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Joe Montana is arguably the best quarterback in San Francisco 49ers history given how vital he was to the success of the franchise in the 1980s.
Before becoming one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, the 49ers took the Pennsylvania native in the third round of the 1979 NFL draft.
Montana played three seasons at Notre Dame, helping the university capture a national championship in the 1977 season. This came after missing the 1976 season with a shoulder injury. The quarterback spoke on arriving on campus in 1974 and his competition at the position.
“I was one of about seven freshman quarterbacks, and I played my way down to seventh string. I didn’t doubt my ability, but I wondered whether I was ready for a place like Notre Dame. Everybody else was good, and really big—especially the defensive guys.”
A game that Fighting Irish fans won't soon forget is Joe Montana's performance in the Cotton Bowl versus the University of Houston. He was dealing with the flu and sat the majority of the game out while being given hot chicken soup in the locker room.
Houston led 34-12 with under eight minutes left in the game. Despite feeling ill, Montana found the strength to return to the field. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish scored the last 23 points to defeat Houston by a 35-34 score as Montana led them on a game-winning touchdown drive. It's referred to as "The Chicken Soup Game."
The quarterback threw for 4,121 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions in 27 games with Notre Dame. He ranks in the top 15 in school history for both yards and touchdowns.
In that 1979 Draft, he was the fourth quarterback taken as future Hall of Famer Phil Simms was taken ahead of him. Yet, things turned out alright for Joe Montana in his NFL career.
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Joe Montana became an all-time NFL great
The San Francisco 49ers didn't have Montana on the football field much in his first two seasons in the league, starting just eight games. In the 1981 season, the former Notre Dame star became the 49ers' full-time starter as he finished second in the MVP voting.
He threw for 3,565 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while leading the league with a 63.7 completion percentage that season. Joe Montana also led San Francisco to their first Super Bowl in team history in the 1981 season.
The quarterback would eventually win back-to-back MVPs with the franchise along with three more Super Bowls.
In 13 seasons with the 49ers, Montana threw for 35,124 yards, 244 touchdowns, and 123 interceptions before ending his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. Montana was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. Without question, he's one of the best to ever do it, proving it both in college and the NFL.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit the University of Notre Dame and H/T Sportskeeda.
