Joe Montana NFL Career | San Francisco 49ers Legendary Quarterback

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Joe Montana was one of the defining quarterbacks of the NFL’s modern era. Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1979, he became a cornerstone of the franchise’s dominance throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.

Selected by San Francisco in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft, Montana arrived from Notre Dame with a reputation for late-game heroics. His ability to engineer fourth-quarter comebacks was on full display in the 1980 Cotton Bowl, when he led a 23-point rally in the final quarter, capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass with two seconds remaining. The extra point secured the victory.

Montana spent his rookie and sophomore seasons backing up Steve DeBerg before taking over as the full-time starter in 1981. That season, he led the 49ers to a 13–3 record and an NFC Championship victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Trailing 27–21 with less than five minutes remaining, Montana directed a 91-yard drive that culminated in one of the most iconic plays in NFL history. On third-and-goal from the Cowboys’ six-yard line with 58 seconds left, Montana rolled right and, under pressure, delivered a pass to Dwight Clark in the back of the end zone. Ray Wersching’s extra point sent San Francisco to its first Super Bowl. The play has forever been referred to as “The Catch” ever since.

In Super Bowl XVI against the Cincinnati Bengals, Montana threw for one touchdown and rushed for another, earning Super Bowl MVP honors. By the end of his tenure with the 49ers, he had led the team to four Super Bowl championships and was named Super Bowl MVP three times.

In 1991, Montana was sidelined by an elbow injury that carried into the 1992 season. His absence contributed to one of the most notable quarterback controversies in NFL history, as backup Steve Young emerged as an elite starter. With room for only one Hall of Fame quarterback, Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs after 13 seasons in San Francisco, where he remains the franchise’s all-time leading passer.

With the Chiefs, Montana teamed with fellow future Hall of Famer Marcus Allen and helped lead Kansas City to its first division title in 22 years. The Chiefs advanced to the AFC Championship Game, and Montana earned his eighth and final Pro Bowl selection.

Montana’s final NFL season came in 1994. Over 15 seasons, he completed 3,409 of 5,391 pass attempts for 40,551 yards, 273 touchdowns, and a career completion percentage of 63.2 percent. He finished with a passer rating of 92.3, eight Pro Bowl selections, and three All-Pro honors. Among his most notable achievements were 26 fourth-quarter comebacks. Joe Montana was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

Joe Montana was one of the defining quarterbacks of the NFL’s modern era. Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft, he became the centerpiece of the franchise’s dominance throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.

Montana arrived from Notre Dame with a reputation for late-game comebacks, highlighted by his legendary rally in the 1980 Cotton Bowl. After backing up Steve DeBerg early in his career, he became San Francisco’s full-time starter in 1981 and led the team to a 13–3 record and an NFC Championship win over the Dallas Cowboys. That game featured “The Catch,” a last-minute touchdown pass to Dwight Clark that sent the 49ers to their first Super Bowl.

In Super Bowl XVI, Montana accounted for two touchdowns and earned Super Bowl MVP honors. He would go on to lead the 49ers to four Super Bowl championships, winning MVP honors three times.

An elbow injury sidelined Montana in 1991 and contributed to a quarterback transition as Steve Young emerged as the team’s starter. After 13 seasons, Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he helped lead the franchise to its first division title in 22 years and an AFC Championship Game appearance. He earned his eighth and final Pro Bowl selection with Kansas City.

Montana retired after the 1994 season. In 15 NFL seasons, he threw for 40,551 yards, 273 touchdowns, and posted a 63.2% completion rate with a 92.3 passer rating. Known for his poise under pressure, he recorded 26 fourth-quarter comebacks and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

Image Gallery of Joe Montana, Quarterback, 1979-1994

In 1992 San Francisco traded their All Time Leading Passer to Kansas City and in 1993 Joe Montana would guide the Chiefs to their first Division Championship in 22 years and an appearance in the AFC Title game against Buffalo.

A Real Life Case of "One's Got To Go". Joe Montana had quarterbacked San Francisco to 9 Post Season appearances and 4 NFL Titles in 10 seasons. Add to that, he was the franchise's All-Time Leading Passer. But a 1991 preseason injury propelled backup Steve Young into the starting lineup and by 1992, Young had firmly established himself as one of the NFL's elite. Montana was traded, Young won a Super of his own in 1994 and both would end up in Canton.

Joe Montana, a third-round draft pick from Notre Dame in 1979 would play 13 seasons in San Francisco, win 4 Super Bowls and leave as the Franchise's All-Time Leading Passer.

Joe Montana celebrates one of the 5 touchdown passes he delivered in Super Bowl XXIV against Denver. 3 of those TDs went to Jerry Rice. That's 5-time Pro Bowler Guy McIntyre celebrating with him.

Members of the dreaded Bears Defense of 1985 - Mike Singletary and Steve McMichael converge on 49ers quarterback Joe Montana during the Week 6 clash between Chicago and San Francisco. Montana was sacked a total of 7 times in the 26-10 Bears win.

<p style="text-indent: 2em;">Some new guys on the Chiefs offense in 1993. Joe Montana and Marcus Allen, both former All-Pros, ended up with The Kansas City Chiefs in 1993 and both earned spots in the 1993 Pro Bowl. The Chiefs finished with an 11-5 record and advanced all the way the the AFC Championship game were they fell to the Buffalo Bills. </p>
<p style="text-indent: 2em;">Montana would stay on with Kansas City for a total of 2 seasons passing for 5427 yards while maintaining a 60.7% completion percentage and 29 touchdowns. Likewise, Allen proved he still had some gas in the tank. He would remain with the Chiefs for 5 seasons, leading the NFL in Rushing Touchdowns with 12 for the 1993 season. His career stats with the Chiefs were 3698 yards rushing and 44 scores on the ground. Add to that he finished with a 4.0 yards-per-carry too. </p>

Some new guys on the Chiefs offense in 1993. Joe Montana and Marcus Allen, both former All-Pros, ended up with The Kansas City Chiefs in 1993 and both earned spots in the 1993 Pro Bowl. The Chiefs finished with an 11-5 record and advanced all the way the the AFC Championship game were they fell to the Buffalo Bills.

Montana would stay on with Kansas City for a total of 2 seasons passing for 5427 yards while maintaining a 60.7% completion percentage and 29 touchdowns. Likewise, Allen proved he still had some gas in the tank. He would remain with the Chiefs for 5 seasons, leading the NFL in Rushing Touchdowns with 12 for the 1993 season. His career stats with the Chiefs were 3698 yards rushing and 44 scores on the ground. Add to that he finished with a 4.0 yards-per-carry too.

Joe Montana Football Trading Cards

Joe Montana All Time Career Statistics

Career Regular Season Passing Totals
Season	Age	Team	#	Games	Starts	QBrec	Att	Cmp	Cmp%	Yards	Y/A	Long	TD	Int	Rate	Sacked	Yards Lost	4QC	GWD
1979	23	SFO	16	16	1	0-1-0	23	13	56.5	96	4.2	18	1	0	81.1	0	0	0	0
1980	24	SFO	16	15	7	2-5-0	273	176	64.5♦	1795	6.6	71	15	9	87.8	15	100	1	1
1981*	25	SFO	16	16	16	13-3-0	488	311	63.7♦	3565	7.3	78	19	12	88.4	26	193	2	2
1982	26	SFO	16	9	9	3-6-0	346♦	213	61.6	2613	7.6	55	17♦	11	88.0	20	166	2	2
1983*	27	SFO	16	16	16	10-6-0	515	332	64.5	3910	7.6	77	26	12	94.6	33	224	2	1
1984*	28	SFO	16	16	15	14-1-0	432	279	64.6	3630	8.4	80	28	10	102.9	22	138	2	2
1985*	29	SFO	16	15	15	9-6-0	494	303	61.3♦	3653	7.4	73	27	13	91.3	35	246	1	1
1986	30	SFO	16	8	8	6-2-0	307	191	62.2	2236	7.3	48	8	9	80.7	12	95	1	1
1987*+	31	SFO	16	13	11	10-1-0	398	266	66.8♦	3054	7.7	57	31♦	13	102.1♦	22	158	3♦	3♦
1988	32	SFO	16	14	13	8-5-0	397	238	59.9	2981	7.5	96♦	18	10	87.9	34	223	2	2
1989*+	33	SFO	16	13	13	11-2-0	386	271	70.2♦	3521	9.1♦	95	26	8	112.4♦	33	198	4	5
1990*+	34	SFO	16	15	15	14-1-0	520	321	61.7	3944	7.6	78	26	16	89.0	29	153	3	5
1991	Injured
1992	36	SFO	16	1	0		21	15	71.4	126	6.0	17	2	0	118.4	1	8	0	0
1993*	37	KAN	19	11	11	8-3-0	298	181	60.7	2144	7.2	50	13	7	87.4	12	61	1	1
1994	38	KAN	19	14	14	9-5-0	493	299	60.6	3283	6.7	57	16	9	83.6	19	132	2	2
13 seasons 49ers				167	139	100-39-0	4600	2929	63.7	35124	7.6	96	244	123	93.5	282	1902	23	25
2 seasons Chiefs				25	25	17-8-0	791	480	60.7	5427	6.9	57	29	16	85.0	31	193	3	3
15 Year NFL Career				192	164	117-47-0	5391	3409	63.2	40551	7.5	96	273	139	92.3	313	2095	26	28

Career Post Season Passing Totals
Season	Age	Team	Games	Starts	QBrec	Att	Cmp	Cmp%	Yards	Y/A	Long	TD	Int	Rate	Sack	Yards Lost	4QC	GWD
1981*	25	SFO	3	3	3-0-0	88♦	56♦	63.6	747♦	8.5	58	6♦	4	94.3	7	45	1♦	1♦

1983*	27	SFO	2	2	1-1-0	79	45	57.0	548	6.9	76♦	4♦	2	84.8	2	13	1♦	1♦
1984*	28	SFO	3	3	3-0-0	108	67	62.0	873	8.1	40	7	5♦	89.8	8	41	0	0
1985*	29	SFO	1	1	0-1-0	47	26	55.3	296	6.3	36	0	1	65.6	4	28	0	0
1986	30	SFO	1	1	0-1-0	15	8	53.3	98	6.5	24	0	2	34.2	0	0	0	0
1987*+	31	SFO	1	1	0-1-0	26	12	46.2	109	4.2	33	0	1	42.0	4	24	0	0
1988	32	SFO	3	3	3-0-0	90♦	56♦	62.2	823♦	9.1♦	61	8♦	1	117.0♦	6	40	1♦	1♦
1989*+	33	SFO	3	3	3-0-0	83	65♦	78.3♦	800♦	9.6♦	72♦	11♦	0	146.4♦	1	0	0	0
1990*+	34	SFO	2	2	1-1-0	57	40	70.2♦	464	8.1	61	3	1	104.7	5	24	0	0

1993	37	KAN	3	3	2-1-0	104	59	56.7	700	6.7	41	4	3♦	78.2	8	56	2♦	2♦
1994	38	KAN	1	1	0-1-0	37	26	70.3♦	314	8.5	57	2	1	102.8	0	0	0	0
Total Post Season 49ers			19	19	14-5-0	593	375	63.2	4758	8.0	76	39	17	98.2	37	215	3	3
Toatal Post Season Chiefs			4	4	2-2-0	141	85	60.3	1014	7.2	57	6	4	84.6	8	56	2	2
Total Career Post Season			23	23	16-7-0	734	460	62.7	5772	7.9	76	45	21	95.6	45	271	5	5

Career Regular Season Rushing Totals
Season	Age	Team	#	Games	Starts	Att	Yards	Y/A	Long	TD
1979	23	SFO	16	16	1	3	22	7.3	13	0
1980	24	SFO	16	15	7	32	77	2.4	11	2
1981*	25	SFO	16	16	16	25	95	3.8	20	2
1982	26	SFO	16	9	9	30	118	3.9	21	1
1983*	27	SFO	16	16	16	61	284	4.7	18	2
1984*	28	SFO	16	16	15	39	118	3.0	15	2
1985*	29	SFO	16	15	15	42	153	3.6	16	3
1986	30	SFO	16	8	8	17	38	2.2	17	0
1987*+	31	SFO	16	13	11	35	141	4.0	20	1
1988*	32	SFO	16	14	13	38	132	3.5	15	3
1989*+	33	SFO	16	13	13	49	227	4.6	19	3
1990*+	34	SFO	16	15	15	40	162	4.1	20	1
1991	Injured
1992	36	SFO	16	1	0	3	28	9.3	16	0
1993*	37	KAN	19	11	11	25	64	2.6	17	0
1994	38	KAN	19	14	14	18	17	0.9	13	0
13 seasons 49ers				167	139	414	1595	3.9	21	20
2 seasons Chiefs				25	25	43	81	1.9	17	0
15 Year NFL Career				192	164	457	1676	3.7	21	20

Post Season Career Rushing Totals
Season	Age	Team	Games	Starts	Att	Yards	Y/A	Long	TD
1981*	25	SFO	3	3	12	4	0.3	7	1

1983*	27	SFO	2	2	8	56	7.0	18	0
1984*	28	SFO	3	3	13	144	11.1	53♦	1
1985*	29	SFO	1	1	1	0	0.0		0

1987*+	31	SFO	1	1	3	20	6.7	14	0
1988	32	SFO	3	3	10	43	4.3	11	0
1989*+	33	SFO	3	3	5	19	3.8	10	0
1990*+	34	SFO	2	2	3	10	3.3	6	0

1993*	37	KAN	3	3	6	13	2.2	7	0
1994	38	KAN	1	1	2	5	2.5	7	0
Total Post Season 49ers			19	19	55	296	5.4	53	2
Total Post Season Chiefs			4	4	8	18	2.3	7	0
Total Career Post Season			23	23	63	314	5.0	53	2