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Old times: Joe Montana is back on the attack—this time, to save his own life

Sporting News, The, March 4, 2005 by William Wagner

Football legends don't fade away--they simply become like the rest of us, with the same human frailties.

A couple of years ago, Joe Montana went to his doctor for a routine physical and was given shocking news: He was a heart attack waiting to happen, the result of hypertension.

"There really weren't any symptoms--that's the scariest thing about it," says Montana, now 48. "It's known as the silent killer because there are no symptoms. Oh, yeah, I was scared."

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Montana had an aura of invincibility as the quarterback for the 49ers from 1979 through 1992. There were magical moments stacked upon magical moments. Then he retired after a stint with the Chiefs in 1993 and '94, presumably to go live happily ever after. "I wasn't one of those guys who was forced out," says Montana. "I already had things planned, so I knew where I was going and what I was looking forward to."

For a while, his plans worked out perfectly. He made up for lost time with his family and found professional satisfaction in a financial firm he started with former 49ers Ronnie Lott and Harris Barton. Then came that fateful visit to his doctor.

In the blink of an eye, Montana was medically reduced to one of the masses--just an average Joe. About one out of every three adults in the United States has high blood pressure, which is among the major risk factors for heart disease. Montana was particularly susceptible because of a family history of heart disease. Several relatives on his mother's side have been stricken by it, including his grandfather, who died at age 54.

Montana was placed on a regimen of medication, but the rest was up to him.

"At the time, my eating habits were horrendous," he says. "I ate anything that could be bad for you--fast food, burgers and fries, fried chicken, steak. So your eating habits start to change. I've found if you just eat in moderation, it's OK. Like, I could eat a huge bag of potato chips before, and now I find myself not finishing a small bag and wondering if something's wrong with me. I also picked up my exercise program. I thought I was doing enough at three days a week, but now I aim for seven and usually get five or six in."

His work doesn't end at the gym. Soon after his diagnosis, he began speaking publicly about hypertension, figuring he could use his status to help raise awareness.

"Hypertension absolutely isn't taken seriously enough," says Dr. James Rippe, a cardiologist who is founder and director of the Rippe Lifestyle Institute and also is an associate professor at Tufts University School of Medicine. "People totally underestimate the risk. It's enormously helpful that Joe has been so willing to do this. It really says in very clear terms that if somebody like Joe can have high blood pressure, it can happen to anybody."

Montana is taking such good care of himself nowadays, he sometimes is swept away by the urge to suit up again. "Yeah, I always wish I could play again," he says. "I miss the game--I miss it a lot. There's no thrill like throwing a touchdown pass. Both of my boys are playing football, so I throw to them. My arm still feels the same."

But his battle-scarred knees remind him every day that aside from some backyard throwing, football is in his distant past, as is his participation in most competitive sports.

"I'm just trying to fight off the (knee) transplant for as long as I can. I stay active, but I can't run because of my knees. Every once in a while I play basketball with my kids, but it's halfcourt. I can't run up and down the court."

Growing old is a bitch, isn't it?

Old times: Joe Montana is back on the attack—this time, to save his own life

Sporting News, The, March 4, 2005 by William Wagner

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