John Gaps Iii / AP

Joe Montana led the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl victories.

On football’s grandest stage, the Super Bowl, careers are made and broken at warp speed.

Ordinary Joes can lead a gold rush.

A receiver with ugly-duckling regular-season statistics can become a beautiful, graceful Swann.

It’s where Mighty Steve Young can toss a gargantuan monkey off his back, and where a fullback nicknamed “Zonk” can somehow look graceful pulverizing defenses with his battering-ram running style.

In the Super Bowl, John Elway, at the heights of his Hall of Fame career, can be a loser before an aging Elway, carried by a sublime running back, can be redeemed as a winner his final two seasons.

Yes, the Super Bowl is a stage where the Klieg lights burn brightest.

With that in mind, we present an all-time ‘team’ of players who grabbed their opportunity and performed at the highest level in the NFL’s championship game, along with three most honorable of mentions at each position.

OFFENSE

Quarterback
Joe Montana, 49ers (XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV)

It’s incredible to think that at a position so stacked in talent that anyone could be a runaway choice here. Throwing 11 touchdown passes against zero interceptions in four Super Bowl wins will do that. Montana is the only player with three Super Bowl MVP awards.

Honorable mention: Steelers’ Terry Bradshaw; Patriots’ Tom Brady; Rams’ and Cardinals’ Kurt Warner

Running back
Terrell Davis, Broncos (XXXII, XXXIII)

Almost singlehandedly rescued John Elway’s legacy, wrecking the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII with 157 rushing yards and three touchdowns in three quarters of play (he missed the second quarter with a migraine). He followed up with another 100-yard game the next year against the Falcons. It’s a photo finish over the Steelers’ Franco Harris, who had consistent production in four Super Bowl wins, rolling up 468 total yards and four touchdowns.

Running back
Roger Craig, 49ers (XIX, XXIII, XXIV)

Craig perfected the role of “West Coast Offense” running back, taking swing passes from Joe Montana as elongated handoffs, while still being able to find yardage through the interior line. Craig decimated the Dolphins (three touchdowns) and Bengals (80 fourth-quarter yards) en route to gaining 410 total yards and scoring four touchdowns in his three Super Bowls, all wins.

Honorable mention: Harris, Dolphins’ Larry Csonka; Cowboys’ Emmitt Smith

Receiver
Jerry Rice, 49ers, Raiders (XXIII, XXIV, XXIX, XXXVII)

The gold standard. Rice’s performance in the Super Bowl mirrored the overarching greatness of his regular-season numbers. The MVP of Super Bowl XXIII, Rice played in four games, racking up a record 604 total yards and eight touchdowns.

Receiver
Lynn Swann, Steelers (IX, X, XIII, XIV)

The acrobatic Steeler’s performance in Super Bowl X made him the first receiver to pull down the game’s MVP. Swann, who was relegated to punt-return duties as a rookie in Super Bowl IX, flew through the air with his balletic body control to snare 364 yards in receptions in Pittsburgh’s wins in X, XIII and XIV.

Honorable mention: Steelers’ John Stallworth; Patriots’ Deion Branch; Redskins’ Ricky Sanders

Tight end
Max McGee, Packers (I, II)

The Packers tight end had no reason to believe he would play in the first Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. Boyd Dowler had started all 114 of Green Bay’s games in the first eight seasons of his career. So, McGee went out on the town the night before and was battling a hangover on game day. Then, early on, Dowler was injured. All McGee did was make two highlight-reel touchdown catches and gain 137 yards.

Honorable mention: Raiders’ Dave Casper; Colts’ John Mackey; Cowboys’ Jay Novacek

Left tackle
Art Shell, Raiders (II, XI, XV)

Alongside his fellow Hall of Famer Gene Upshaw, Shell cleared the way for the Raiders to make the AFC/AFC Championship game a stunning 10 times between 1968 and 1981, reaching the Super Bowl three times and winning the NFL title twice.

Honorable mention: Redskins’ Joe Jacoby; Steelers’ Jon Kolb; Rams’ Orlando Pace

Left guard
Russ Grimm, Redskins (XVII, XVIII, XXII, XXVI)

One of the founding members of The Hogs, Grimm (with Joe Jacoby) was a road grader on the left side. The Redskins won three Super Bowls, each with a different quarterback and featured running back. That fact is as great a tribute as an offensive line can receive.

Honorable mention: Raiders’ Gene Upshaw; Dolphins’ Bob Kuechenberg; Cowboys’ Nate Newton

Center
Mike Webster, Steelers (IX, X, XIII, XIV)

Webster, one of the Steelers’ four Hall of Famers selected in the 1974 draft, made the line calls and manned the middle in front of Terry Bradshaw during the Steelers’ explosive wins in XIII and XIV, where Pittsburgh averaged 33 points per game.

Honorable mention: Dolphins’ Jim Langer; Broncos’ Tom Nalen; 49ers’ Randy Cross

Right guard
Larry Little, Dolphins (VI, VII, VIII)

Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick and Mercury Morris got plenty of push from Little, Jim Langer, Bob Kuechenberg and Co. in carving up the Redskins and Vikings for 380 combined rushing yards in the Dolphins’ dominating wins in Super Bowls VII and VIII.

Honorable mention: Packers’ Jerry Kramer; Cowboys’ Larry Allen; Steelers’ Gerry Mullins

Right tackle
Forrest Gregg, Packers (I, II, VI)

Gregg and his right-side linemate Jerry Kramer finished off an incendiary seven-year run for the Packers with dominating victories in the first two Super Bowls, where Green Bay averaged 34 points a game. In his book, Run to Daylight, Vince Lombardi termed Gregg “the finest player I ever coached.”

Honorable mention: Redskins’ Mark May; Cowboys’ Erik Williams; 49ers’ Harris Barton

DEFENSE

Defensive tackle
Randy White, Cowboys (X, XII, XIII)

The Manster (half man, half monster) had a sack to help lead the Doomsday Defense’s eradication of Craig Morton and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII, sharing the game MVP with the late Harvey Martin. White also logged two sacks in the Cowboys’ losses to Pittsburgh in Super Bowls X and XIII.

Defensive tackle
Joe Greene, Steelers (IX, X, XIII, XIV)

Pittsburgh’s uberintimidator, “Mean” Joe Greene, was the crown jewel of the Steel Curtain. He routinely overpowered offensive linemen and blew up game plans, allowing Hall of Fame linebackers Jack Lambert and Jack Ham to roam free and wreak further havoc.

Honorable mention: Dolphins’ Manny Fernandez; Giants’ Leonard Marshall; Cowboys’ Leon Lett

Defensive end
Reggie White, Packers (XXXI, XXXII)

The Minister of Defense easily could have been the MVP of the Packers’ resounding win in Super Bowl XXXI against the Patriots as he used supreme leverage and his meaty right arm to toss tackle Max Lane like a rag doll en route to a record-tying three sacks in the game.

Defensive end
L.C. Greenwood, Steelers (IX, X, XIII, XIV)

His cleats were as golden as his performances in four Super Bowls. In Super Bowl IX, Greenwood batted down three Fran Tarkenton passes as Pittsburgh didn’t allow an offensive point against Minnesota. He then piled up four sacks on Roger Staubach and the Cowboys in the Steelers’ two wins against Dallas in the 1970s.

Honorable mention: Giants’ Justin Tuck; Patriots’ Richard Seymour; Bears’ Richard Dent

Inside linebacker
Jack Lambert, Steelers (IX, X, XIII, XIV)

Casting a scary visage with his missing front teeth, the tackling machine Lambert set the tone in Super Bowl X by decking Cowboys star safety Cliff Harris as he heckled Steelers kicker Roy Gerela after a miss. He also clinched Pittsburgh’s XIV win over the Los Angeles Rams with a fourth-quarter interception.

Honorable mention: Ravens’ Ray Lewis, Chiefs’ Willie Lanier; Dolphins’ Nick Buoniconti

Outside linebacker
Charles Haley, 49ers and Cowboys (XXIII, XXIV, XXVII, XXVIII, XXX)

The NFL record-holder with five Super Bowl rings won with four different head coaches (Bill Walsh, George Seifert, Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer), Haley was a virtually unstoppable pass-rushing force, logging 4.5 sacks. He forced a key fumble in Super Bowl XXVII against the Bills that Jimmie Jones snatched out of the air and returned for a touchdown, giving Dallas a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Outside linebacker
Mike Vrabel, Patriots (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLII)

In Super Bowl XXXVI, his rush on the Rams’ Kurt Warner resulted in Ty Law’s interception for a touchdown. In XXXVIII against the Panthers, he had two sacks, a forced fumble and a touchdown catch. Then, in XXXIX against the Eagles, he added another sack and another touchdown reception. He had a huge impact in three three-point wins.

Honorable Mention: Cowboys’ Chuck Howley; Raiders’ Rod Martin; Raiders’ Ted Hendricks

Cornerback
James Washington, Cowboys (XXVII, XXVIII)

His career centerpiece game came in Dallas’ 30-13 Super Bowl XXVIII win over Buffalo in Atlanta. He forced a fumble, had an interception and made 11 tackles. On top of that, with the Cowboys’ trailing 13-6 in the third quarter, he recovered a Thurman Thomas fumble and weaved through the Buffalo offense for 46 yards and the tying touchdown. Washington also had an interception the year before in Pasadena, another victory against the Bills.

Cornerback
Ronnie Lott, 49ers (XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV)

The Hall of Famer played corner for his first two appearances in the Super Bowl and then shifted to safety by the time Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV rolled around. His explosive first-quarter hit on the Bengals’ Ickey Woods in XXIII was one of the most severe collisions in a Super Bowl.

Honorable mention: Raiders’ Lester Hayes; Jets’ Randy Beverly; 49ers’ and Cowboys’ Deion Sanders

Safety
Rodney Harrison, Chargers and Patriots (XXIX, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLII)

Harrison had two sacks and two interceptions in his two wins with New England in Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX. He showed his toughness against the Panthers in Houston when, after fracturing his forearm while tackling DeShaun Foster, he remained in the game and made the stop on Muhsin Muhammad on the next play and then departed.

Safety
Jake Scott, Dolphins (VI, VII, VIII)

The Dolphin paired up with Dick Anderson for the formidable back line of the No-Name Defense, taking home the MVP of Super Bowl VII, a 14-7 win over the Redskins where Washington’s only score was a special-teams touchdown. Scott had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries in Miami’s back-to-back victories.

Honorable mention: Steelers’ Troy Polamalu; Packers’ Willie Wood; Steelers’ Mike Wagner

SPECIAL TEAMS

Punter
Jerrel Wilson, Chiefs (I, IV)

Wilson’s 40.9-yard net average for his 11 punts is a Super Bowl best.

Honorable mention: Dolphins’ Larry Seiple; Ravens’ Kyle Richardson; Patriots’ Josh Miller

Kicker
Adam Vinatieri, Patriots, Colts (XXXI, XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLI)

Two final-seconds winning kicks for the Patriots cement his credentials as the greatest clutch kicker the NFL has produced.

Honorable mention: Chiefs’ Jan Stenerud; Packers’ Don Chandler; Bills’ Steve Christie

Kickoff returner
Desmond Howard, Packers (XXXI)

Bill Parcells’ Patriots had started to believe they might upset the Packers in Super Bowl XXXI after an 18-yard Curtis Martin run with 3:27 left in the third quarter closed the gap to six points. Any thoughts of a comeback, however, were dashed a couple minutes later when Howard gutted the middle of the New England kick coverage and raced 99 yards for the clinching score in Green Bay’s 35-21 win.

Honorable mention: Bears’ Devin Hester; Ravens’ Jermaine Lewis; Bengals’ Stanford Jennings

Punt returner
John Taylor, 49ers (XXIII, XXIV)

Along with scoring one of the most famous touchdowns in Super Bowl history, beating Cincinnati in Super Bowl XXIII with 34 seconds left on a pass from Joe Montana, Taylor also logged the longest punt return the game has had, 45 yards against the Bengals. His 94 career punt-return yards are also a record.

Honorable mention: Packers’ Desmond Howard; Giants’ Dave Meggett; Colts’ Terrence Wilkins

Coach
Chuck Noll, Steelers (IX, X, XIII, XIV)

Noll, fueled by the legendary draft of 1974, led an awesome collection of talent to four Super Bowl wins in six years. That mark was approached recently by Bill Belichick’s Patriots, but they fell short in Super Bowl XLII against the Giants.

Honorable mention: 49ers’ Bill Walsh; Redskins’ Joe Gibbs; Belichick