"The Comeback Kid" Joe Montana shared the lessons behind the San Francisco 49ers' winning culture at Becker’s 16th Annual Future of Spine + The Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference, June 14 to 16 in Chicago.
"When I look back on my career, all the way back [to] when I was little, I've learned over those years that there were three things that were a big part of [the team's success]," he said. "Preparation, work ethic and trust." Here are four insights from Joe Cool" on preparation, work ethic and trust:
1. Mr. Montana said his parents knew at an early age they "probably couldn't afford to send me to college." His dad thought sports would be Mr. Montana's ticket out of Western Pennsylvania.
Although Joe Montana Sr. wasn't athletically gifted, he was always there for Joe. "Every time my dad came home, I'd have a ball in my hand. … [Together,] we started going back to the fundamentals of sports. He could look up something and read about it and try to teach me the foundation of what we were doing."
While helping his son improve his skills, Mr. Montana Sr. wanted to ensure they were having a good time. Mr. Montana said, "We'd play one-on-one. He wasn't very athletic, so I'd just go around him all the time, but he was competitive. So as I'd go around him, he'd stick his foot out all the time."
2. After leaving Notre Dame with three bowl appearances and a national championship under his belt, Mr. Montana was drafted by the 49ers, where he'd soon play under the masterful eye of 49ers Head Coach Bill Walsh, a man renowned for his preparation and work ethic. "Bill was a perfectionist, especially when it came to the corner route. … He'd say, 'It's basically your job to hand the ball to the receiver. … I want you to be perfect every time, from every snap of the ball, from practice on. What you do in practice is going to carry over to what you do in the game.'" The 49ers became an unstoppable force under Mr. Walsh's direction, with Mr. Montana at the helmwinning two Super Bowl championships.
3. In 1985, the 49ers drafted a rookie receiver out of Mississippi Valley State University: Jerry Rice. Coming off of the two Super Bowl championships, Mr. Montana believed the team's work ethic was its recipe for sustained success. Then he met Jerry.
"When receivers catch a pass [in practice], they're taught to turn and run up the field like they would in a game. They usually only go 10 to 15 yards. Jerry catches his first pass [in practice] and as fast as you can go, he goes 60 yards, scores a touchdown, turns around and comes back. We're all going, 'Come on, rookie. You're the first round pick, you're not getting cut.' Well, we soon found out that was Jerry's work ethic. Every time he touched the ball in practice, he was going to score a touchdown. … Is it a coincidence Jerry Rice is the NFL's all-time touchdown reception leader? No, because that's how he came to work everyday." Mr. Rice's work ethic rubbed off on everyone and soon, his teammates were running scoring touchdowns on every play in practice.
4. The combination of Mr. Walsh, Mr. Montana and Mr. Rice elevated the franchise to unprecedented heights. The trio won three more Super Bowls in 1988, 1989 and 1994. Mr. Montana said those wins were came from a solid foundation of trust. "Football is built around trust. The first thing that happens when you walk up to the line of scrimmage is you have to put your trust in the five fat guys in front of you, because there are four to five fat guys on the other side who want to take the ball out of your hand. Now, no one is perfect. We're going to make mistakes. … But I trust in them that it won't happen very often, and they trust in me if that does happen, I'll get rid of the ball before I take a sack."