The western Pennsylvania and West Virginia hills around the Monongahela river drainage basin are famed in sports circles (esp. scouting) for the number of college and NFL caliber players produced in the greater region, and Montana is perhaps archetypical in that manner. He is of Italian descent and grew to maturity in the hard-scrabble steel town of Monongehela at a time when the failing rust belt industries were making for tough times in the local economy.

Montana is routinely regarded among the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He led the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowls (1982, 1985, 1989, and 1990) and became the only player to win three Super Bowl MVP awards. He was also the first player in league history to win two Associated Press MVP awards, as he did so for the 1989 and 1990 season. In 1990, he received Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. His moniker, Joe Cool, was given to him because of his calm, cool demeanor on the field under the most intense pressure situations.

Montana attended Ringgold Area High School in Monongehela and was a standout in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he was a two-year starter and as a senior, won Parade All-American honors. In basketball, he led his team to a League Championship as a senior. He also served as his classes' vice president as a senior.

Montana attended The University of Notre Dame, where he led the Fighting Irish to a defeat of the Houston Cougars in the 1979 Cotton Bowl, and the 1977 college football National Championship, which Montana and the Irish earned by besting the Texas Longhorns in the 1978 Cotton Bowl. While at Notre Dame, Montana resided in the infamous Zahm House, an all-male residence which has curiously produced some of the best QB talents in pro football, having several years earlier jocked famed NFL quarterback Joe Theismann, and later star Irish quarterback Brady Quinn.

Montana was drafted in the third round by the San Francisco 49ers in 1979 from Notre Dame. Injured after getting hit by Leonard Marshall during the NFC Championship Game in January 1991, Montana missed all of the 1991 season and most of the 1992 season with an elbow injury (he did appear in a Monday Night Football game vs. Detroit Lions at the end of the '92 season and was very effective). However, at this point, teammate Steve Young replaced him at the starting quarterback position.

Montana was then traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in April 1993 and spent his two final seasons with the Chiefs before retiring at the end of the 1994 season. As a Chief, Montana led two come-from-behind wins in the 1993 playoffs and reached the AFC Championship Game where Kansas City lost to the Buffalo Bills. In 1994, Montana's highlights included a classic duel with John Elway on Monday Night Football and a final playoff appearance.

Montana earned the nicknames "Joe Cool" and "Comeback Kid" due to his ability to rally his teams from late game deficits, including 31 fourth quarter comebacks. "The Catch" (the game-winning TD pass vs. Dallas in the '82 NFC Championship Game) and "The Drive" (the Super Bowl-winning 92-yd. drive vs. the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII) are staples of NFL highlight films.

For his career with the 49ers, Montana completed 2,929 of 4,600 passes for 35,142 yards with 244 touchdowns and 123 interceptions. He had thirty-five 300 yard passing games. His career totals: 3409 completion on 5391 attempts, 273 touchdowns, 139 interceptions, and 40,551 yards passing. He also rushed for 1,676 yards and 20 touchdowns. His career passer rating was 92.3, 3rd highest of all-time, behind Kurt Warner (still active) and his 49er successor Steve Young.

Montana holds post-season records for most career touchdown passes (44), and passing yards (5772) among others. In his four Super Bowls, Montana completed 83 of 122 passes, for 1,142 yards and 11 touchdowns with an impressive zero interceptions, earning him a quarterback rating of 127.8. Montana led his team to victory in each game, and is the only player ever to win 3 Super Bowl MVP awards. He played in eight Pro Bowls. His success is a combination of Bill Walsh's highly successful West Coast Offense, a team of superstars, pro-bowlers and future stars, and Montana's uncanny ability to find the open man (often the third or fourth option).