Monte Clark Monte Dale Clark ( January 24 , 1937 - September 16 , 2009 ) was an American football player who served as head coach for two National Football League teams : the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions . College career . Clark played collegiately for three years at the University of Southern California . In 1958 , he was named a captain of the squad , playing on both sides of the line with future Pro Football Hall of Fame r Ron Mix . Professional career . Clark was selected in the fourth round of the 1958 NFL Draft by the 49ers . After three years of playing both offense and defense , primarily at defensive tackle , Clark was traded to the Dallas Cowboys on September 10 , 1962 . For the rest of his career , he would only see action as an offensive tackle . Following one year in the Lone Star state , Clark was traded to the Cleveland Browns on April 30 , 1963 in exchange for fellow offensive lineman Jim Ray Smith . However , in the first exhibition game with his new team on August 10 , Clark suffered a knee injury which never fully recovered during the course of the campaign . Clark would become a staple at right tackle for six seasons . In the 1964 NFL Championship Game against the Baltimore Colts , Clark put his talents on display as he neutralized Colts ' defensive end and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Gino Marchetti . The end result was a stunning 27 - 0 Browns victory . Another solid season by Clark the following year saw the Browns once again reach the NFL title game . However , his 1966 season was disrupted when he suffered a torn biceps late in the year , an injury that forced off - season surgery . Coaching career . After Clark announced his retirement , he was hired as the Miami Dolphins ' offensive line coach on April 8 , 1970 , working under their new mentor , Don Shula . Shula hired Clark over the phone without an interview following glowing endorsements from Blanton Collier ( Browns Head Coach ) and 49ers head coach Dick Nolan . Clark ' s timing proved excellent when Shula helped transform the moribund franchise into a dynasty . During the final two years of his tenure , Clark served as the team ' s offensive coordinator . In Miami , Clark built what many consider one of the best offensive lines in NFL history , as Larry Little and Jim Langer are both in the Hall of Fame , while Bob Kuechenberg continues to be nominated every year . This line not only helped set a new all - time rushing record , but also became the first team ever to have two backs rush for over 1 , 000 yards in a single season , including Hall of Fame running back Larry Csonka . Clark was asked about Csonka ' s bruising running style , and responded with this great quote . " When Csonka goes on safari , the lions roll up " their " windows . " During those six years of success in Miami , Clark was under consideration by teams to become their head coach , including his old team , the Browns in 1975 . However , his first head coaching opportunity would come one year later , when his original team , the 49ers , hired him on January 13 , 1976 , making him the league ' s youngest head coach at the time . As essentially the team ' s general manager , one of Clark ' s early moves was to acquire quarterback Jim Plunkett from the New England Patriots . He also put together a tough defensive line that had 30 sacks in the first six games of the 1976 NFL season . After winning six of the first seven games , the 49ers dropped a 23 – 20 overtime decision to the St . Louis Cardinals , a defeat that began a tailspin in which the team ended the year with an 8 – 6 record . In March 1977 , the 49ers ' franchise was sold to Edward J . DeBartolo Jr . DeBartolo ' s ownership came with baggage : General Manager Joe Thomas . Clark was familiar with Thomas from his days with the Dolphins and knew of the chaos and disruption he would bring to the 49ers . DeBartolo offered Clark more money and an extended contract to give up his player personnel duties to Thomas . Standing by his principles and with integrity Clark refused to give up his personnel duties , and was fired on April 6 . Clark ' s actions would ring true as Thomas would go on to oversee the worst stretch of football in the team ' s history burning through four coaches in three years . After sitting out the 1977 NFL season , Clark found a new challenge when he was hired as head coach of the Detroit Lions on January 11 , 1978 . Clark again had complete personnel control of a team , and finished with a 7 – 9 record in his first season . However , in 1979 , a season - ending injury to starting quarterback Gary Danielson during the preseason left the Lions without an experienced signal caller and resulted in a disastrous 2 – 14 campaign . The one bright spot in that season was that Detroit selected first in the 1980 NFL draft , with the team picking Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims . The resurgent Lions improved by seven games that year , winning five of their first six games and capturing a share of the NFC Central Division title , but a late - season slide caused them to lose a tie - breaker with the Vikings and keep them out of the playoffs . An 8 - 8 season in 1981 was followed by a 4 - 5 record in the strike - shortened 1982 NFL season . However , because of the expanded playoff system resulting from the strike , the Lions reached the postseason . Their appearance would be brief as they dropped a 31 - 7 opening round decision to the Washington Redskins , who went on to win Super Bowl XVII . A slow start that saw the Lions win just one of their first five games in 1983 quickly changed when the Lions bounced back to capture the division title with a 9 - 7 record . As a huge underdog against the 49ers , the Lions nearly pulled off a major upset before losing 24 - 23 . Detroit had led 23 - 17 with five minutes remaining , but San Francisco quickly took back the lead . In the closing seconds , Lions ' kicker Eddie Murray , who had made a 54 - yard field goal in the first half , narrowly missed a 43 - yard attempt with 11 seconds to go , putting an end to Detroit ' s season . As Murray lined up to attempt the potential game - winning field goal , on the sidelines Clark put his hands together in an apparent prayer ( the " prayer " was replayed often in the next week ) . Clark ' s final year saw the Lions collapse after a career - ending knee injury to Sims , finishing with a 4 - 11 - 1 mark . On December 19 , 1984 , the inevitable resulted when Clark was dismissed , a move that kept him out of football for the next five years until his return as Director of Player Personnel for the Dolphins in February 1990 . Five years later , Clark was again hired as offensive line coach of the Dolphins , but the tenure lasted only one year after Shula was replaced by Jimmy Johnson . Out of football for two years , Clark resurfaced as an assistant at the University of California , Berkeley in 1998 , but resigned at the conclusion of that season . Clark returned to the Detroit Lions organization in 1999 as a special advisor . He died on September 16 , 2009 from bone cancer that spread into his liver and lungs . Personal . His son , Monte " Bryan " Clark , played football at Michigan State