Joseph Clifford Montana Jr. is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Nicknamed "Joe Cool" and "the Comeback Kid", Montana is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. After winning a national championship at Notre Dame, Montana began his NFL career in 1979 at San Francisco, where he played for the next 14 seasons. With the 49ers, Montana started and won four Super Bowls and was the first player to be named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times. He also holds Super Bowl career records for most passes without an interception and the all-time highest passer rating of 127.8. In 1993, Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played for his last two seasons and led the franchise to its first AFC Championship Game. Montana was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
Montana in 2006
Montana with the 49ers in Super Bowl XIX
Montana's #16 jersey at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Montana at Super Bowl 50 with Steve Young, his successor as the 49ers starting quarterback
The quarterback, colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually considered the leader of the offense, and is often responsible for calling the play in the huddle. The quarterback also touches the ball on almost every offensive play, and is almost always the offensive player that throws forward passes. When the QB is tackled behind the line of scrimmage, it is called a sack.
Seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady attempting a forward pass in a 2009 game against the Washington Redskins.
Navy quarterback Craig Candeto pitches the ball while running an option-based offense
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (No. 12) breaks the Packers' offensive huddle
Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski acting as the ball holder for a kick