Joe Montana

Joe Montana, selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft, had a stellar career with the 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. A master of late-game comebacks, Montana directed his teams to 26 fourth-quarter come-from-behind wins during his illustrious career, including a 92-yard drive in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XXIII.

His uncanny ability to bring a team back from apparent defeat was so common that it simply became referred to as “Montana Magic.” A true student of the game, Montana led the NFC in passer rating five-times (1981, 1984-85, 1987, 1989) and the NFL twice (1987, 1989), setting a then single-season league record in 1989 at 112.4.

Eleven times the New Eagle, Pa., native led his team to the playoffs. Along the way, he captured nine divisional championships and victories in Super Bowls XVI, XIX, XXIII, and XXIV. His outstanding play in Super Bowls XVI, XIX, and XXIV earned him Most Valuable Player honors in each game.

After being traded to Kansas City, Montana led the Chiefs to an appearance in the AFC Championship Game his first year. The next year,

in his final season, he became the fifth quarterback in NFL history to eclipse 40,000 career passing yards.

At the time of his retirement in 1994, Montana held the NFL’s career postseason records for passing attempts (734), passing completions (460), passing yards (5,772), touchdown passes (45), wins as a starting quarterback (16) and Super Bowl championships (4).

He ended his Hall of Fame-worthy career as an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, a three-time first-team All-Pro selection and a two-time NFL MVP. He was selected as one of the 10 quarterback on the NFL 100 All-Time Team.