Max Montoya
{{Short description|American football player (born 1956)}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Max Montoya
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| number = 65
| position = Guard
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1956|5|12}}
| birth_place = Montebello, California, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 5
| weight_lb = 295
| high_school = La Puente {{avoid wrap|(La Puente, California)}}
| college = Mt. San Antonio (1974–1975)
UCLA (1976–1978)
| draftyear = 1979
| draftround = 7
| draftpick = 168
| pastteams =
- Cincinnati Bengals ({{NFL Year|1979|1989}})
- Los Angeles Raiders ({{NFL Year|1990|1994}})
| highlights =
- Second-team All-Pro (1989)
- 4× Pro Bowl (1986, 1988, 1989, 1993)
- Cincinnati Bengals 40th Anniversary Team
- Cincinnati Bengals 50th Anniversary Team
- Second-team All-Pac-10 (1978)
| statlabel1 = Games played
| statvalue1 = 223
| statlabel2 = Games started
| statvalue2 = 195
| statlabel3 = Fumble recoveries
| statvalue3 = 3
| pfr = MontMa00
}}
Max Montoya Jr. (born May 12, 1956) is an American former professional football player who was a guard for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and was selected by the Bengals in the seventh round of the 1979 NFL draft. He also played for the Los Angeles Raiders.
Early life
Montoya who is of Mexican–American descent, attended La Puente High School{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MontMa00.htm|title=Max Montoya Stats - Pro-Football-Reference.com|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com}} in La Puente, California. He was unable to play football or basketball his senior season due to a heart murmur.
College career
Montoya was cleared to play football again, and began his college football career playing for Mt. San Antonio College, a community college in Walnut, California. He did not start as a freshman, but after an outstanding sophomore season, he earned a football scholarship to play for the UCLA Bruins, where he played under head coach Terry Donahue.{{cite web|url=http://www.uclabruins.com/fls/30500/old_site/pdf/m-footbl/2012-13/misc_non_event/fb-history-II.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=30500 |title=Statistics |website=www.uclabruins.com |format=PDF}} After redshirting for a year, Montoya was a starter in 1977 as the Bruins posted a 7–4 record. In 1978, he was again a starter, earning second-team all-Pac-10 honors. The Bruins in 1978 went 8–3–1, ended the season as no. 14 in the AP poll and no. 12 in coaches poll, and played to a 10–10 tie versus the Arkansas Razorbacks in the 1978 Fiesta Bowl.{{cite web|url=http://www.uclabruins.com/fls/30500/old_site/pdf/m-footbl/2012-13/misc_non_event/fb-history-I.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=30500 |title=Statistics |website=www.uclabruins.com |format=PDF}}
Professional career
Montoya was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round with the 168th overall pick of the 1979 NFL draft. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, playing in two Super Bowls with the Bengals. He played 11 seasons for them, from 1979 to 1989, becoming a starter in his second season. He then played five seasons for the Los Angeles Raiders, starting in all but his final season.{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/player/maxmontoya/2521466/profile|title=Max Montoya|website=NFL.com}}
Personal life
After retiring from the NFL, Montoya invested in a restaurant franchise of Cincinnati-based Penn Station East Coast Subs and eventually owned four in northern Kentucky.{{cite web|url=http://www.thefranchisemall.com/news/articles/17822-0.htm|title=Max Montoya - Still Serving Cincinnati - Penn Station East Coast Subs News|website=www.thefranchisemall.com}} He is also a founder and silent partner of Montoya's Restaurant in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.{{cite web|url=http://www2.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/030504_montoyas_25.html|title=Montoyas tackles Mexican with Kentucky hospitality|website=www2.cincinnati.com}} He also spent five years helping coach the Beechwood High School football team (including son Matthew, now a multimedia freelancer) in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. His daughter, Alison Montoya (a twin of Matthew), is a general assignment reporter and anchor for Cincinnati FOX affiliate WXIX{{cite web | url=https://www.fox19.com/2020/09/15/reporteranchor-allison-montoya/ | title=Reporter/Anchor Alison Montoya }} after previously working for WLWT.{{YouTube|BmzrcOdcBZM}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Full-circle/f8ad7508-c67e-4125-83cc-38f237bec463|title=Full circle|publisher=}}
Montoya is now semi-retired and lives with his wife, Patty, on a farm in Hebron, Kentucky, where he raises horses.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Footballstats |nfl=max-montoya |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |si= |pfr=M/MontMa00 |rotoworld= }}
{{Bengals1979DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montoya, Max}}
Category:American football offensive guards
Category:Cincinnati Bengals players
Category:Los Angeles Raiders players
Category:Mt. SAC Mounties football players
Category:UCLA Bruins football players
Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players
Category:People from La Puente, California
Category:Sportspeople from Montebello, California
Category:Players of American football from Los Angeles County, California
Category:American sportspeople of Mexican descent
Category:Hispanic and Latino American players of American football