Though the city of Boston and area of New England have adopted him over the last couple of decades, he'll away remain a Bay Area kid at heart. It's why Patriots quarterback Tom Brady took the Dwight Clark passing especially tough on Monday night.

Tough or not, the NFL legend made sure to do his part. He paid tribute to one of his favorite players growing up by way of his official Instagram account.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjnxDMPDfgs/?hl=en&taken-by=tombrady

“Dwight Clark was one of my idols growing up in San Mateo. I was lucky enough to be at the game where my hero Joe Montana perfectly placed the game winning throw/catch to Dwight in the corner of the end zone to beat the cowboys in the 1981 season. I was 4 years old and cried to my parents the entire first half because I couldn’t see the field when the grown ups would stand and scream for the 49ers. I got a chance to meet him when we happened to share the same orthodontist in San Mateo and I sabotaged one of his visits just to meet him and shake his hand. He was incredibly gracious to me that day as a young boy. And I never forgot the impact he made on me as all of our heroes do. I am sad tonight hearing of his passing of ALS but I know he is now resting and at peace finally after many years valiantly fighting such a terrible disease. Thank you for the great memories and RIP!”

Clark, 61, finally lost his battle with ALS on Monday night. We first learned of Clark's passing through a tweet on his official account coming from his wife.

Brady was born in San Mateo, California, right in the thick of the greater Bay Area. Born in August 1977, he was a bit too young to fully experience “The Catch,” but was able to take in some of his later years with the 49ers.

Brady was 10 when Clark finished his nine-year NFL career in San Francisco.