Joe Montana was the quarterback who led the San Francisco 49ers to their first four Super Bowl wins.
Montana started all four victories: Super Bowl XVI after the 1981 season, Super Bowl XIX after the 1984 season, Super Bowl XXIII after the 1988 season, and Super Bowl XXIV after the 1989 season. The 49ers defeated the Bengals, Dolphins, Bengals again, and Broncos, respectively.
His most dominant performance came in Super Bowl XXIV, when he threw five touchdown passes in San Francisco’s 55–10 victory over Denver. Montana was also named Super Bowl MVP in three of those four wins—XVI, XIX, and XXIV. He remains one of only a small number of quarterbacks to win four Super Bowls.
A common mix-up is Steve Young, who later led the 49ers to victory in Super Bowl XXIX. Young was the franchise’s next great quarterback, but Montana was the leader of San Francisco’s first championship dynasty.