In 2013 the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Museum celebrated its 50th anniversary by adding a new addition adjacent to the original building. The new section of the Hall of Fame was joined to the existing section by means of a passageway called the Time Tunnel. The Hall of Fame decided to decorate the passageway by showing life-size portraits of The 15 Greatest NFL Players of All Time. The Hall of Fame hired Scott Sillcox of Heritage Sports Art to create the player images. This framed piece contains the two actual original pieces of art that were used to create the life-size image of Player #9 in the timeline – Joe Montana. To the viewer’s left is the actual original watercolor painting of Montana’s uniformed body, while the image in the center-top is the actual original painting of Montana’s head. The image to the viewer’s right is the final art that was electronically created using the two original pieces of art, and it is this compiled image that has been enlarged to life-size and can be found in the Time Tunnel at the Hall of Fame.

The outer dimensions of this framed piece, as measured from the outside of the frame to the outside of the frame, are 45" wide x 40" tall.

Joe Montana, selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 1979 National Football League Draft, had a stellar career with the 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. A master of late-game comebacks, Montana directed his teams to 31 fourth quarter come-from-behind wins during his illustrious career, including a 92-yard drive in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XXIII.

His uncanny ability to bring a team back from apparent defeat was so common that it simply became referred to as “Montana Magic.” A true student of the game, Montana won the NFL’s passing title in both 1987 and 1989. He topped the NFC in passing five times (1981, 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1989).

Thirty-nine times he passed for more than 300 yards in a game, including seven times in which he surpassed 400 yards. His six 300-yard passing performances in the post-season are an NFL record. He also owns the career playoff record for attempts, completions, touchdowns, and yards gained passing.

Eleven times the New Eagle, Pennsylvania native led his team to the playoffs. Along the way, he captured nine divisional championships and victories in Super Bowls XVI, XIX, XXIII, and XXIV. His outstanding play in Super Bowls XVI, XIX, and XXIV earned him Most Valuable Player honors in each game.

Named All-NFL three times and All-NFC on five occasions, Montana was voted to the Pro Bowl eight times, which was a league record for a quarterback at the time. In 1992, after missing 31 consecutive games due to an injury to his throwing arm, Montana made a dramatic comeback. In the second half of the regular season finale, a Monday Night Football offering vs. the Detroit Lions, Montana performed his magic of old, completing 15 of 21 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns as the 49ers defeated the Lions 24-6. 

In 1994 Montana became just the fifth quarterback to pass for more than 40,000 yards in a career. At the time of his retirement, he ranked fourth in career passing yardage (40,551 yards), attempts (5,391), and passing touchdowns (273). His 3,409 completions ranked third all-time, and his career passer rating of 92.3 was second all-time.

JOSEPH CLIFFORD MONTANA … UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME ... 6'2'', 200 ... THIRD ROUND DRAFT PICK, 1979 ... MASTER OF COME-FROM-BEHIND VICTORIES ... LED 49ERS TO FOUR SUPER BOWL WINS ... NAMED SUPER BOWL MVP THREE TIMES ... ORCHESTRATED 92-YARD WINNING DRIVE IN CLOSING SECONDS, SUPER BOWL XXIII ... ALL-NFL THREE TIMES, ALL-NFC FIVE TIMES ... MISSED ENTIRE 1991 SEASON WITH INJURY ... SELECTED TO EIGHT PRO BOWLS ... CAREER STATISTICS: 3,409 COMPLETIONS; 40,551 YARDS; 273 TDS; 92.3 PASSER RATING ... BORN JUNE 11, 1956 IN NEW EAGLE, PENNSYLVANIA.