Who’s on the NFL‘s 1980s Mount Rushmore? Narrowing down a decade of pro football to just four emblematic players is challenging, but it forces us to narrow our scope to the truly elite.
The NFL’s All-Decade Teams get the benefit of filling out an entire roster — here, we’ll limit ourselves to a quartet of each decade’s titans.
Pro Football Network will unveil its Mount Rushmore for each NFL decade over the coming days, so be sure to check back for future eras this week and next.
Who’s on the NFL’s 1980s Mount Rushmore?
Honorable mention: QB Dan Marino, RB Walter Payton, EDGE Reggie White, LB Mike Singletary, S Ronnie Lott
Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco 49ers
Joe Montana was widely considered the best quarterback in NFL history until Tom Brady came along. He’s still viewed as No. 2 all-time, and Montana was undeniably the face of 1980s NFL action.
A third-round pick out of Notre Dame in 1979, Montana didn’t necessarily have the physical attributes that might’ve preordained him for greatness. But he was incredibly accurate, the definition of a field general, and beyond clutch.
Montana led the NFL in completion rate five times, was a five-time All-Pro (three first-teams), and won back-to-back MVP awards for the 1989 and 1990 seasons. An eight-time Pro Bowler, Montana — along with San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh and a certain wide receiver coming up next on our Mount Rushmore — created the NFL’s 1980s dynasty.
Montana went 4-0 in Super Bowls, winning game MVP honors in three of those wins. Unforgettable playoff highlights — the throw that turned into Dwight Clark’s “The Catch” in the 1981 NFC title game, the Super Bowl-winning, 92-yard drive against the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII — litter Montana’s resume.
Jerry Rice, WR, San Francisco 49ers
There’s only one Jerry Rice.
Rice owns several of the most unbreakable records in sports. No NFL player will ever touch his 22,895 receiving yards or 197 receiving touchdowns. Rice is 5,000+ yards ahead of Larry Fitzgerald and outpaced Randy Moss by 41 touchdowns — both records are uber-safe.
Essentially impossible to cover, Rice posted an absurd 14 1,000-yard seasons. He led the NFL in yards six times, touchdowns six times, and receptions twice. Rice developed connections with Montana and Steve Young, helping the 49ers to three Super Bowl titles.
An utterly dominant pass catcher, Rice was named an All-Pro in 12 of his 20 NFL campaigns. His 10 first-team All-Pros are tied for the most by any player. Rice is not only the best NFL wide receiver of all time, he’s arguably the best overall player in league history.
Rice didn’t even enter the NFL until 1985, but he topped 1,000 receiving yards and earned first-team All-Pro honors every season from 1986 through 1989. While his production carried into the 1990s, Rice’s championship-winning relationship with Montana remains the indelible image of 1980s football.
Anthony Muñoz, OT, Cincinnati Bengals
Widely considered the best offensive tackle in NFL history, Anthony Muñoz more than delivered on his promise after the Cincinnati Bengals made the USC product the third overall pick in the 1980 NFL Draft.
Muñoz started 104 of a possible 105 games over his first seven NFL campaigns and made 184 career starts. Thanks to his outstanding size, athleticism, and technique, Muñoz made 11 straight Pro Bowls from 1981 to 1991, earning nine first-team All-Pro nods during that run.
Muñoz went to two Super Bowls with the Bengals, losing to Montana’s 49ers after the 1981 and 1988 seasons. A first-ballot Hall of Famer, Muñoz ranked 17th on Pro Football Network’s list of the NFL’s top all-time players.
Lawrence Taylor, EDGE, New York Giants
Lawrence Taylor was more than just a dominant pass rusher — he redefined how the sport of football was played.
Taylor, the second pick in the 1981 NFL Draft, took the league by storm from Day 1. He posted 9.5 sacks in his rookie campaign, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year and the first of two consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards.
From 1984 to 1990, Taylor won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants while racking up 10+ sacks each season. His masterpiece was the 1986 campaign, when Taylor managed 20.5 sacks and became the second — and to date, most recent — defensive player to win NFL MVP.
Rival offenses couldn’t figure out how to stop Taylor. Teams began searching for larger offensive tackles to take on the legendary pass rusher. Washington head coach Joe Gibbs created the two-TE offense, hoping to contain Taylor’s blitzes.
Nothing worked. While Taylor doesn’t boast the longevity of other great defenders, his peak is unparalleled in NFL history.