John, Brooklyn, NYSubj: Say it ain’t so Joe
Is it true that Joe Montana began his football career under false pretenses?
That’s correct John. By the time he was eight-years-old Montana was chomping at the bit to play organized football. There was just one problem: his town’s local peewee league didn’t allow players to suit up until they were nine, so his father lied on his registration form and enrolled his son a year earlier. Despite being younger – and smaller – than most of his teammates, Montana was named the team’s quarterback and he quickly impressed onlookers with his confidence and accuracy. His first coach, Carl Crawley, recalls watching Montana blossom into a first rate signal caller. "We ran a pro offense," Crawley says. "Joe would roll out. If the cornerback came off, he'd dump it off; if he stayed back, he'd keep going and pick up five or six yards. He was an amazingly accurate passer for a kid."
