Joe Montana

For the town, see Joe, Montana.

Joseph Clifford Montana, Jr., (born June 11, 1956 in the Monongahela 'pocket suburb' New Eagle, Pennsylvania) was a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. The western Pennsylvania and West Virginia hills around the Monongahela river drainage basin are famed in sports circles (esp. scouting) for the number of college and NFL caliber players produced in the greater region, and Montana is perhaps archetypical in that manner. He is of Italian descent and grew to maturity in the hard-scrabble steel town of Monongahela at a time when the failing rust belt industries were making for tough times in the local economy.

Montana is often regarded to be one of the finest quarterbacks of all time, having been able to post some impressive statistics, as well as leading teams to championships. He led the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowls (1982, 1985, 1989, and 1990) and became the only player to win three Super Bowl MVP awards. He was also the first player in league history to win two Associated Press MVP awards, as he did so for the 1989 and 1990 season. In 1990, he received Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. His moniker, Joe Cool, was given to him because of his calm, cool demeanor on the field under the most intense pressure situations.

High School Years

Montana attended Ringgold Area High School in Monongahela and was a standout in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he was a two-year starter and as a senior, won Parade All-American honors. In basketball, he led his team to a League Championship as a senior. He also served as his classes' vice president as a senior.

College Years

Montana attended The University of Notre Dame, where he led the Fighting Irish to a defeat of the Houston Cougars in the 1979 Cotton Bowl, and the 1977 college football National Championship, which Montana and the Irish earned by besting the Texas Longhorns in the 1978 Cotton Bowl.

Pro football Career

San Francisco 49ers

Montana was only a third round (82nd overall) pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 1979 from Notre Dame. Injured after getting hit by Leonard Marshall during the _New_York_Giants_15.2C_San_Francisco_49ers_13 in January 1991, Montana missed all of the 1991 season and most of the 1992 season with an elbow injury (he did appear in a Monday Night Football game vs. Detroit Lions at the end of the '92 season and was very effective). However, by this point, teammate Steve Young had replaced him at the starting quarterback position.

Kansas City Chiefs

Montana was then traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in April 1993 and spent his two final seasons with the Chiefs before retiring at the end of the 1994 season. As a Chief, Montana led two come-from-behind wins in the 1993 playoffs and reached the _Buffalo_Bills_30.2C_Kansas_City_Chiefs_13 where Kansas City lost to the Buffalo Bills. In 1994, Montana's highlights included a classic duel with John Elway (which Elway won) on Monday Night Football and _Miami_Dolphins_27.2C_Kansas_City_Chiefs_17.

NFL records and accomplishments

Montana earned the nicknames "Joe Cool" and "Comeback Kid" due to his ability to rally his teams from late game deficits, including 31 fourth quarter comebacks. "The Catch" (the game-winning TD pass vs. Dallas in the _San_Francisco_49ers_28.2C_Dallas_Cowboys_27) and "The Drive" (the Super Bowl-winning 92-yd. drive vs. the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII) are staples of NFL highlight films.

For his career with the 49ers, Montana completed 2,929 of 4,600 passes for 35,142 yards with 244 touchdowns and 123 interceptions. He had thirty-five 300 yard passing games. His career totals: 3409 completion on 5391 attempts, 273 touchdowns, 139 interceptions, and 40,551 yards passing. He also rushed for 1,676 yards and 20 touchdowns. His career passer rating was 92.3, 3rd highest of all-time, behind Kurt Warner (still active) and his 49er successor Steve Young.

Montana holds post-season records for most career touchdown passes (45), and passing yards (5772) among others. In his four Super Bowls, Montana completed 83 of 122 passes, for 1,142 yards and 11 touchdowns with an impressive zero interceptions, earning him a quarterback rating of 127.8. Montana led his team to victory in each game, and is the only player ever to win 3 Super Bowl MVP awards. He played in eight Pro Bowls. His success is a combination of Bill Walsh's highly successful West Coast Offense, a team of superstars, pro-bowlers and future stars, and Montana's uncanny ability to find the open man (often the third or fourth option).

Statistics

Career

5,391 passes attempted
3,409 passes completed
40,551 passing yards
273 passing touchdowns
139 passes intercepted
38.7 passing attempts per interception

Post-season records and statistics

16-7 record in the postseason
732 passes attempted
463 passes completed
5,772 passing yards (250.9 ypg)
45 passing touchdowns
21 passes intercepted
34.8 passing attempts per interception in the post-season
8 Pro Bowls
3 Super Bowl MVP awards
4 Super Bowl victories
Zero career interceptions thrown during Super Bowl appearances

Post-NFL life

Critics have largely slighted his comedy appearances, e.g. Saturday Night Live with guest Walter Payton. However his 3½ minute piece on the Late Show with David Letterman in 1996, has been praised as inspired and amusing.

In 1993, the town of Ismay, Montana temporarily changed its name to Joe, Montana in an honorary gesture.

Montana resides in Northern California's Wine Country near Santa Rosa, California with his third wife, the former Jennifer Sharon Wallace (born July 7, 1958), whom he married on February 24, 1985, and their four children, Nathaniel, Nicholas, Alexandra, and Elizabeth. His sons both play football at Cardinal Newman High School while his daughters have moved on to attend Notre Dame. Montana also owns horses and produces wine under the label Montagia.^*

In 1999, The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players. Montana was ranked Number 3, and first among quarterbacks. However, in 2004, when TSN produced another special issue, ranking the 50 Greatest Quarterbacks, Montana ranked Number 2, behind Johnny Unitas, who they'd ranked Number 5 among all players in 1999. Other On and Off the Field Controversies: Montana's life off the field has had its controversies. Even before retirement, he is reported to have been less the "team player" and more of a lockerroon disrupter in his waning SF days as coaches correctly opined that Steve Young was more talented -an astute observation that seemed lost on the sulking Montana at the time as Young went on to lead SF to a Super Bowl and was recently inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Montana has also been divorced and despite the lifestyle, fame, and monetary success heaped upon him and made possible by the NFL, Montana received nationwide criticism in the media and NFL for refusing to join other Super Bowl past MVPS who voluntarily walked across the 2006 Ford Field Super Bowl turf for a voluntary walk of fame in pre game cerimonies in Detroit. Though Montana had, in fact, been in Detroit he is reported to have told more than one reliable source that he would not participate in the pre game Super Bowl homage unless the NFL paid him thousands of dollars. After a storm of criticism descended down upon him for the perceived mercenary snub, Montana received even more media and public criticism when he made the dubious argument that he had refused to participate in the ceremony only because he wanted to return home to his family in California to watch a family member play in a sporting event. Given his earlier statements (verified) to what looked like an attempt by Montana to essentially shake down the NFL for money to participate in the important pre-game Super Bowl " stars' walk on the field", many believe that Montana was simply lying out of embarrassment. After his Pro career faded, Montana's dry personality and boring persona may have factored into the reason he never really made it as a successful play-by-play Tv announcer.

External links

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