Joe Montana; The Legend Begins

Growing up, my family had certain routines.

Saturday mornings, my dad would walk down to the donut shop. My favorite breakfast. Give me an old fashion chocolate any day washed down with a candy sprinkled, vanilla frosted donut, and I was a happy camper.

 If my sister or myself were awake, we would sometimes walk with him so we could decide what to get. If not, the bag of donuts would be on the kitchen table when we woke up.

Great start to a weekend. Sunday mornings, however, were a whole different ball game.

It was the day for a good sit down breakfast. My mom usually cooked, something like eggs and bacon. Before that would happen though,  I had my own routine.

I’d wake up early and turn on Notre Dame Football highlights, narrated by Lindsey Nelson. I really have no idea why. I wasn’t an Irish fan, more a football fan and that’s the only sports I could find early on a Sunday morning.

    As Lindsey would say “Lets go now to later in the first quarter..” one name continually popped up. Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana.

    For a few years I watched Montana score touchdown after touchdown for the Fighting Irish. As an impressionable 14-year-old,  he was the football player I began to idolize. I remember telling my dad, “could you imagine if the (hometown) San Francisco49ers drafted Montana?”

       In 1979, my dream came true.

       Joe Montana was a 49er and I couldn’t be happier. Despite San Francisco having a very bad record, I was now a 49er fan. I grew up an Oakland Raider fan, since I lived half way between Oakland and San Francisco. I watched Ken Stabler dominate the NFL for years. It was time to usher in a new hero.

         San Francisco had a 2-14 record in 1979 and improved to 6-10 in 1980. In 1981, Montana became the starting quarterback and San Francisco went 13-3. The playoffs then produced “The Catch”, a moment that made my entire family jump off the couch at the same time.

         Watching Dwight Clark leap over Everson Walls to beat the hated Dallas Cowboys was a memory I will never forget.

          From the day San Francisco drafted Joe Montana, I was a fan. Every pass Ithrew in pickup football games was a Joe Montana pass. He truly made me a die-hard fan of the San Francisco 49ers.