San Francisco 49ers: Top 30 all-time moments in franchise history
By Peter Panacy
No. 10: “Owens! Owens! Owens!”
The Green Bay Packers had the 49ers’ number during the late 1990s, and quarterback Brett Favre and Co. looked to continue that trend against San Francisco when the two teams met on January 3, 1999 in the Wild Card weekend.
The game went back and forth with both sides exchanging blows in what was becoming a true classic.
But a fourth-quarter touchdown from Favre to wide receiver Antonio Freeman at the two-minute mark put Green Bay ahead 27-23.
Quarterback Steve Young and the 49ers offense was able to march down the field and found themselves on the 25-yard line but with only eight seconds remaining in regulation.
Young took the snap and nearly fell down. But the quarterback delivered a perfect pass to wide receiver Terrell Owens, who already had dropped a number of crucial passes earlier during the game.
He didn’t this time.
49ers radio broadcaster Joe Starkey’s call of the game further cemented this amazing finish in what was one of the most memorable moments in San Francisco history. It would later become known as “The Catch II.”
“I was like everyone else completely stunned that it worked,” Starkey later said via 49ers.com. “It was the last chance of the game, and I do tend to be an emotional announcer and make a lot of noise when good things happen, so I just started screaming ‘Owens, Owens, Owens.’”
San Francisco would go on to win 30-27.