One of the greatest passers of his era and regarded by many as the greatest quarterback of all time, Joe Montana changed the NFL landscape forever. No quarterback before him ever shined the brightest during the closing seconds of a game, and no lead was ever safe when “Joe Cool” stepped onto the field. Throughout his career, Montana claimed the title ‘Master of the Comeback.’
Born in New Eagles, Pennsylvania, on June 11, 1956, Joe Montana grew up in Monongahela and was introduced to sports at a young age thanks to his father, Joeseph Montana Sr. Joe quickly fell in love with football but while attending Ringgold High School, he spent his first two seasons as the backup quarterback and saw little playing time. By his junior season, he became the starter and held the position for the remainder of his high school career. After his senior season, he was offered a football scholarship to Notre Dame, which he accepted.
Entering his freshman season, Montana was one of seven freshman quarterbacks and eleven total on the roster. Thus, he saw little playing time in 1974. The following season, Montana saw some playing time, leading the Fighting Irish to a hand full of comeback victories but proved he needed to develop after finishing the 1975 college football season with four touchdowns to 8 interceptions and completing only 42.4% of his passes in seven games.
In his junior season, Montana came off the bench for the final time in a game against Purdue in the second half. The Irish trailing, Montana led his team to a 31-24 victory. Notre Dame went undefeated for the rest of the regular season, finishing with a 10-1 record. Montana threw for 1,604 yards, 11 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Ranked fifth in the nation, Norte Dame defeated first-ranked Texas (11-0) in the Cotton Bowl to win the 1977 National Championship, 38-10.
In his final season, Montana played all eleven games and finished the ’78 campaign eclipsing over 2,000 yards passing and 10 ten scores, and nine picks. Notre Dame finished the season with an 8-3 record and returned to the Cotton Bowl against Houston, which would be Montana’s last college game and his finest hour. Playing on a field of ice while battling a wind chill of -30 degrees, Notre Dame squandered an early 7-0 lead, and Montana went down with hypothermia. As team doctors fed him chicken soup in the locker room to get his body temperature up, the Irish fell behind 34-7.
Montana returned to the game with only seven left in the fourth quarter. The 22-year-old threw several touchdown passes, leading Notre Dame to the program’s greatest come-from-behind victory, handing the Cougars a narrow 35-34 defeat. After three seasons with the Fighting Irish, Montana finished his college career by completing 258 of 515 passes for 4,121 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions.
Before the 1979 NFL Draft, many scouts felt Montana was too undersized, lacked the specific arm strength of a pro passer, and didn’t play long enough in college. Still, rookie head coach Bill Walsh saw something special in the prospect from Notre Dame, and Montana became the third-round draft choice of the San Francisco 49ers.
Over the next 14 seasons, Montana became the conductor of the Niner offense and felt Walsh’s west coach style, which consisted of repetitive short pass plays, was just as taxing on defense as the run game would be. However, Montana didn’t start right away. Instead, Walsh eased him into the lineup as the backup to veteran Steve DeBerg.
During the 1980 season, Montana showed early signs that he could play in any condition and under any circumstance, no matter the situation. During his career, Montana led 30 fourth-quarter comebacks. His first was in a game against the New Orleans Saints. The 49ers came out of the locker room for the second half down 35-7. Montana threw for two scores and rushed for another to lead San Francisco to an overtime 38-35 comeback win.
In his third season, Montana led San Francisco to the franchise’s best season since 1948, finishing with 3,565 yards passing, 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and carrying the Niners to a 13-3 record and the NFC championship game. One win away from the club’s first NFC title and a berth to the Super Bowl, the ’81 NFC title game against the Dallas Cowboys would feature a marquee moment of Montana’s career.
On 3rd and three at the Dallas six-yard line, down 27-21 with 58 seconds left, Montana back peddled to his right to the Cowboys sideline before throwing a prayer into the end zone that receiver Dwight Clark caught for the score that won the game and sent the 49ers to the Super Bowl. The play would eventually be dubbed “The Catch” and became a lasting symbol of Montana’s legacy.
In Super Bowl XVI against the Cincinnati Bengals, Montana earned his first Super Bowl MVP award following a 26-21 victory and was voted to the Pro Bowl. Three years later, San Francisco returned to the big stage for Super Bowl XIX and was on the cusp of a dynasty following a convincing 38-16 win over the Miami Dolphins.
In 1986, Montana ruptured a disk in his back that caused him to miss half the season. In Week 10 against the St. Louis (football) Cardinals, Montana returned to the field and played a stellar game, throwing for 270 yards and three touchdowns. In the postseason against the New York Giants, Montana, unfortunately, spent most of the game on his back as the 49ers suffered a 49-3 defeat. The following season, Montana threw a career-high 31 touchdown passes and led the Niners to the league’s best record but suffered more misfortune in the postseason as a crucial interception thrown by Montana ended San Fran’s season in a 36-24 loss to Minnesota Vikings.
After three seasons of coming up short, Bill Walsh began to doubt Montana as the starter, which led to Steve Young emerging from the San Francisco bench and forcing some quarterback controversy.
In 1988, Montana responded by carrying the 49ers back to the Super Bowl and directing another winning comeback. Ten yards away from the goal line, down 16-13 with 39 seconds left in the game, Montana throws for the middle of the end zone to John Taylor for the score to win his third championship ring. The following season, the 49ers returned to the Super Bowl, dismantling the Denver Broncos, 55-10, winning his third MVP award, and earning Offensive Player of the Year honors.
In 1990, San Francisco was on the verge of a three-peat against the New York Giants in the NFC Championship, which turned into a physical showdown. Montana’s touchdown pass to John Taylor was the only points scored during the defensive war. After four quarters, New York proved to be stronger and dealt Montana a knockout blow as Leonard Marshall drilled him in the back, knocking the wind out of the defending champion and breaking his hand in a 15-13 loss.
Over the next two seasons, Montana refused to quit but spent most of the ’91 and ’92 campaigns on the bench as the backup to Steve Young. Finally, Montana decided the only way he could play again would be if he left San Francisco. In 1993, he joined the Kansas City Chiefs under head coach Marty Schottenheimer as part of a blockbuster offseason.
The 37-year-old Montana proved he still had some magic left, finishing the season with 2,144 yards passing, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions to lead the Chiefs to the club’s best season in 24 years. In the postseason, he led a pair of comeback drives to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Oilers, lifting Kansas City to the AFC Championship against the Buffalo Bills. Unfortunately, Montana suffered a concussion before halftime, and the Chiefs fell short of the Super Bowl after a 30-13 blowout.
In 1994, Montana went up against Young’s 49ers and handed San Francisco one of the team’s three losses all season. His final comeback fell on a Monday night in Mile High on October 17. Down 28-24 with 36 seconds left, Montana connects with Willie Davis at the right front pylon to win 31-28.
The Chiefs finished the ’94 season with another postseason disappointment against the Miami Dolphins. Montana retired the following off-season.
After 15 NFL seasons, Montana finished his career with 40,551 passing yards, 273 touchdowns, and 139 interceptions. He is a four-time Super Bowl champion, a three-time Super Bowl MVP, a three-time first-team All-Pro, an eight-time second-team All-Pro, and is a member of the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade Team and the NFL’s 75th and 100th Anniversary Teams. The 49ers retired his number 16 jersey in 1997.
In 2000, Montana was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was enshrined into the 49ers Hall of Fame nine years later.
