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Canton bound Montana, Lott chosen for Hall in first year of eligibility
Posted: Sunday January 30, 2000 02:45 AM
ATLANTA (AP) -- Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott, architects of San Francisco's Super Bowl dynasty, were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame today in their first year of eligibility. Joining them were defensive end Howie Long, Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, and Dave Wilcox, who made it as an old-timer nominee. Montana and Lott were the offensive and defensive cornerstones of the 49ers NFL championship teams in the 1982, 1985, 1989 and 1990 Super Bowls. Both finished their careers with other teams, Montana in Kansas City and Lott with the Los Angeles Raiders and New York Jets. Montana was a three-time Super Bowl MVP and never threw an interception in 122 attempts. He holds six Super Bowl passing records, including 11 career touchdown passes, 357 yards passing against Cincinnati in 1989 and 1,142 career yards passing. He was the master of the fourth-quarter comeback, directing 31 in 15 seasons. Perhaps the most memorable was a 92-yard march in the closing minutes to beat Cincinnati in the 1989 Super Bowl. Montana finished his career with 3,409 completions, third best in NFL history, and 273 touchdowns. "This honor goes beyond anything you could dream," Montana said. "As a kid growing up, you never allow yourself to dream of certain things. You accomplish a lot of things in your backyard. I won a bunch of Super Bowls by the time I was nine. You never dream of the Hall of Fame." Lott was an eight-time All-Pro at cornerback, strong safety and free safety and holds the NFL postseason record with nine interceptions. He recorded 100-plus tackles five times in a 14-year career. He twice led the NFL in interceptions and was as vital to San Francisco's success on defense as Montana was on offense. Lott recalled his years as Montana's teammate and broke down as he recalled the quarterback's back surgery in 1985. "I was thinking about Joe walking down the hall from his back surgery," Lott said as he wiped away tears. "We had a lot of great years and over the years been able to accomplish a lot of things. What we accomplished took a lot of love. You talk about love and you talk about passion. You talk about passion and you talk about commitment." The two old 49ers were the top candidates being considered by the selection committee of 38 writers and broadcasters who also chose the three others for the football shrine in Canton, Ohio, shrine. Election required support from 80 percent of the voters. Inductions are July 29. Long and wide receiver Lynn Swann both were among the top six in last year's balloting and automatically returned for consideration. Swann did not get in. Long had 84 career sacks in 13 seasons with the Raiders in Oakland and Los Angeles. Rooney's family has owned the Steelers since the team was founded and his father, Art, already is in the Hall of Fame. Dan Rooney was a key administrator of the team for most of its glory years in the 1970s and has been an influential figure in the league. Wilcox, a linebacker with the 49ers from 1964-74, was selected for seven Pro Bowls. Also among the nominees this year were linebacker Harry Carson, tight end Dave Casper, defensive end Carl Eller, wide receiver James Lofton, guard Mike Munchak, wide receiver John Stallworth, offensive tackle Ron Yary and defensive end Jack Youngblood among modern players. Marv Levy, who coached the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s, also was nominated, but did not get in.
Players must be retired five years to be eligible for the Hall of Fame. Coaches become eligible as soon as they leave the sidelines, and administrators can still be active. Old-timer nominees must have completed 70 percent of their careers by 1975 and automatically advance to the final seven candidates.
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