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Steve Young '79

NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback, GHS Football, Baseball and Basketball.

NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Steve Young took over the 49ers after Joe Montana. Attempting to fill shoes that seemed to big to be filled, Young took the field and showed every fan in the league why Bill Walsh went after him so progressively. Two MVP awards later, and one Super Bowl Championship ring, Steve Young’s days as a 9er seem to be in jeopardy. To one of the greatest to ever play the game, and to a competitor who would never call it quits, this page is for you Steve, and my hope is you retire, you most definitely deserve it, and the thought of you lying on the ground once more sends shivers down my spine.

Steve Young could very well be the 1990’s savior for the 49ers. Originally drafted by Tampa Bay (who had rights to Young upon his departure from the USFL) in 1985 out of BYU Universiy, Young was thrust into the starting line up. Upon his poor play, Tampa Bay was eager to see Young out the door. It was then that Bill Walsh orchestrated the trade that would prolong the 49ers reign of supremacy.

Steve Young was born on October 11th 1961, into a prominent family that founded Brigham Young University. He grew up in his hometown of Salt Lake City until his family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut at the age of 8. As a child Young was introduced to football. He took an immediate liking to the game and his high talent level was obvious. As such Young was enrolled in a football league.

Young grew up as an academic scholar, showing extreme intelligence that would one day allow him to pass his bar exams thereby giving him his law degree. Young showed strong commitment in getting his degree working all off-season while still training for football.

Young’s commitment permitted him to excel in football too. In 1994 he took the 49ers to their 5th Super Bowl where not only was he victorious but he was the game’s MVP too. That season Young was the league’s best passer with a rating of 112.8 a title Young held 6 times to date during his career. Young is also the highest rated quarterback over the course of a career, and holds records for: consecutive 300 plus yard games with 6, and the record for touchdowns thrown in a Pro Bowl. He is the teams leading touchdown passer with 36 in one season and has combined with Jerry Rice for the NFL lead in touchdowns as a pair.

Steve Young leads an active life outside of the NFL too. Not only has Young appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Wheel of Fortune, Beverly Hills 90210, Wings, Lois and Clark and Dharma and Greg but he also involves himself in charity work. In 1993 Steve began The Forever Young Foundation and recently used the foundation to build a technologically advanced play room for the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, California called the Forever Young Zone.

Most recently Young has become engaged to his long time girl friend and is currently debating retirement due to multiple recent concussions. It is also interesting to note that Steve is actually Young’s middle name, and his first is actually Jon. Upon Young’s departure from the league he will be inducted to the hall of fame; enshrined forever as not only the most prolific passer in the history of the NFL but as one of football’s greats both on and off the field.

FAST FACTS

  • 1979: Steve once again earned All-FCIAC West Division First Team honors, along with CIAC All-State honors, rushing for 13 touchdowns.

  • 1979: On Thanksgiving Day Steve was Quarterback for Greenwich High School starting in the F.C.I.A.C (Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference) Championship Game.

  • 1987: The Buccaneers selected University of Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde first overall in the 1987 NFL Draft because Young was deemed a bust.

  • 1987: Young was traded to the San Francisco 49ers on April 24, 1987 to serve as a backup to Joe Montana.

  • 1989: On October 22, 1989, he posted a perfect passer rating of 158.3 when he completed 11 of 12 passes for 188 yards and three touchdown passes in a 37–20 victory over the New England Patriots.

  • 1990: He rushed for a career high 102 yards on just eight carries vs. the New Orleans Saints on December 23, 1990, making him only the second 49ers quarterback to rush for at least 100 yards in a single game.

  • Great-great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, namesake of Young’s later alma mater.

  • Co-captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams during his senior year.

  • Honored with the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, given to the nation’s best collegiate quarterback, in 1983; also named First Team All-American and was runner-up in that year’s Heisman Trophy voting.

  • Began professional career with the Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League (USFL).

  • While in the USFL, became the first pro football player ever to pass for 300 yards while rushing for another 100 in a single game.

  • Entered the NFL through the 1984 supplemental draft through a first-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; traded to San Francisco in 1987 and finished his career with the 49ers.

  • Two-time NFL Most Valuable Player award winner (1992, 1994).

  • Awarded MVP of Super Bowl XXIX.

  • Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

  • First and only left-handed quarterback to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in 2005.

  • Jersey (#8) was retired by the San Francisco 49ers in 2008.

  • Holds many NFL records to this day, most notably: highest passer rating in a career(96.9), most rushing touchdowns by a QB in a career (43); most passing titles in a career (T-6) and consecutive passing titles (4); most TD passes in one Super Bowl (6).

  • Started the charitable organization, Forever Young Foundation, in 1993, which aides physically, emotionally, and financially challenged children.

  • Honored with the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award in 2009 which acknowledges athletes who completed their collegiate careers 25 years ago while remaining active in their communities and profession.

  • Became an NFL analyst for ESPN’s Monday Night

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