Dick Vernon Witcher (October 10, 1944February 22, 2021) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). Witcher was drafted by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

in the eighth round (119th overall) of the

1966 NFL draft The 1966 NFL draft was held at the 569 Lexington Avenue, Summit Hotel in New York City on Saturday, November 27, 1965. The expansion 1966 Atlanta Falcons season, Atlanta Falcons were awarded the first pick in each round as well as the final pick ...

. At , Witcher first played two years at

Bakersfield College Bakersfield College (BC) is a Public college, public Community colleges in the United States, community college in Bakersfield, California. BC serves about 31,000 students each semester or 46,500 annually, and offers associate degrees, certifica ...

, then graduated from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

. Witcher played in eight NFL seasons from 1966 to 1973 for the 49ers. Witcher was a backup to

Dave Parks David Wayne Parks (December 25, 1941 – August 8, 2019) was an American professional football wide receiver and tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He was the first overall selection in the 1964 NFL draft out of Texas Technologica ...

and

Bernie Casey Bernard Terry Casey (June 8, 1939 – September 19, 2017) was an American American football, professional football player and actor. He was a football player and All-America, All-American hurdler at Bowling Green Falcons, Bowling Green State Un ...

during his

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

season. After Casey was traded to the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

in 1967, Witcher moved into the

starting lineup In sports, a starting lineup is an official list of the set of players who will participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as ''starters'', whereas the others are substitutes or b ...

and led the 49ers with 46 receptions. Witcher followed up with 39 receptions in 1968. Witcher started 1969 as a backup to Gene Washington and Clifton McNeil, but by the 6th game he moved back into the starting lineup ahead of McNeil. He ended up with 33 receptions in 1969. Against Cleveland in 1970, Witcher suffered his most serious injury of his career, a

separated shoulder A separated shoulder, also known as acromioclavicular joint injury, is a common injury to the acromioclavicular joint. The AC joint is located at the outer end of the clavicle where it attaches to the acromion of the scapula. Symptoms include n ...

. He missed 3 games, the only games missed in his 49er career. With

John Brodie John Riley Brodie (born August 14, 1935) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. He had a second career as a ...

having an MVP season and the 49ers with a solid

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

, the team won its division with a 10–3–1 record, qualifying for the playoffs. At

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, Witcher caught a 24-yard TD in the 17–14 upset win over the

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

. Witcher scored the 49ers lone TD the following week against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

in the

NFC Championship Game The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semifinal National Football League playoffs, playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional Ame ...

Kezar Stadium Kezar Stadium () is an outdoor athletics stadium in San Francisco, California, United States, located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park. It serves as the home of San Francisco City FC of USL League Two ...

. After an 18 reception season in 1971, the 49ers looked to upgrade the wide receiver position opposite Gene Washington.

Terry Beasley Terry Paul Beasley (February 5, 1950 – January 31, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers, ...

from Auburn was the 49ers 1st draft pick in the

1972 NFL draft The 1972 NFL draft was the 37th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft was held on February 1 and 2 at the Essex House in New York City, New York. With the first overal ...

. However, Witcher opened the season as the 49ers starting receiver. By now, he was also the 49ers backup

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

, replacing the traded Bob Windsor. After 6 games, Witcher had only 2 receptions and was replaced with Preston Riley. In the final game of the season against Minnesota, the 49ers needed a win to qualify for the playoffs. Down 17–6 in the 4th quarter, Brodie came off the bench after an injury to throw 2 TD passes to win the game and the division title. The second TD was a 2-yard rollout pass to Witcher in the final seconds of the game. It was one of the great 49ers moments of their history to that point. After the 1973 season, Witcher signed with the

Southern California Sun The Southern California Sun were an American football team based in Anaheim, California, that played in the World Football League in 1974 and 1975. Their records were 13–7 in 1974 and 7–5 in 1975. Their home stadium was Anaheim Stadium. Th ...

of the WFL. He was traded to the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

during training camp, but was cut by the Bears. In his first game with the Sun, Witcher scored the winning TD with a reception against the

Detroit Wheels The Detroit Wheels were an American football team, a charter member of the defunct World Football League. Founding Soon after Gary Davidson announced the WFL's formation in October 1973, he was approached by a man named Bud Hucul about putting ...

. After a few games, Witcher left the Sun and was done with professional football. Witcher died from

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

on February 22, 2021.Former Shafter, BC standout Witcher remembered for accomplishments during 8-year NFL career
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Witcher, Dick 1944 births 2021 deaths Players of American football from Salinas, California American football wide receivers Deaths from liver cancer in California UCLA Bruins football players San Francisco 49ers players Southern California Sun players