Dick Vernon Witcher (October 10, 1944February 22, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). Witcher was drafted by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-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 of the league's National ...

in the eighth round (119th overall) of the

1966 NFL Draft The 1966 National Football League draft was held at the Summit Hotel in New York City on Saturday, November 27, 1965. The expansion Atlanta Falcons were awarded the first pick in each round as well as the final pick in each of the first five rou ...

. At , Witcher first played two years at

Bakersfield College Bakersfield College (BC) is a public community college in Bakersfield, California. BC serves about 22,000 students each semester or 31,000 annually, and offers Associate degrees, certificate programs, and is one of fifteen California Community C ...

, then graduated from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

. 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 football wide receiver and tight end in the NFL. He was the first overall selection in the 1964 NFL Draft out of Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University). P ...

and

Bernie Casey Bernard Terry Casey (June 8, 1939 – September 19, 2017) was an American actor, poet and professional American football player. Early life Casey was born in Wyco, West Virginia, the son of Flossie (Coleman) and Frank Leslie Casey. He graduated ...

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 and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

season. After Casey was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 1967, Witcher moved into the starting lineup 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 Clifton Anthony McNeil (born May 25, 1940), aka "The Stick," is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 through 1973. He played college football for the Grambli ...

, 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 no ...

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

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

having an MVP season and the 49ers with a solid defense, the team won its division with a 10–3–1 record, qualifying for the playoffs. At

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

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

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to 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 ...

. 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

in the NFC Championship Game at

Kezar Stadium Kezar Stadium is an outdoor athletics stadium in San Francisco, California, located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park. It is the former home of the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders (first AFL s ...

. After an 18 reception season in 1971, the 49ers looked to upgrade the wide receiver position opposite Gene Washington. Terry Beasley from Auburn was the 49ers 1st draft pick in the

1972 NFL Draft The 1972 NFL draft was held February 1–2, 1972, at the Essex House in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Buffalo Bills selected defensive end Walt Patulski. Player selections Round one Round two ...

. 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 a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

, 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. They wer ...

of the WFL. He was traded to the Chicago Bears 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 in February 22, 2021.Former Shafter, BC standout Witcher remembered for accomplishments during 8-year NFL career
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Witcher, Dick 1944 births 2021 deaths Sportspeople from Salinas, California Players of American football from California American football wide receivers Deaths from liver cancer UCLA Bruins football players San Francisco 49ers players Southern California Sun players