Dick Vernon Witcher was a former professional American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player. Witcher was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...

 in the 8th round (119th overall) of the 1966 NFL Draft

1966 NFL Draft

The 1966 National Football League Draft was held on November 27, 1965. It was the last draft in which the NFL and the AFL drafted their players separate of one another. As a result, many players selected by teams from both leagues would choose to play for the more established NFL, or in a rarer...

. At 6'3" Witcher was a wide receiver

Wide receiver

A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...

 who first played two years at Bakersfield College

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield College is a public community college located in Bakersfield, California, USA. Bakersfield College has an official Twitter account at @bcrenegades and an official...

, then graduated from UCLA. Witcher played in 8 NFL seasons from 1966-1973 for the 49ers.

Witcher was a backup to Dave Parks

Dave Parks

David Wayne Parks is a former American football wide receiver in the NFL. He was the first overall selection in the 1964 NFL Draft out of Texas Technological College . Parks was selected to three Pro Bowls...

 and Bernie Casey

Bernie Casey

Bernard Terry "Bernie" Casey is a professional actor who initially had a career as an interscholastic, intercollegiate and professional football player. Casey was also a record-breaking track and field athlete for Bowling Green State University...

 during his rookie

Rookie

Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...

 season. After Casey was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 1967, Witcher moved into the starting lineup

Starting lineup

A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively 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 bench players.The starters are commonly the best...

 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 McNeil

Clifton Anthony McNeil is a former professional American football player in the National Football League from 1964 through 1973. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the eleventh round in the 1962 NFL Draft out of Grambling State University...

, 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

Separated shoulder

A separated shoulder , is a common injury to the acromioclavicular joint. This is not the same as a shoulder dislocation as that involves a dislocation of the glenohumeral joint...

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

John Brodie

John Riley Brodie is a former professional American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, and had a second career as a Senior PGA Tour professional golfer.-Early years and education:...

 having an MVP season and the 49ers with a solid defense

Defense (sport)

In many team sports, defense or defence is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring. The term may also refer to the tactics involved in defense, or a sub-team whose primary responsibility is defense...

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

Metropolitan Stadium

Metropolitan Stadium was a sports stadium that once stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. The area where the stadium once stood is now the site of the Mall of America...

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

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...

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

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

 in the NFC Championship Game

NFC Championship Game

The National Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two semi-final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the...

 at Kezar Stadium

Kezar Stadium

Kezar Stadium is a stadium located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. It is the former home of the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL, and of the San Francisco Dragons of MLL. It also served as the home of the...

.

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

Terry Beasley

Terry Paul Beasley is a former American football player. He played collegiately at Auburn where he earned varsity credits 1969-1971. In his college career, Beasley amassed 141 receptions, 2,507 yards and 29 touchdowns. He was an All-American as a wide receiver in 1970 and 1971...

 from Auburn

Auburn Tigers football

Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...

 was the 49ers 1st draft pick in the 1972 NFL Draft

1972 NFL Draft

The 1972 National Football League Draft was held on February 1–2, 1972.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...

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

Tight end

The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...

, replacing the traded Bob Windsor

Bob Windsor

Robert Edward Windsor is a former tight end in the National Football League.Windsor played a total of nine seasons in the NFL, five with the San Francisco 49ers and four with the New England Patriots...

. 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

1973 NFL season

The 1973 NFL season was the 54th regular season of the National Football League. The season featured O.J. Simpson becoming the first man to rush for 2,000 yards in one season...

, Witcher signed with the Southern California Sun

Southern California Sun

The Southern California Sun were an American football team based out of 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...

 of the WFL. He was traded to the Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 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

Detroit Wheels

The Detroit Wheels were an American football team, a charter member of the ill-fated World Football League.The Wheels were founded December 13, 1973 by ten investors, whose number eventually grew to 33, including singer Marvin Gaye, Motown Records vice-president Esther Edwards, and Little Caesars...

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