 2: Lance to close out the team period. And I think
Speaker 2: after you know, again, a day like that that's longer
Speaker 2: and tougher.
Speaker 3: It really just hypes everybody up.
Speaker 2: And he was really celebrated by a lot of his
Speaker 2: teammates and the wide receivers because it was quite a catch.
Speaker 2: It was made actually with Sam Woomack all over him
Speaker 2: in coverage. So again, just a really great time to
Speaker 2: find out the type of player you are because these
Speaker 2: are the tough days.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I mean you can't discredit them for having
Speaker 1: tough days. I mean, on Friday it was definitely one
Speaker 1: of the longest practices of camp. Jake Brendle spoke that
Speaker 1: they had about ninety reps back to back. How can
Speaker 1: you see this energy kind of being revitalized as they
Speaker 1: look to joint practices. Can you preview what that's going
Speaker 1: to look like when we're out to Las Vegas.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's kind of like what head coach Kyle Shanahan said,
Speaker 2: all of these long practices are just part of the
Speaker 2: ramp up process, and it's to ramp up to this week.
Speaker 2: The team is taking off in I guess well a
Speaker 2: little over twenty four hours to Las Vegas.
Speaker 3: They'll be joint practices with the Raiders this week.
Speaker 2: They'll be practice after an off day Wednesday, so Thursday
Speaker 2: Friday for joint practices, off day Saturday, and then I
Speaker 2: don't know how we got here, but the first preseason
Speaker 2: games is on Sunday, which is crazy to think about
Speaker 2: because I feel like training camp just started and we're
Speaker 2: actually at our last open practice today on Monday for
Speaker 2: eighty seven days.
Speaker 3: So it's all coming very quickly.
Speaker 2: But there's a lot of anticipation from the coaching staff
Speaker 2: and the players to finally be able to go up
Speaker 2: against somebody that is not on your team right, because
Speaker 2: there is a conscious effort that.
Speaker 3: You want to keep guys upright. You don't want to
Speaker 3: be hitting anybody too hard.
Speaker 2: You have to take care of your teammates because y'all
Speaker 2: have to make it through the year together. But to
Speaker 2: finally be able to go against somebody that's not wearing
Speaker 2: your colors, I.
Speaker 3: Think that's gonna be a very refreshing feeling for a
Speaker 3: lot of these guys.
Speaker 1: Yes, it's gonna be very exciting practices for a very
Speaker 1: exciting game coming very soon, But that will do it
Speaker 1: for today. Be sure to look out for all of
Speaker 1: the forty nine ers training camp content on forty nine
Speaker 1: ers dot com. Thank you so much Lindsay for joining
Speaker 1: me in this training camp update. Don't forget to follow
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