Old times: Joe Montana is back on the attack--this time, to save his own life.(Know It All)

Football legends don't fade away--they simply become like the rest of us, with the same human frailties.

A couple of years ago, Joe Montana went to his doctor for a routine physical and was given shocking news: He was a heart attack waiting to happen, the result of hypertension.

"There really weren't any symptoms--that's the scariest thing about it," says Montana, now 48. "It's known as the silent killer because there are no symptoms. Oh, yeah, I was scared."

Montana had an aura of invincibility as the quarterback for the 49ers from 1979 through 1992. There were magical moments stacked upon magical moments. Then he retired after a stint with the Chiefs in 1993 and '94, presumably to go live happily ever after. "I wasn't one of those guys who was forced out," says Montana. "I already had things planned, so I knew where I was going and what I was looking forward to."

For a while, his plans worked out perfectly. He made up for lost time with his family and found professional satisfaction in a financial firm he started with former 49ers Ronnie Lott and Harris Barton. Then came that fateful visit to his doctor.

In the blink of an eye, Montana was medically reduced to one of the masses--just an average Joe. About one out of every three adults in the United States has high blood pressure, which is among the major risk factors for heart disease. Montana was particularly susceptible because of a family history of heart disease. Several relatives on his mother's side have been stricken by it, including his grandfather, who died at age 54.

Montana was placed on a regimen of medication, but the rest was up to him.