BONO A LUCKY BENCHWARMER.

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

From the outside, this 13-year odyssey Steve Bono calls a football career seems pretty charmed.

And, well, Bono sees it that way, too.

``I've been fortunate,'' said Bono, who in his career has played behind Joe Montana and Steve Young and is now the backup to Brett Favre in Green Bay.

It is a blessed journey that has brought Bono to Super Bowl XXXII, which pits his Packers against the Denver Broncos. It is a ride Bono will stay on for as long as they let him.

``I'll take as many (years) as I can get,'' he said, emitting the laugh of a failed stockbroker-turned-millionaire. ``As many as I can keep myself around for.''

There's no end in sight. And even if there were, it would mean nothing. Don't believe anything about Bono's career being dead until you see the dental records.

``My philosophy the whole time is to take it a year at a time,'' he said. ``I didn't ever think I'd make it 13 years. I thought my football career was over plenty of times.''

Bono was cut four times in his first four NFL seasons - twice by the Minnesota Vikings and twice by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The fourth time, after the 1988 season, was when he decided to call it quits. He came back to Westwood, where he had spent five years at UCLA, and found work with a stock-brokerage firm. He was in the middle of that company's training program in the spring of 1989 when the San Francisco 49ers called. They were looking for a third-string quarterback.

Bono played in only one game for the 49ers in 1989 and was inactive in the postseason when San Francisco beat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV. He did not play a single down in 1990. His break came in 1991, after Montana had to undergo season-ending knee surgery and Young suffered a knee injury. Bono won five of the six games he started. With Young back and on his way to his first league MVP award, Bono was at least the second-string QB in 1992 but did not start a single game and threw just 56 passes. After another season as Young's backup, Bono was traded May 4, 1994, to Kansas City, where he would be behind Montana again, this time as second in line.

Montana retired before the 1995 season, and in his 11th season as a pro, Bono was a starter for the first time.

Almost before Kansas City fans could mourn the loss of Montana, Bono passed for 3,121 yards and led the Chiefs to the playoffs.

A tinge of bitterness seeps through as he says, ``A contract in the NFL means nothing.''

It wasn't a surprise. He was benched midway through the 1996 season and was released at year's end, the final two years of an $8 million contract forgotten.

His free-agent search led to two final candidates, both of which had a chance to make it to this Sunday still practicing. It came down to San Francisco or Green Bay. Packers coach Mike Holmgren, who had been the offensive coordinator during the first half of Bono's stint in San Francisco, was the tiebreaker.

Considering the concussion-prone Steve Young is seemingly always one good knock away from a career-ending injury, wasn't there a better chance Bono could be called into action in San Francisco than in Green Bay?

``Yeah, I definitely thought about that,'' Bono said.

It seems there were some personality clashes in San Francisco he didn't want to endure or talk much about. And there was none of that in Green Bay with the easygoing Holmgren.

``I have all the respect in the world for Mike,'' said Bono, who credits Holmgren with changing his mental approach and giving him confidence during their time in San Francisco. ``He worked with me on developing my strengths. He could relate to me.''

And either way, he was going to back up a future Hall of Famer.

Playing second fiddle to Favre is a pleasure, Bono said. He pauses as he is asked to think about having played behind three guys considered among the best to ever play their position.

``It'll be something later on that I realize how fortunate I was with my whole career,'' he said. ``I do think I've been been very fortunate. Yeah, I've been fortunate.''

Lasorda got into recruiting battle

It was something of an upset that UCLA got Steve Bono as a heavily recruited quarterback out of Pennsylvania. Rival USC had a recruiter with connections.

Bono grew up in Norristown, Pa., home of former Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda. In that Bono was an All-American in both football and baseball at Norristown High, Lasorda tried to do a favor for his close friend, former USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux.

``He kind of got in on the recruiting at the end,'' Bono said. ``He wanted me to go to USC, because he's such good friends with Dedeaux. (Lasorda) would come visit and say, `Y'know, you should go to USC.' ''

Lasorda did not hold Bono's Bruin-ness against him. When Bono was in college, he used to go to Dodger Stadium as Lasorda's guest.

``The first big-time person I ever met was Magic Johnson,'' Bono recalled. ``I was a freshman and it was his rookie season. We sat together and watched the game and laughed. We had a great time.''

--- Kevin Acee

CAPTION(S):

Box

BOX: Lasorda got into recruiting battle (see text)