Joe Montana Interview Series: Notre Dame Love Still Shines Bright

If you name it in football, chances are strong Joe Montana has experienced it.

He went from the end of the bench to the starting quarterback of a national championship-winning team at Notre Dame.

He parlayed that into an NFL career that puts him in the top 1% of the top 1% of all-time players.

Despite everything, including the four Super Bowl rings that came after, Montana maintains a special connection to the place "Joe Cool" first came to be known.

I (Nick Shepkowski) sat down with Montana a few hours before Notre Dame took on Miami this past weekend, as he took a break from passing out Guinness to Fighting Irish fans at Corby's. You can see the entire interview below, while a few of the highlights will get their own in-depth posts here this week.

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After being out of the Notre Dame spotlight for quite some time, Montana teamed up with Guinness, and has taken time to reflect on how things have changed, but also stayed very much the same since he was starring for Dan Devine's squad.

"The stadium is a lot bigger," said Montana. "And none of that stuff to the south of the stadium was there."

The physical appearance of the campus may have changed, but Montana sees the same DNA in the school as a whole.

"You can't take the heart of it," said Montana. "No matter what you do, it's still Notre Dame."

"You know that by coming to a place like this (Corby's in downtown South Bend), and walking around the campus, and by running into Notre Dame people all around the country."

Montana played 15 seasons in the NFL, and feels that the way Notre Dame attracts the sons of former professional football players is nothing but another endorsement for the university.

"The crazy thing is how many ex-NFL players' kids are on Notre Dame," Montana stated. "They're not all Notre Dame guys, but that speaks very well about Notre Dame and what they do and represent."

Montana's partnership with Guinness has helped him reconnect with the Notre Dame community, but it's what Guinness does in the community that makes him proudest of the partnership.

While this November afternoon happened to be a balmy 50 degrees and sunny, Montana even embraced the not-so-fantastic weather you often find in South Bend.

"You love it for what it is," said Montana. "You know it's going to be cold, but that's nothing a Guinness can't help warm up from the inside out."

The buildings might look largely different from when Montana starred for the Fighting Irish, but the Golden Dome and Sacred Heart Basilica are still the same.

As is Montana's connection to the University and football program.

And perhaps that's the most important thing he shared on his latest venture back to Notre Dame.

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