When Did Joe Montana Retire?

When Joe Montana made his way into the NFL as a 23-year-old youngster in 1979, little did anyone know just how great of a player he would end up being. Every now and then there comes a player in the league who mesmerizes the spectators, his teammates and even the opposition. They are so good at what they do that it all seems simple while watching them go about their work. Joe Montana was the prime example of such ease and calmness required to command the offense of a professional football team.

Montana, like many others who have reached the summit of the game, was never expected to become what he did especially early on in his career. He was never perceived in college as the next big thing and in so many ways, he seems to share most of his career trajectory with that of another legend of the game Tom Brady. Arguably the duo are considered the top 2 quarterbacks to have ever graced this beautiful sport.

The thing about Montana which people from that time really remember the most is how he never gave up and rallied his teams to come from behind and win the game on several occasions. Not only that, he was also a master of playing better and better when the stakes were the highest. Evidently, that mental aspect of his game was probably the single most important reason why he won all four of the Super Bowls he played in. In addition to that, his Super Bowl stats of 13 touchdowns to zero interceptions is just mind boggling.

In a career that propelled him to the top of the mountain, it is worth recalling his journey and understanding what all took place before he finally hung up his boots.

Joe Montana in the NFL

The 1979 NFL Draft is the time when Joe Montana was selected in the third round by the San Francisco 49ers as their backup quarterback. Waiting in the wings as a backup, Montana finally got the lead job in the 1981 season. In his first seasons as a full time starter, he led the team to a 13-3 record en route to winning the Super Bowl as well.

Post 1981, the 49ers and Montana would lead the team to 9 postseasons in a total of 10 seasons that he was the full time starter. A couple of years post their first Super Bowl win, Montana was again performing at a high level and his play was the main reason why the 49ers finished 14-1 that year. Once again, he led the team to their second Super Bowl.

Three more good years followed the 1984 season but with no trophy to show for it. However, 1988 and 1989 were once again Championship winning seasons as the 49ers went back-to-back lifting their third and fourth Lombardi Trophies.

What followed was quite possibly the turning point of his career as Montana suffered a severe elbow injury in the 1991 preseason which forced him to miss nearly two full seasons of football. By that time his backup Steve Young had begun to do well and the management was in all sorts of confusion as to who would continue starting for the team in 1993. With the growing tensions around the team, Montana requested a trade which sent him to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Montana played his final two years in Kansas City where he was again the driving force behind the team’s turn of fortunes. He carried the Chiefs to two consecutive postseasons in 1993 and 1994 but they fell short in the AFC Championship game and the Wild Card Round respectively.

Joe Montana Retirement

Joe announced his retirement on April 18, 1995, after finishing his second season with the Chiefs, regardless of the three year contract he had signed with them. The reason for his retirement was twofold.

First and foremost, Montana was already 39 years old at the time and his body had taken a lot of pounding. Back in the day, the game was much more physical and there were not so many rules in place for protecting the quarterbacks. Thus, the legendary signal-caller had been on the wrong side of way too many hits by then that it was taking a toll on his body.

Secondly, Montana also stated later on that a part of his decision involved being able to spend more time with his family as he had missed out on many important things in his personal life till then. Many years down the road, Montana expressed a small amount of regret for not playing in the final year of his contract as he thought that the team was more than capable of winning a Super Bowl.

Regardless of his decision, nothing will take away from the fact that even to this day Montana is held in high regard by fans and experts of this sport. He is and will forever be a legend of the game.