Considered somewhat of a long shot with questionable arm strength, Montana wasn't drafted by the San Francisco 49ers until the very last pick of the third round (82nd overall). He would go on to become perhaps the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL. During his sixteen-year career, Montana would lead the 49ers to four NFL championships, earning Super Bowl MVP honors in 1982, 1985, and 1990, as well as league MVP honors in 1989 and 1990. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

Originally developed by 49ers head coach Bill Walsh during the 1960s while he was an assistant with the Cincinnati Bengals, the West Coast Offense is based on the idea of throwing a lot of quick, timed, high-percentage passes in order to keep control of the ball. While other teams had used ball-control offenses before, they were usually built around the running game. Walsh's strategy was unique in that it maintained the ball-control aspect, yet allowed for big plays as well since it was designed for wide receivers to pick up large chunks of yards after the catch.

The 49ers retired Montana's #16 jersey after the conclusion of his playing career.

Although Montana appeared in all 16 regular season games during the 1979 season, he only threw 23 passes. He spent most of the season as the backup on the San Francisco depth chart behind starter Steve DeBerg.

Montana began the 1981 season as San Francisco's starting quarterback. Backed in part by Montana's strong performance, the team finished the regular season with a 13-3 record and went on to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI.

Montana earned the nickname "Joe Cool" for his ability to stay calm at key moments, and "Comeback Kid" for his history of rallying his teams from late-game deficits. His teammates in San Francisco also called him "Bird Legs" due to his thin legs and small calves.

Montana's family were Italian-American, the name Montana being an Americanized form of the surname Montani, which comes from northern Italy.

Montana started playing youth football when he was just eight years old, but Montana Sr. listed his son as a nine-year-old in order to meet the league's minimum age requirement.

One of the most famous plays in the history of the NFL, "The Catch" was the winning touchdown reception in the 1981 NFC Championship Game played between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park. With 58 seconds left in the game and the 49ers facing 3rd-and-3, San Francisco wide receiver Dwight Clark made a leaping grab in the back of the end zone to complete a 6-yard touchdown pass from Montana, enabling the 49ers to defeat the Cowboys, 28-27.

On December 7, 1980, San Francisco hosted the winless New Orleans Saints. The Saints took a 35-7 halftime lead. At the start of the fourth quarter, New Orleans still led by a score of 35-21, but San Francisco tied the game by the end of regulation. In overtime, Ray Wersching kicked a field goal to win the game for San Francisco, 38-35. This marked the first fourth quarter comeback victory in Montana's NFL career. During his 16 seasons in the NFL, this happened a total of 31 times (including 5 postseason comebacks) with Montana at quarterback.