Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 19, 1995 TAG: 9504190056
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SAN FRANCISCO LENGTH: Long
Neither is quitting.
Bang him up and he'd bounce back. Give him the ball with a minute left and 90 yards to negotiate and he'd find a way to score. He left lesser mortals to figure out how.
For two decades, from Notre Dame to the San Francisco 49ers to the Kansas City Chiefs, Montana played with a rare combination of grace and grit that made him not only a four-time Super Bowl champion, but one of America's most beloved athletes.
He could do everything except give up, until now.
With his wife Jennifer and their four children at his side, with thousands of fans jamming an outdoor plaza to say goodbye on a cool, sunny Tuesday, Montana retired at age 38 in a nationally televised ceremony.
Looking youthful in a blue suit, his hair tousled by a breeze off San Francisco Bay, Montana thanked the crowd for their support as they chanted, ``One more year, one more year ..''
``I really have to say, over the years, you fans and the crowds at Candlestick have overwhelmed us many times, but this beats it all,'' he said. ``I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.''
``I have to be honest with you because I really, truly never thought this day would ever come where I would say that word, retirement. But unfortunately, it's here.
``I was gonna try to play basketball with the Chicago Bulls, but I figured it wasn't in my best interests,'' he joked. ``Too short.
``I must admit that I've been very fortunate. It's been like living a dream for me. I remember growing up, it all started with throwing footballs through a tire on a swing with my father. It went to those dreams of playing in the Super Bowls in your backyard and throwing touchdown passes and making diving catches. The fortunate thing for me is that all that became a reality.''
A few moments earlier, he had formally announced his retirement at a news conference in a nearby hotel.
Montana, who always had a joke ready even in the tensest moment on the field, told one as he stepped to the podium to say the words he thought he'd never say.
``I guess you all know why I'm here,'' he said with a smile. ``I signed a new contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.''
``I'm still healthy, I'm relatively in one piece. At this point, it's time to pull out the golf clubs,'' he said, pointing out that almost every season for years, people have speculated on his retirement.
``One year they were going to be right,'' he said.
``It definitely felt like it was the right time,'' he added. ``I don't know why, it felt like it was time to move on. I knew the day would have to come sometime, but it was also difficult to admit to myself that it was over.''
Bill Walsh, the coach who guided him and goaded him to greatness, acted as master of ceremonies. Joining them were former Super Bowl teammates John Taylor, Ronnie Lott, Roger Craig, Steve Bono, Dwight Hicks and Dwight Clark, executives from the 49ers and Chiefs, friends and relatives.
``Joe Montana had a gift for the game of football that made him one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, and perhaps the best of all time,'' NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said in a statement. ``He epitomized what it means to be a winner and the best at what you do. He created memories that will live forever in NFL history.''
Steve Young, the man who took Montana's job on the 49ers, wasn't invited. But if he felt snubbed, he didn't reveal it.
``I've had nothing but respect for Joe for years,'' Young said from his home on the eve of the ceremony. ``Our relationship was kind of like an older brother, younger brother thing. In the backyard, we'd be competing hard, bloodying our noses, fighting for dominance. Look, let's face it, we both wanted the same job. We both wanted to play. We're competitors. But when the games came, we were always pulling for each other and working with each other. In all the years we were teammates, we never had an argument or even a cross word between us.''
Calling Montana the greatest quarterback he'd ever seen, Young said the retirement announcement was an occasion to think about what Montana meant to football.
``It's a time for me to reflect on all those great moments when I was standing on the sidelines with my jaw open, staring at something impossible he'd just done,'' Young said. ``I'd be completely amazed by the way he could find an open man, or see a crack in the defense, or take the team on some last-minute drive. There was no one who could do that like him, time after time.''
Four NFL championships, three Super Bowl MVPs and an armful of records might qualify Montana as the best quarterback ever.
Montana's comebacks from injuries - his medical chart is heavier than his football gear - and his escapes from seemingly lost situations gave him a larger-than-life image. In person, he has always been quiet and self-effacing, a rather average Joe in size and weight, strength and speed. He found words and emotions difficult to express. On Monday night, at dinner with his wife, agent and several aides to work out final details of the ceremony, Montana was nervous and typically quiet.
But when it came time to perform on the field, to win the big game with the big play, there was nobody cooler, nobody in greater command of himself and his teammates.
Montana had a way of scanning the field for receivers that was unmatched, his head turning from sideline to sideline, clicking off targets and throwing with uncanny accuracy to the one who was open.
For all Young's achievements as MVP and Super Bowl champion himself, he probably never will feel the depth of the love affair that grew between Montana and fans in the San Francisco Bay area.
Clark, now the 49ers' vice president for football operations, was Montana's closest friend when they played together. But until last Tuesday night, when Montana called him and invited him to the announcement, the two barely spoke after the trade to the Chiefs two years ago.
``We are,'' said Carmen Policy, the team president and owner Ed DeBartolo's closest friend, ``like a tight Italian family. All tears, all emotion. Letting Joe go was the hardest thing we've had to do.''
But now it's all hugs and tears.
Montana never was much for sentimentality, but he hurt more than he let on when he departed the 49ers. The reason had less to do with loyalty than with simply wanting to play until he felt it was time to quit.
``The unfortunate thing is that my dream, like most dreams, you end up waking up, and this is like a wake-up call for me,'' he told the cheering crowd, his blue eyes squinting against the sun. ``It's time for me to move on, call it a day for the NFL.
`` I really have no regrets,'' he added with a smile. ``There's nothing more that I could ask for from anyone.''
by CNB