clarinews@clarinet.com (JOE CIALINI, UPI Sports Writer) (01/18/90)
PHILADELPHIA (UPI) -- Joe Montana, who led San Francisco to its second straight Super Bowl appearance and recorded the best quarterback rating in NFL history this season, Wednesday received the Bert Bell Award as the NFL's outstanding player. Montana received 516 first-place votes on 573 ballots cast by football writers, representatives of the 28 NFL teams and members of the Maxwell Football Club, the Philadelphia organization that presents the award. Montana's receipt of 90 percent of the first-place votes cast was the largest margin in the 31-year history of the award. Montana received 1,638 points in the voting, far outdistancing running back Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions, who had nine first-place votes and 234 points. Green Bay quarterback Don Majkowski was third with eight first-place votes and 154 points and Seattle wide receiver Steve Largent fourth with eight first-place votes and 66 points. Philadelphia quarterback Randall Cunningham, who won the award last year, was fifth with seven first-place votes and 38 points. ``When I evaluate a quarterback, I look at his efficiency,'' said former Philadelphia coach Dick Vermeil, chairman of the Maxwell Club's selection committee. ``Joe Montana has thrown a touchdown for every 15 pass attempts and for every 10 completions. He has only one interception out of every 48 pass attempts when the NFL average is one in 24. He has thrown for three touchdowns to every interception and the average NFL ratio is 1-1. ``If there's any one thing that wins big football games for them, it's that ratio.'' Montana completed 271 of 386 passes during the regular season, a 70.2 percent accuracy rate, and threw for 3,521 yards and 26 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. He had a passing rating of 112.4, breaking the old NFL mark of 110.4 set in 1960 by Cleveland's Milt Plum. Montana also will be seeking to guide the 49ers to their second straight Super Bowl victory, and fourth in the last 10 years, when San Francisco plays Denver on Jan. 28. ``He's been able to maintain the respect of four different squads in terms of leadership to take them to the Super Bowl,'' Vermeil said. ``That might be easier to do four years in a row, but he hasn't done it for four years in a row. ``He's had to deal with younger players and maintain the respect of veteran players and he's been able to do that successfully.'' Montana became the 18th quarterback to win the Bert Bell Award and the second San Francisco player. Wide receiver Jerry Rice was honored two years ago. The Maxwell Club also announced Wednesday that former Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler, who retired after the Rose Bowl, would receive the first George Munger Award presented to the college coach of the year. The club also said Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Chuck Noll would be honored as pro coach of the year and that former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle would receive an award for his outstanding contribution to the game of football. The club earlier had announced that Indiana running back Anthony Thompson had received the Maxwell Award as the nation's best collegiate player. All of the awards will be presented at the club's annual banquet Feb. 20.