Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford Montana, Jr., (born June 11, 1956 in the Monongahela 'pocket suburb' New Eagle, Pennsylvania) was widely considered one of the best football quarterbacks in the history 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 pro-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 Monongehela at a time when the failing rust belt industries were making for tough times in the local economy.
He led the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowls (1981 season, 1984 season, 1988 season, 1989 season) 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 ability to come up big when his team needed it.
High School Years
Montana attended Ringgold Area High School in Monongehela 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.
Pro football Career
San Francisco 49ers
Montana was drafted in the third round by the San Francisco 49ers in 1979 from Notre Dame. He was selected after leading Notre Dame team to defeat the Houston Cougars in the 1979 Cotton Bowl. This came after Montana leading the Irish to the 1977 college football National Championship finished by a...
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