Dwight Clark’s March 2017 announcement of his ALS diagnosis was devastating news to the Foley family on multiple levels.
So when Matt Foley heard Clark’s wish to receive letters from his fans, he felt he could provide him with a unique memento of “The Catch,” which powered the 49ers to their first Super Bowl.
Like all 49ers fans, the Foleys held Clark in the highest esteem. They felt shock and sadness that the man who authored the greatest play in franchise history was stricken with a deadly disease for which there is no known cure.
But the impact might have been even more disheartening for the Foleys because of the family’s cruel history with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.