Joe Montana.

Joe Montana. Joe Montana, born in 1956, American professional football player, a Hall of Fame quarterback who led the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) to Super Bowl victories in 1982, 1985, 1989, and 1990. Joseph Clifford Montana, Jr., was born in New Eagle, Pennsylvania, and grew up in nearby Monongahela. A star athlete as a youth, Montana received a football scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. As Notre Dame's quarterback, Montana was recognized for his passing ability and performance under pressure. In 1977 he guided the team to a national championship. Montana was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 1979 NFL draft. He became the starting quarterback late in 1980 and in 1982 led the 49ers to a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl, earning the game's most valuable player (MVP) award that year. The 49ers returned to the Super Bowl in 1985, defeating the Miami Dolphins for the title, and Montana was once again named the MVP. The 49ers repeated as Super Bowl winners in 1989 and 1990, over the Bengals and the Denver Broncos, respectively. Montana was named MVP for the 1990 victory, becoming the NFL's first three-time winner of the award. In 1991 Montana sustained an elbow injury during training camp and underwent elbow surgery that caused him to miss the rest of the season. He did not rejoin the team until late in 1992, and the following year the 49ers traded Montana to the Kansas City Chiefs. He retired from professional football after the 1994 season. During his career Montana passed for 40,551 yards and 273 touchdowns, totals that both rank in the top ten in NFL history. He was voted to the Pro Bowl--the league's All-Star Game--eight times (1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994). Montana was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.