re:["we could have the debate on who was the greatest ND QB
of all time, Theisman, Montana, Brady Quinn, or Jimmy Clausen
I'll take Joe Montana and give the points. <G>
jpg (long-time SF 49ers season ticket holder and Montana fan)
---------------------------------
Joe Montana is my all time favorite NFL player. But he only
started 22 games at Notre Dame. As hard as it is to do,
you have to ignore what he went on to do in the NFL.
Montana's legend at Notre Dame was being "the comeback kid."
And his legend was forever forged in his last game, the
1979 Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Unfortunately for both fans
and players, Dallas endured an uncharacteristic ice storm
with 22 degree game time temperatures and wind chills below
zero. Montana got the flu and his body temperature dropped
to a dangerous 96 degrees by half time, where team doctors
wrapped him in blankets and had him drink hot chicken soup.
The story of the chicken soup alone, is one of legend...
From irishlegends.com
Here's the story of Joe Montana and his bowl of chicken soup:
"After struggling though a first half with field temperatures
dipping below freezing, Montana returned to the lockerroom
shivering uncontrollably. We spoke to Doctor Les Bodnar, the
team orthopedic surgeon, last December. The Doctor started by
saying that he had heard so many inaccurate accounts of what
went on in the lockerroom at halftime that he was happy to set
the record straight.
Dr. Bodnar: "The whole story really began with a tradition in
our family to hang stockings Christmas Eve. We went to the
Cotton Bowl and took our youngest daughter along on the trip.
Well, she sneaked into our room and when we woke up in the
morning she had filled our stockings with apples, oranges and
a packet of Mrs. Grass Noodle Soup. Now, on road trips we
always carried along a little coffee maker to brew up tea
and soup."
The morning of the game Gene Paszkiet, the head trainer, told
Dr. Bodnar that one of the lineman was sick and, and asked,
could he bring some soup to the game. The Doctor checked with
the hotel kitchen, but because it was so early, they didn’t
have any prepared. Then, he remembered the packet of noodle
soup and brought that, and the coffee maker to the game.
Dr. Bodnar: "Well, when we got to the stadium, Gene, said that
the lineman had recovered and didn’t need the soup, so we
stuck it up on the window ledge in the lockerroom. Now during
the course of the game, Joe was the only player not wearing
long sleeves. When we came into the lockerroom at halftime, he
was shaking like a leaf. We put him on a cot and piled
blankets and coats on top of him. Then, we remembered the
packet of chicken soup sitting on the window sill."
So, Dr. Bodnar brewed up the chicken soup and Joe began to
drink. At this time Joe’s temperature was down to 96 degrees,
and although he started to come around, he still wasn’t ready
to go, at the end of the half.
Dr. John Thompson, was the general team doctor and he stayed
with Joe in the lockerroom when the Irish went back on the
field. Dr. Thompson recalls what happened next:
Dr. Thompson: "When the second half started out, we heard a
good bit of crowd noise and being that we were away from home,
we figured that was not our home crowd, with that much volume.
So, that kind of perked Joe’s ears up and gave him an added
impetus to get back in there. I decided to let Joe go out
there by himself because I wanted him to feel like he was on
his own and didn’t have someone tagging along. But psychologically
he seemed very ready to get back in the game.
After the game, Dr. Thompson was about to leave the lockerroom
when he noticed something over by the training table where Joe
was treated.
Dr. Thompson: "When we got ready to leave the dressing room, I
noticed the soup bowl and spoon. I asked the other doctors and
trainers if anyone wanted them, and no one did. So, I took them
back to the hotel and offered to buy the spoon and bowl from the
manager. He said, ‘No, go ahead and take it.’
"Now after I had it awhile, I had some words printed on it and
years later, when the College Football Hall of Fame came to
South Bend, I took it down there and asked the President if he
would like to have it. He said they would.
A few weeks after the Cotton Bowl, though, there was a banquet
to celebrate the victory. Dr. Thompson took his bowl and asked
the chef in the kitchen to do him a favor. When Joe Montana
was served his salad course, he smiled. His garden greens were
served in a very familiar bowl. Around the rim of the dish
were printed these words, "Cotton Bowl Notre Dame 35 Houston
34-January 1, 1979...Joe Montana's and Notre Dame's Souper Day."
The actual bowl and spoon that Montana used, is now
on display at the College Football Hall of Fame.
No mortal could have walked out of that half time locker
room and taken the field, let alone led his team to victory
from a 22 point 4th quarter deficit, under those conditions.
Another thing that many football fans don't remember is that
Montana was not among the top QB's in the '79 NFL draft. He
wasn't picked until the 3rd round by the 49ers.
3 MVP awards and 4 Super Bowl Rings later, a Hall of Famer was born.
SOTB |
