The Catch: One Play, Two Dynasties, and the Game That Changed the NFL

A classic moment in NFL history viewed through the history that led it and the narratives of those involved both in the moment and behind the scenes. My husband is not much of a reader but he grabbed up this book and started reading it before I could get it to. While some have criticized it as basically an expanded magazine article this is actually, I believe, one of its strengths. It is an engaging jaunt down a historic year and a iconic play in 49-er and NFL history. The colloquial style leads to an ease of reading that is very engaging.

For long-time fans of the San Francisco 49ers, one play stands out as one of the most thrilling and exciting in their long history, "The Catch". This was the pass that Hall-of-Fame quarterback Montana threw to Dwight Clark, putting the 49ers on top in the NFC championship game against the hated Dallas Cowboys (speciously termed 'America's Team'). As the forward by Joe Montana himself states, "It was exhilarating. It was unforgettable. It was history." Author Gary Myers posits that this was the one play that put the 49ers on top of the football heap for the decade of the 1980s, and propelled the Cowboys to just another football team. While that may be a stretch (others note that 'The Tackle' made by the 49ers when they had to kick the ball to the Cowboys after their almost miraculous score was the defining moment. But let's face facts; without the catch, there would be no tackle to save the game for the Niners. And, the photo of the catch is spectacular, whereas a photo of the tackle is, well, just a photo of another tackle. I watched the game on television as it unfolded in real time, back in 1982. I can attest that it was absolutely thrilling, but I knew the game wasn't over with the catch. The talented Cowboys had plenty of time to win the game, so it was nerve-racking until the end. Of course, Myers couldn't write a 242 page book on just one play. Instead, he weaves a history of the teams, the coaches, the owners, and the players backwards and forwards from that play, covering dozens of years in the process. He interviews most of the relevant players (many Cowboy players insist that Montana was throwing the football away, which I have heard for years, but Montana insists that the play, 'sprint right option' was a designed play, designed to go to the wide receiver Freddie Solomon, with Clark as the outlet. It had never worked in a game or in practice, going to Clark, but it worked on the one day, the one moment, that it was vital it worked. The book is an interesting read about football, about draft strategy (the Cowboys passed on Montana believing he could be a wasted pick), about personalities, about corporate interests, and above all, about the coaches and the players involved in the game. We read that 'the genius', Bill Walsh, who recently passed away from leukemia, regretted his decision to retire from the 49ers until his dying day. 49er fans share in his regret. It seemed like a career only 2/3 done. I strongly recommend this book, primarily to sports fans, to fans interested in the history of pro football, the personalities involved, and to pivotal plays that change the trajectory of multimillion dollar teams. I enjoyed it a lot.

This is a delightful read, especially, if you root for the Redskins and hate the Dallas Cowboys! The book is full of insights, some of which I remember from my younger days as an NFL junky, but most which provide new insight into the leagues history. Football was a very important thing in my life. Reading The Catch brought back many memories. Fantastic reading experience.

I loved the format of this book. Instead of reading a football playbook, The Catch, by Gary Myers, goes way beyond what happened on the field the day of the game. I so enjoyed reading about players and their human side, which we don't get to see very often. It is obvious that Mr. Myers did his research and evidently the players felt comfortable opening up to him. He has a reputation as one of the best football writers in the country and it was a pleasure to read a full length book by him. He takes the reader behind the scenes, and whether you are a 49ers, Cowboys or just plain sports fan, you should absolutely read this!

I read THE CATCH with three distinct perspectives in mind: 1) As someone who personally doesn't follow sports but 2) Operates a book club that reads a little of everything and 3) even has a book club chapter for those that are avid sports lovers. Honestly, the book had something for all three. What impressed me the most about the book is that even though it's central theme is the historic game that was played in the early 80s, that wasn't really what the book was about. THE CATCH takes you into the lives of the players, humanizing them in a way that many don't take the time to do. It tells of the family that exists on the field and how their commitment to each other can affect their blood family off the field. Many of the players that were a part of that historic game were seen as celebrities, but had to deal with their mortality each time they took the field. Whether it was the wear and tear on their bodies, the threats on their lives and even the consequences of their actions, there was a price to play that was bigger than whether they won or lost a game. Gary Myers was at Candlestick Park for The Catch on January 10, 1982, but even he admits that he didn't know the full impact of what it took to get to that point---and the chain of events that would follow. By writing this book, he was taken into the fold as it were into the behind the scenes magic that produced the masterpiece that would become history. Now through him we can all take a piece of that moment in time along with us to learn from and treasure as we move forward to fulfil our own destinies.