Monty Stickles Montford Anthony " Monty " Stickles ( August 16 , 1938 – September 3 , 2006 ) was an American football tight end in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints . He was known during his career for his ferocity . Stickles was born in Kingston , NY on August 16 , 1938 and grew up in Poughkeepsie , NY , the son of Frances Stickles and Montford Stickles , Sr . After graduation from Poughkeepsie High School , Stickles played End for University of Notre Dame from 1957 to 1959 , wearing number 80 . He measured 6 ' 4 " , 215 lbs . During that time , he was a three - year starter and a two - time first - team All - American , consensus in 1959 . As a senior he was 9th in Heisman voting . In 1957 he had 11 catches for 183 yards and three touchdowns . He also led the team in scoring with 11 PATs , one field goal and three TDs for 32 points , made 27 tackles , and broke up two passes . In 1958 he led the in minutes played and scored 60 points while making 31 tackles . He also led the team in receiving with 20 catches for 328 yards and seven TDs . He accumulated 42 career receptions for 746 yards and 12 TDs , kicked 42 PATs and five field goals , made 110 tackles , broke up six passes , recovered three fumbles and blocked one kick . In 1960 he participated in 1960 College All - Star and East - West Shrine games . In 1960 he was chosen 11 in the first - round of the NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers . He also was chosen in the first round by the Los Angeles Chargers of the newly formed AFL in 1960 . Stickles played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1960 through 1967 , wearing number 85 . He was known during this time for his rugged blocking , ferocious and uncompromising play , and his receiving ability . During his time in San Francisco , he amassed 207 receptions for 2 , 993 yards and 14 touchdowns . His best season as a 49er came in 1961 when he caught 43 passes for 794 yards and five touchdowns . He was a self - admitted dirty player , even for an era of dirty play in the NFL . He was known to cheap shot linebackers and then draw the ref ' s attention ; when the linebacker retaliated , he , and not Stickles , would be thrown out . After 8 seasons with the 49ers , Stickles played the 1969 season with the New Orleans Saints before retiring . That season , he is perhaps best known for making contact with a referee , becoming one of the few NFL players in the history of the sport to be sanctioned for doing so . After retiring from football , Stickles transitioned into radio and was one of the pioneers of what is now called sports talk . He called University of San Francsico basketball games for KEST radio in 1968 and moved to KGO radio in 1973 to do color commentary on California Golden Bears football and Oakland Raiders games . He was in the booth with Bill King in 1978 for the Raiders ' memorable " Holy Roller " game against the San Diego Chargers . Working for KGO in 1984 , Stickles famously got into a profane exchange with former San Francisco Giants manager Frank Robinson that was caught on tape . While doing radio work in San Francisco , Stickles was also a weekend sportscaster on KGO - TV . His resume additionally included bit parts in two movies , " Number One " in 1969 and " Freebie and the Bean " in 1974 . ( Regarding the former , he could always say he appeared in the same movie as Charlton Heston . ) Outside of sports , Stickles lived in San Francisco and was involved in real real estate ventures in the Bay Area . He also owned a Labatt ' s distributorship . Stickles died September 3 , 2006 at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco of heart failure after a brief illness . He was 68 . External links . In early 1961 , Stickles wrote a letter that was printed in MAD magazine : " I have been catching up on my MAD reading here at the 49ers training camp after our practice sessions and workouts . Some really great laughs . I have introduced MAD to many of my teammates , and now they ' re huddling over it , too . " To which the magazine replied : " We hope that being on the ' receiving end ' of MAD has partially contributed to your great rookie year performances , Monty . " ( MAD , issue # 61 , March 1961 )