San Francisco 49ers: Top 30 all-time moments in franchise history
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: “Isn’t That John Candy?”
Super Bowl XXIII provided, perhaps, one of the greatest postseason drives in NFL history. The 49ers squared off with the Cincinnati Bengals on January 22, 1989 for the NFL crown, and San Francisco was led by quarterback Joe Montana and wide receiver Jerry Rice.
But the 49ers found themselves trailing 16-13 with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter. With the ball on their own 8-yard line, the 49ers would have to figure out a way to engineer a long enough drive to either tie the game with a last-minute field goal or, somehow, get the ball into the end zone.
At the start of the drive, Montana made an attempt to calm his teammates down.
“There, in the stands, standing near the exit ramp,” Montana said to tackle Harris Barton per Larry Schwartz of ESPN.com. “Isn’t that John Candy?”
Montana’s statement had its affect, and the 49ers, led by “Joe Cool,” were able to march 92 yards down the field. Montana then found wide receiver John Taylor on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 34 seconds remaining in the game.
San Francisco would go onto win its third Super Bowl thanks to Montana’s efforts and relaxed demeanor.