Background

Ethnicity: Joe Montana was born into an Italian-American family.

Joe Montana was born on June 11, 1956, in New Eagle, Pennsylvania, United States; the son of Joseph Clifford Montana, Sr. and Theresa Marie Bavuso Montana. He spent his childhood in Monongahela, a coal-mining town.

Education

During his early years, Montana studied at Waverly Elementary, Finleyville Junior High (now known as Finleyville Middle School) and Ringgold High School. During his time at Ringgold, Joe played football, baseball, and basketball. Montana was good at basketball and helped Ringgold win the 1973 WPIAL Class AAA boys' basketball championship while being named an all-state player.

It's worth saying, that Montana was offered a basketball scholarship to North Carolina State University in Raleigh for his accomplishments, but instead went to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, to play collegiate football.

Montana began his junior year as the Fighting Irish's third-string quarterback but was elevated to starter after coming off the bench to lead Notre Dame to a comeback victory in the third game of the 1977 season. He finished that season by guiding once-beaten Notre Dame to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A national championship. After a successful senior year that ended with a Notre Dame victory in the Cotton Bowl, Montana was selected by the 49ers in the third round of the 1979 NFL draft.

Montana graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in business administration and marketing.

Career

Montana's professional career started, when he was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 1979 NFL draft, after a successful senior year at college, that ended with a Notre Dame victory in the Cotton Bowl. During his rookie season in San Francisco, he spent most of his time on the bench absorbing lessons in technique from veteran quarterback Steve DeBerg. The 49ers ended the regular season with a dismal record of 2-14. In 1980, he split quarterbacking duties with DeBerg, but Montana clearly outshone the veteran, throwing for 1,795 yards and fifteen touchdowns and completing sixty-five percent of his passes - the best in the NFL. Coach Bill Walsh rewarded Montana by naming him starting quarterback for the 1981 season, which turned out to be the best in 49ers' history up to that point. San Francisco finished the regular season with a 13-3 record and went on to win the National Football Conference championship, 28-27, against the Dallas Cowboys. In the Super Bowl, playing against the Cincinnati Bengals, Montana completed fourteen of twenty-two passes for 157 yards to lead the 49ers to a 26-21 victory. For his contribution, Montana received the first of his three Super Bowl MVP trophies.

The 1982 season was cut short by a players' strike, and the 49ers missed the playoffs, but the team bounced back in 1983 with a record of 10-6. Montana threw for 3,910 yards and 26 touchdowns during the regular season. In the post-season, San Francisco advanced to the NFC championship game, which it lost to the Washington Redskins, 24-21 despite another fourth-quarter rally led by Montana. Montana had tied up the game, 21-21, with three fourth-quarter touchdown passes but lost when Redskins player Mark Mosley kicked a 25-yard field goal in the final moments of the game. The 49ers enjoyed one of their best seasons ever in 1984, losing only one game for a record of 15-1. Montana during the regular season threw for 3,630 yards and 28 touchdowns, completing sixty-five percent of his passes. Facing the Chicago Bears in the NFC championship game, San Francisco rolled to an easy victory of 23-0. Almost as much of a runaway was the 49ers' 38-16 Super Bowl win over the Miami Dolphins. Montana earned his second Super Bowl MVP Trophy by throwing for 331 yards (a Super Bowl record at the time) and two touchdowns. He rushed for another touchdown.

In 1985, Montana turned in another brilliant performance, throwing for 3,653 yards and twenty-seven touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to return the 49ers to the Super Bowl. In the first round of the playoffs, San Francisco was knocked out of the competition by the New York Giants, 17-3. The beginning of the 1986 season was particularly ominous for Montana, who suffered a severe back injury that doctors at first feared might end his career. He confounded the medical professionals by returning to the game within two months. The 49ers went on to win the NFC Western Division title but fell again to the New York Giants in the first round of the playoffs, 49-3. Labor troubles once again intervened in 1987, cutting the regular season to fifteen games, of which Montana played in thirteen. The quarterback, however, managed to throw for 3,054 yards and a career-high thirty-one touchdowns. He also set an NFL record by completing twenty-two consecutive passes. San Francisco once again won the NFC Western Division title but fell in the first round of the playoffs, this time at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings.

As 49ers coach Walsh began giving more playing time to Steve Young during the 1988 season, rumors began to circulate that Montana might be traded. Montana resolved to do whatever it took to hang on to his job as starting quarterback. In the end, he kept his job and led the 49ers to still another Super Bowl game after blow-out wins against the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears in the playoffs. In January 1989, the 49ers once again faced off against the Bengals in the Super Bowl. In classic Montana form, the quarterback came to the rescue in the final minutes of the game to lead San Francisco to a 20-16 victory over the Bengals.

After the retirement of coach Walsh in early 1989, coaching duties were turned over to defensive coach George Siefert. It was a good year for both Montana and the 49ers. Montana completed 70.2 percent of his passes for 3,521 yards and twenty-six touchdowns, helping to power San Francisco into the playoffs once again. The 49ers handily disposed of their three playoff opponents with a combined score of 126-26 to win another trip to the Super Bowl. Montana, who led his team to a landslide 55-10 victory over the Broncos with a record five touchdowns, received his third Super Bowl MVP Trophy. Hoping to win their third Super Bowl in as many years, San Francisco compiled a sterling record of 14-2 during the regular season in 1990. Montana provided plenty of help, throwing for a career-high 3,944 yards and twenty-six touchdowns. With nine minutes to go in the NFC championship game, the 49ers were leading the Giants by a score of 13-9 when Montana broke his finger. Young took over the ball, performing well, but a fumble by running back Roger Craig gave the Giants the break they needed to win the game, 15-13.

An elbow injury forced Montana to miss all but one game over the course of the 1991 and 1992 seasons, and by the time he was ready to return to the field, future Hall of Famer Steve Young was entrenched as the 49ers starting quarterback. In 1993, Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. He earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in his first year in Kansas City (his eighth and final career selection) and led the Chiefs to playoff berths in his two seasons with the team. Montana retired in 1995, finishing his career with 31 fourth-quarter comeback victories and 10 playoff appearances in his 11 full seasons as a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Currently, Joe raises horses with his family in California. Also, he and his children compete as riders of the horses they raise.

Achievements

• Joe Montana is considered to be one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the National Football League (NFL). He was recruited by the San Francisco 49ers from Notre Dame in 1979 after leading the Fighting Irish to a Cotton Bowl victory in 1978. "Joe Cool," as he was known for his ice-cool disposition in the heat of the game, led the 49ers on the field for twelve seasons and played key roles in the San Francisco 49ers four Super Bowl victories between 1982 and 1990. Montana attained the Super Bowl MVP Award in 1982, 1985 and 1990, being the first player ever to do so. It's also worth noting, that Joe 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.
  
  Holding the position of a quarterback the Kansas City Chiefs, Joe led that franchise to its first AFC Championship Game in January 1994.
  
  The athlete was elected to eight Pro Bowls and was voted 1st team All-Pro by the Associated Press in 1987, 1989, and 1990. It was in 1989 and 1990, that the Associated Press named Montana the NFL Most Valuable Player. The following year, Sports Illustrated magazine named him the "Sportsman of the Year." In 1999, editors at the Sporting News ranked Montana third on their list of Football's 100 Greatest Players. The same year, he was named the 25th greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN.
  
  It's also worth saying, that, in 2000, Joe was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Joe Montana's Art and Magic of Quarterbacking

    (In this book, Joe Montana reveals the secrets of strategy...)

    1997
  • The Winning Spirit: 16 Timeless Principles That Drive Performance Excellence

    (With great stories and practical strategies, Joe Montana ...)

    2005

Views

Quotations: "Winners, I am convinced, imagine their dreams first. They want it with all their heart and expect it to come true. There is, I believe, no other way to live."

"When the game is over I just want to look at myself in the mirror, win or lose, and know I gave it everything I had."

"As a quarterback, there's no better way to finish your year, in winning a Super Bowl, than with a touchdown pass. The chances of that happening, by the looks of most of the Super Bowls, is a very rare chance. Fortunately for me, I had an opportunity."

"Yeah, it's nice to look up to people, but the more you try to be somebody else, the less you are of yourself."

"Always be prepared to start."

Personality

Joe has a great ability to remain calm under pressure. He never appeared to be a brash and demonstrative leader and, by his own account, he struggled to articulate how he seemed to perform miracles so effortlessly. Joe Montana had the ability to impose a quiet order on a raw and disorderly game.

Montana owns horses and produces wine under the label Montagia.

Physical Characteristics: Montana is 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall and weighs 205 lb (93 kg).

In 1986, Montana was diagnosed with a narrow spinal cavity. He elected to have an operation, which was successful, and was able to return to football and continue his career.

Quotes from others about the person

• "There was something hypnotic about him. That look when he was dropping back; he was poetic in his movements, almost sensuous, everything so fluid, so much under control." - Bill Walsh, an American professional and college football coach

Interests

• Sport & Clubs

  basketball, baseball

• Athletes

  Terry Hanratty

Connections

During his lifetime, Joe Montana has been married three times. It was in 1974, that he married his first wife, Kim Moses. Three years later, in 1977, the couple divorced. Later, in 1981, Montana married his second wife, Cass Castillo, whom he divorced in 1984. A year later, Montana married Jennifer Wallace, an actress and model. They gave birth to four children - Alexandra Whitney (b. October 10, 1985), Elizabeth Jean (b. December 20, 1986), Nathaniel "Nate" Joseph (b. October 3, 1989), and Nicholas Alexander (b. April 28, 1992).

Father:

Joseph Clifford Montana, Sr.

(1932 - 2017)

Mother:

Theresa Marie Bavuso Montana

(1935 - 2004)

Spouse:

Jennifer Wallace

Daughter:

Elizabeth Jean Montana

(b. December 20, 1986)

Son:

Nicholas Alexander Montana

Nicholas Alexander Montana (b. April 28, 1992) is a former American football quarterback. He began his college football career at the University of Washington before transferring to Mt. San Antonio College. After one season at the junior college level, he transferred to Tulane University and played two seasons for the Tulane Green Wave.

Son:

Nathaniel "Nate" Joseph Montana

Nathaniel Joseph "Nate" Montana (b. October 3, 1989) is a former American football quarterback. After walking-on at Notre Dame as a freshman in 2008, he transferred to Pasadena City College in 2009, went back to Notre Dame in 2010, transferred to Montana in 2011, and finally transferred to West Virginia Wesleyan in 2012.

Daughter:

Alexandra Whitney Montana

(b. October 10, 1985)

Maternal grandmother:

Josephine Savarino Bavuso

(1909 - 1993)

ex-spouse:

Kim Moses

ex-spouse:

Cass Castillo

maternal grandfather:

Vincenzo "James" Bavuso

(b. 1906)

coach:

Bill Walsh

Bill Walsh, in full William Ernest Walsh (November 30, 1931 - July 30, 2007) was an American professional and college football coach. He held the post of head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Stanford Cardinals.

References

• Montana: The Biography of Football's Joe Cool Rich an anecdotal detail, insight and context, Montana is a powerful story about a man who was defined by his intense competitiveness, and how this intangibly helped him become one of the iconic figures in football history.
  2015
• Best of Rivals: Joe Montana, Steve Young, and the Inside Story behind the NFL's Greatest Quarterback Controversy In this revealing, in-depth look at the NFL's greatest quarterback controversy, Adam Lazarus takes readers into the locker room and inside the huddle to deliver the real story behind the rivalry between Joe Montana and Steve Young, who battled on and off the field and forged one of the greatest football dynasties of all time.
  2012
• Joe Montana A book by Adam Woog.
  2008
• Joe Montana's Twitter
• Joe Montana's Facebook