Joe Montana

This article is about the American football player. For the Panamanian singer, see Joey Montana.

Joe Montana
Montana during an interview with ESPN in 2006
Montana in 2006
No. 16, 19
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1956-06-11) June 11, 1956 (age 68)
New Eagle, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Ringgold
(Carroll, Pennsylvania)
College:Notre Dame (1974–1978)
NFL draft:1979 / round: 3 / pick: 82
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts:5,391
Passing completions:3,409
Completion percentage:63.2%
TD–INT:273–139
Passing yards:40,551
Passer rating:92.3
Rushing yards:1,676
Rushing touchdowns:20
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Joseph Clifford Montana Jr. (born June 11, 1956) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Nicknamed "Joe Cool" and "the Comeback Kid", Montana is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.[1][2][3][4][5][6] After winning a national championship with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Montana began his NFL career in 1979 at San Francisco, where he played for the next 14 seasons.[7] With the 49ers, Montana started and won four Super Bowls and was the first player to be named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times. He also holds Super Bowl career records for most passes without an interception (122 in four games) and the all-time highest passer rating of 127.8. In 1993, Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played for his last two seasons and led the franchise to its first AFC Championship Game. Montana was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.[8]

In 1986, Montana won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.[9] In 1989 and again in 1990, Montana was named the NFL Most Valuable Player.[10] Montana was elected to eight Pro Bowls as well as being voted first-team All-Pro in 1987, 1989, and 1990. Montana had the highest passer rating in the National Football Conference (NFC) five times (1981, 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1989), and in both 1987 and 1989, Montana had the highest passer rating in the NFL.[11]

Among his career highlights, "the Catch" (the game-winning touchdown pass to Dwight Clark vs. Dallas in the 1981 NFC Championship Game) and a Super Bowl-winning 92-yard drive against the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII are staples of NFL highlight films.

The 49ers retired Montana's No. 16 jersey number after the conclusion of his playing career. In 1994, Montana earned a spot on the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team; he is also a member of the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team. In 1999, editors at The Sporting News ranked Montana third on their list of Football's 100 Greatest Players. Also in 1999, ESPN named Montana the 25th greatest athlete of the 20th century. In 2006, Sports Illustrated rated him the number-one clutch quarterback of all time.[12]

  1. ^ Bruton, Michelle (August 28, 2017). "The Top 10 Quarterbacks of All Time". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  2. ^ Harrison, Elliot (July 2, 2019). "Top 25 quarterbacks of all time: Patriots' Tom Brady leads list". NFL.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  3. ^ Teets, Sam (June 23, 2020). "The Greatest NFL Quarterbacks Of All-Time, Ranked 20-1". ClutchPoints. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  4. ^ Clayton, John (January 30, 2017). "Clayton's GOAT quarterback ranking". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  5. ^ Healy, John (January 29, 2022). "From Elway to Brady, ranking the 10 greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time". Audacy. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  6. ^ McVey, Rob (April 8, 2022). "25 Greatest Quarterbacks in NFL History". Athlon Sports. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  7. ^ Schwartz, Larry. "Montana was comeback king". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
  8. ^ "Joe Montana – Pro Football Hall of Fame". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 22, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  9. ^ Schwartz, Larry. "Awards". San Francisco Forty Niners. Archived from the original on August 17, 2007. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
  10. ^ "Super Bowl XXIV MVP: Joe Montana". NFL.com. January 29, 1990. Archived from the original on February 21, 2010. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
  11. ^ Litsky, Frank (December 21, 1989). "PRO FOOTBALL; Taylor Is in Pro Bowl and Into History". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
  12. ^ "Top 10 Clutch Quarterbacks of All Time". Sports Illustrated. August 3, 2006. Archived from the original on February 16, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2007.