From a ‘Cradle of Quarterbacks’ to a John Candy story, here are some Montana facts you may not know
There was little debate about who the greatest quarterback in NFL history was on Jan. 28, 1990, shortly after Joe Montana and the 49ers made mincemeat of the Broncos’ defense in Super Bowl XXIV. The blowout victory gave San Francisco its fourth Super Bowl win since 1981. The win also gave Montana a record third Super Bowl MVP award, as the man known as “Joe Cool” joined Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks to flaunt a 4-0 record as a starting Super Bowl quarterback.
Three decades after winning his final Super Bowl, Montana was back at the big game, as he was celebrated as one of the NFL’s 100 greatest players during a pregame ceremony. And while other great quarterbacks have come and gone since he threw his last NFL pass over a quarter-century ago, Montana remains in the conversation as one of the greatest quarterbacks in league history.
In celebration of his 68th birthday (he was born June 11, 1956), we decided to list five things you might not know about Montana, a player who, as the late Stuart Scott would say, was cooler than the other side of the pillow.
1. A member of Western Pennsylvania’s “Cradle of Quarterbacks”
Western Pennsylvania has produced some of the greatest quarterbacks in league history, a list that includes Montana, Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino. A native of Monongahela, Pennsylvania (which is about 25 miles south of Pittsburgh), Montana, a two-year starter in high school, was tabbed as a Parade All-American as a senior. Despite receiving a slew of basketball scholarships, Montana chose instead to play quarterback at Notre Dame. A member of the school’s 1977 national championship team, Montana offered a foreshadowing of what was to come in the NFL during his final college game. In the 1979 Cotton Bowl, Montana, who played despite suffering from hypothermia, led the Irish to 23 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to lead Notre Dame to a 35-34 win.
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