Sunday Night Football Pays Tribute to Walter Iooss’ Iconic Photo ‘The Catch’

Photographer Walter Iooss appeared during Sunday Night Football to talk about The Catch. | NBC

A tribute to Walter Iooss Jr. played before the 49ers and Cowboys game last night (Sunday) paying homage to the photographer’s iconic image The Catch.

The Catch captures the climactic moment in the 1982 NFC Championship Game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. The photo immortalizes 49ers receiver Dwight Clark’s leaping grab of a pass from quarterback Joe Montana in the final minutes of the game enabling the 49ers to defeat the Cowboys 28–27. It’s regarded as one of the greatest plays in NFL history.

In the lead-up to last night’s game between the two sides, NBC aired a promo of Iooss talking about his celebrated shot.

“I think the best moments in sports is when you get a glimpse, even for a millisecond, of absolute perfection,” says Iooss in the vignette. “Photography is the same way.”

“The best moments in sports are when you get a glimpse, even for a millisecond, of absolute perfection.”

Sports photographer Walter Iooss Jr. on capturing the iconic catch in 1982 during the NFC title game between the Cowboys and 49ers. pic.twitter.com/qyY1muOVZl

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) October 27, 2024

Iooss, who has been a sports photographer for 60 years, says he may have taken millions of photos over the course of his career but the NFC title game on January 10, 1982, is up there with his very best work.

“It was a great game, back and forth. And then the 49ers were down six, 58 seconds left on the clock,” explains Iooss. “Taking photos is a little like football, it’s all about making quick decisions.

“I was focused on Joe Montana with a telephoto lens but when he released the ball toward me, I took the other camera around my neck with my 50mm and just started shooting. And The Catch was born.”

The photo made it onto the front cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline “The Catch”. In an interview with PetaPixel last year, Iooss explained it was shot on slide film (which produces a positive image on the film) meaning the exposure was much more critical than color negative.

“I didn’t know I had it. I had practiced taking that type of picture. This is not like I suddenly took one picture. I’ve been working on this for years because I love pass receivers in pro football. I always had a normal lens [50mm on a Canon F1]…if someone was 15 feet from me, I was ready and pre-focused,” Iooss told PetaPixel’s Phil Mistry.

“You just have to believe wherever you’re going to go late in the game is the right place, and I had a sense for it. I was in the right place many times, and I watched Montana and photographed him rolling right as he released the ball. I saw something coming in from my right side, and The Catch was born. At the perfect time (of the exposure), his fingers weren’t even completely embracing the ball.”