Joe Montana forged his NFL Hall of Fame career on the grass of Candlestick Park.
Not that's he's nostalgic about it.
The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that Montana, the four-time Super Bowl winner with the San Francisco 49ers, will not attend the 49ers' farewell game at Candlestick Park against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.
Instead, he conducted a conference call with reporters about his recollections of Candlestick Park leading up to Monday night's game. Not all of them were good.
"You have so many memories there," the three-time Super Bowl MVP said, "but I don't think it was the best place for fans to watch a game."
The 57-year-old Montana didn't paint a very happy picture of his recollections - the soggy turf, cramped locker rooms and the whipping winds that could blow dirt into his eye right before a play.
"On the whole, the biggest problem was the wind," he said. "You never knew where it was coming from."
Montana will be in New Orleans to watch his son, Tulane quarterback Nick Montana, play in the New Orleans Bowl against Louisiana-Lafayette. His family, including his four children, will be together for three days over Christmas.
Going to Candlestick Park for the farewell game would cut considerable time away from his family time, he said, "so most likely, I will not be there Monday night."
One of the most memorable occasions Montana remembered about Candlestick Park took place during Game 3 of the 1989 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics. The Bay Area earthquake took place that day.
Montana said his wife Jennifer wanted to leave as soon as possible, in part because they had brought Nate, who was only about two weeks old at the time.
"I said, 'No, let's stay. I want to watch the game,'" Montana said. "We wound up spending hours and hours in the parking lot. I still get grief about that today."
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