Joe Montana Fends Off Grandchild’s Alleged Kidnapper: Report

GETTY NFL and San Francisco 49ers legend Joe Montana defended his grandchild from an alleged kidnapper Saturday.

Something tragic almost happened to the San Francisco 49ers legend’s family, but he was there to stop it.

According to TMZ, a 39-year-old woman broke into a Malibu, California home where Joe Montana and wife Jennifer Montana were staying and attempted to kidnap one of their grandchildren.

The attempted kidnapping reportedly happened at 5 p.m. Saturday, when the woman entered the house through an unlocked door and took one of the NFL legend’s grandchildren out of the hands of a woman that was also in the home.

The woman then went into another part of the home, where she was met by Joe and Jennifer Montana, who grabbed the child back from the alleged kidnapper, who then fled the home.

Interestingly enough, members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office happened to be in the immediate area due to an unrelated matter, which allowed the Montanas to quickly get law enforcement involved which led to the woman being brought in and booked for kidnapping and burglary charges.

Montana’s Legacy

Arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Joe Montana has one of the NFL’s most decorated careers, even for its most high-profile position.

Nicknamed “Joe Cool” for his composure in big-game environments, Montana took the 49ers to their first four Super Bowl titles, winning the Lombardi Trophy in 1981, 1984, 1988 and 1989 as San Francisco became one of the NFL’s marquee teams.

His time with the 49ers famously came to an end as he hit his last years in the NFL in the early 90s, as the rise of fellow legendary quarterback Steve Young and debate over who should start saw Montana eventually ask for a trade away from the Bay Area.

“The Comeback Kid” actually ended his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, playing for two seasons at Arrowhead Stadium before calling it quits, retiring as a San Francisco and NFL legend in 1995 at the age of 39.

On his way to four titles, Montana was named a three-time All-Pro and earned eight Pro Bowl nods, ending his career with over 40,000 passing yards and having his No. 16 jersey retired by the 49ers.

Jennifer Montana

Jennifer Montana has been married to Joe Montana since 1985, with the marriage being the quarterback’s third and coming through the actress and former player’s interactions while recording commercials at the time.

The now-61-year-old made her name as a model and actress, most famously appearing in sports magazine Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit editions as well as appearing in a variety of shows and commercials throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Famously, Jennifer Montana didn’t know who Joe was or his background as an extremely successful NFL player, but the pair hit it off and Joe Montana proposed within six months of meeting the actress.

Jennifer and Joe Montana have four kids: Alexandra Montana, Elizabeth Montana, Nate Montana, and Nicholas Montana, all born between 1985 and 1992. It is currently not known which of the children’s offsprings was the one involved in the alleged kidnapping.

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Evan Reier is a sportswriter covering the San Francisco 49ers for Heavy.com and local sports for the Montana Standard in Butte, Mont. Reach out to him on Twitter at @evanreier and join our 49ers community at Heavy on 49ers on Facebook.