Joe Montana

Did You Know?

• Montana's teammates in San Francisco called him 'Bird Legs' due to his very thin legs and small calves.
• Montana appears as the character 'Joe Clifford' in the NFL Network's Joe's Diner television spots.
• Montana owns horses and produces wine under the label Montagia.

Early life

Montana was born in New Eagle, Pennsylvania, a borough of Washington County in the western part of the state, and grew up in Monongahela, a coal mining town 25 miles south of Pittsburgh. His family were Italian-American, the surname Montana being an Americanized form of Montani, which originates from the Camonica Valley in northern Italy. Montana showed an early interest in sports, and his father taught him football; he began playing youth football at age eight after his father listed him as nine to meet the league's minimum age.

During his formative years, Montana also played baseball and basketball, with basketball being his favorite. His father started a local basketball team that Montana played on, practicing at the local armory and competing in regional tournaments. Montana attended Waverly Elementary, Finleyville Junior High, and Ringgold High School, where he played football, baseball, and basketball. He helped Ringgold win the 1973 WPIAL Class AAA boys' basketball championship and was named an all-state player.

North Carolina State offered Montana a basketball scholarship, which he turned down, though he considered it because of a promise he could play both sports. In high school football, Montana was a backup for two years before becoming the starting quarterback as a junior. After his senior year, Parade named him to their All-American team. During his junior year, a game against Monessen High School saw him complete 12 of 22 passes for 223 yards, three passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown, drawing attention from Notre Dame recruiters.

Notre Dame offered Montana a scholarship, which he accepted; one factor in his choice was that his boyhood idol, Terry Hanratty, had attended Notre Dame. In 2006, Ringgold High School renamed its football stadium 'Joe Montana Stadium'.

College career

Montana arrived at Notre Dame in the fall of 1974, when the football program was coached by Ara Parseghian, who had led the team to NCAA national championships in 1966 and 1973. Under Notre Dame policy at the time, freshmen could not practice with or play on the varsity team, so Montana appeared only in a few freshman team games. His first significant contributions came during his sophomore year. On December 15, 1974, Parseghian resigned due to health problems, and Dan Devine was hired as his replacement.

Despite limited playing time the previous year, Montana performed well during the 1975 spring practice, and Devine was impressed enough to tell his wife he would start Montana in the final spring game. In one minute and two seconds of game time, he threw for 129 yards, and Notre Dame won 21–14. Against Air Force, Montana again entered in the fourth quarter with the Falcons leading 30–10; Notre Dame won 31–30. After the North Carolina win, athletic director Moose Krause called it the 'greatest comeback I've ever seen,' and after the Air Force game, he said, 'This one's better than last week.

These games demonstrated Montana's ability to perform under pressure, a characteristic he relied on throughout his career. Before the 1976 season, Montana separated his shoulder and could not compete; he received a medical redshirt waiver, granting him an extra year of eligibility.

Professional career

Montana appeared in all 16 regular season games in 1979 but threw only 23 passes, spending most of the season as the backup behind starter Steve DeBerg. He became the starting quarterback midway through the 1980 season. On December 7, 1980, San Francisco hosted the winless New Orleans Saints, who led 35–7 at halftime. The 49ers tied the game by the end of regulation, and Ray Wersching kicked a field goal in overtime for a 38–35 win, marking Montana's first fourth-quarter comeback victory.

During his 16 NFL seasons, Montana led 31 such comebacks, 26 as a 49er. San Francisco finished 1980 with a 6–10 record, but Montana passed for 1,795 yards and 15 touchdowns against nine interceptions, completing 64.5 percent of his passes to lead the league. In 1981, Montana began as the starter, and the team finished 13–3, with Montana helping win two games via fourth-quarter comebacks. On January 10, 1982, San Francisco faced the Dallas Cowboys as three-point home underdogs in the NFC Championship Game.

Dallas led 27–21 with 4:54 left when San Francisco took possession at their own 11-yard line. After six completions and four running plays, the 49ers reached the Dallas 13-yard line. On third down from the 6, Montana rolled right and threw an off-balance pass to the back of the end zone, where wide receiver Dwight Clark made a leaping catch for a game-tying touchdown. With 51 seconds left, Wersching kicked the extra point, and San Francisco won 28–27. The play became known as 'The Catch' and sent the 49ers to Super Bowl XVI.

NFL records and accomplishments

Montana helped his teams to 32 fourth-quarter come-from-behind victories. In Super Bowl XXIII against the Cincinnati Bengals, he threw a game-winning touchdown pass at the end of a 92-yard drive with 36 seconds left. With the 49ers, Montana completed 2,929 of 4,600 passes for 35,142 yards, 244 touchdowns, and 123 interceptions, with thirty-five 300-yard passing games including seven over 400 yards. His career totals: 3,409 completions on 5,391 attempts, 273 touchdowns, 139 interceptions, and 40,551 passing yards, plus 1,676 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns.

His career passer rating of 92.3 was second only to Steve Young at the time of his retirement; it now ranks seventh all-time. Montana won 100 games faster than any other quarterback until Tom Brady surpassed that in 2008. His record as a starter was 117–47. His number 16 was retired by the 49ers on December 15, 1997.

He held the record for most passing yards on a Monday night game with 458 against the Los Angeles Rams in 1989. In the postseason, Montana ranks second in games with a passer rating over 100.0 (12), career postseason touchdown passes (45), passing yards (5,772), and games with 300+ passing yards (six, tied with Kurt Warner). He tied Terry Bradshaw's record for consecutive playoff games with at least two touchdown passes (seven), later broken by Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers.

Undefeated in four Super Bowls, Montana completed 83 of 122 passes for 1,142 yards, 11 touchdowns, and no interceptions, earning a Super Bowl record passer rating of 127.8. He was the first player to win three Super Bowl MVP awards and holds the Super Bowl record for most pass attempts without an interception (122). He was selected to eight Pro Bowls and six All-Pro teams, and is the only player with two touchdown passes of 95+ yards.