Ranking the 10 best QB/Head Coach duos in NFL history

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – CIRCA 1980’s: Quarterback Joe Montana
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – CIRCA 1980’s: Quarterback Joe Montana /

1. Joe Montana and Bill Walsh, San Francisco

The 49ers were a mediocre organization before Bill Walsh was named head coach in 1979. That was also the same year they drafted Joe Montana out of Notre Dame in the third round.

There was nothing spectacular about their partnership early, as the Niners went 2-14 that season and Montana spent most of that season on the bench.

However, by 1981, Walsh had developed the Niners into an emerging team and Montana became one of the game’s top quarterbacks. They went 13-3 and the Niners won their first Super Bowl as they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 in Super Bowl XVI.

Montana and Walsh would win two more Super Bowls together, and their partnership was simply astounding. When the 49ers needed a big play, Walsh would come up with it and Montana would execute it.

Montana would win one more Super Bowl with George Seifert as his head coach, but he developed into the game’s greatest quarterback under Walsh and helped turned the 49ers into one of the greatest NFL franchises ever.

Next: Who are the greatest NFL coaches of all-time?