Quarterback, San Francisco
Age: 34
12th
season in pro football & with 49ers
College: Notre
Dame
Height: 6’2” Weight: 195
Prelude:
Lightly
regarded coming out of college for his slight build and seemingly weak arm,
Montana was taken by the 49ers in the third round of the 1979 NFL draft. After
seeing scant action as a rookie backing up Steve DeBerg, he moved into the
starting lineup during the ’80 season and led the league in completion
percentage (64.5). An excellent fit in Head Coach Bill Walsh’s West Coast
offense, Montana broke out in 1981, passing for 3565 yards and 19 TDs and again
placing at the top in completion percentage (63.7) as he achieved selection to
the Pro Bowl. The team also prospered, going 13-3 and winning the Super Bowl.
While the 49ers slumped in the strike-shortened ’82 season, Montana led the NFL
in pass attempts (346) and TD passes (17). He had three straight Pro Bowl years
from 1983 to ’85 and the 49ers went 33-13 during his starts (4-2 in the
postseason) and won another NFL title in 1984. It seemed as though his career
might come to an end when he had back surgery in 1986, but Montana only missed
half the season and achieved consensus first-team All-Pro status as well as a
return to the Pro Bowl in ’87, when he passed for a career-high 31 touchdowns.
However, the 49ers were upset in the playoffs and he faced a challenge from
younger backup Steve Young. Montana came back strong in a 1988 season that
ended with a game-winning drive in the Super Bowl. He followed up in 1989 by
leading the league in passing with a then-record 112.4 rating as the 49ers
repeated as champions and he gained consensus MVP honors.
1990 Season Summary
Appeared and
started in 15 of 16 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Passing
Attempts – 520
[4]
Most attempts, game – 49 at Atlanta 10/14
Completions –
321 [2]
Most completions, game – 32 at Atlanta 10/14
Yards – 3944 [3]
Most yards, game – 476 at Atlanta 10/14
Completion
percentage – 61.7 [3, 1st in NFC]
Yards per
attempt – 7.6 [6]
TD passes – 26
[3]
Most TD
passes, game – 6 at Atlanta 10/14
Interceptions
– 16 [7, tied with Rich Gannon & Billy Joe Tolliver]
Most
interceptions, game – 3 vs. LA Rams 11/25
Passer rating
– 89.0 [7]
400-yard
passing games – 2
300-yard
passing games – 5
200-yard
passing games – 10
Rushing
Attempts – 40
Most
attempts, game - 6 (for 13 yds.) at Green Bay 11/4
Yards – 162
Most yards,
game – 32 yards (on 5 carries) vs. Cleveland 10/28
Yards per
attempt – 4.1
TDs – 1
Scoring
TDs – 1
Points - 6
Postseason: 2
G
Pass attempts
– 57
Most
attempts, game - 31 vs. Washington, NFC Divisional playoff
Pass
completions – 40
Most
completions, game - 22 vs. Washington, NFC Divisional playoff
Passing
yardage – 464
Most yards,
game - 274 vs. Washington, NFC Divisional playoff
TD passes – 3
Most TD
passes, game - 2 vs. Washington, NFC Divisional playoff
Interceptions
– 1
Most
interceptions, game – 1 vs. Washington, NFC Divisional playoff
Rushing
attempts – 3
Most rushing
attempts, game - 2 vs. NY Giants, NFC Championship
Rushing yards
– 10
Most rushing
yards, game - 9 vs. NY Giants, NFC Championship
Average gain
rushing – 3.3
Rushing TDs –
0
Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP
1st
team All-NFL: AP, NEA
2nd
team All-NFC: UPI
Pro Bowl
49ers went 14-2
to finish first in the NFC West and gain the top playoff seed in the conference
while leading the NFC in passing yards (4177). Won NFC Divisional playoff over
Washington Redskins (28-10). Lost NFC Championship to New York Giants (15-13).
Aftermath:
An injury
suffered in the NFC Championship game loss to the Giants caused Montana to miss
all of 1991 and virtually all of ’92 (he appeared in one game) and the team
committed to Young as the starting quarterback. Montana moved on to Kansas
City, where he had two productive seasons and was chosen for one last Pro Bowl
(his 8th) in 1993. He retired following the ’94 season with the second-highest
passer rating in NFL history (92.3) as he threw for 40,551 yards and 273 TDs as
well as compiling a record of 117-47 as a starting QB (16-7 in the playoffs).
Known for his coolness under pressure and admired for his class, Montana’s #16
was retired by the 49ers and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of
Fame, Class of 2000.
--
MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or
Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or
USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football
Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press
International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league
itself).
[Updated 11/29/14]
[Updated 11/29/14]
Set and maintained the standard for great quarterbacks from the 80's and beyond. At least until Peyton Manning came along.
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