NFL HOF Spotlight: Steve Young

This NFL Hall of Fame Spotlight focuses on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young. Young was the last 49ers quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. While his time with the 49ers is notable, there is more to his story. Young is a player with a very interesting journey. Here is a look back at Young’s career, and how he made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

History of Steve Young

Before Young became a legendary quarterback, he was born in Salt Lake City, Utah then attended high school in Connecticut. He then played football at BYU. He was a student there from 1880 until his final season in 1883. Following hard work, Young became a great athlete for BYU. He was inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame in 1994, according to BYU Athletics.

In three years playing for the university, Young earned many recognitions, such as first-team All-America by Coaches, Football Writers, Associated Press, United Press, Walter Camp, Football News, Gannett News, and ESPN in 1983, according to BYU.

In his three seasons at BYU, Young completed 592 passes for 7,733 yards and 56 touchdowns, according to Sports Reference. The quarterback was known to be a great runner, and in three seasons rushed the ball for 1,084 yards and 18 touchdowns. In 1983, Young came in second in the Heisman voting.

Professional Football Career

Los Angeles Express

Young’s journey to the NFL was not what some would call normal. As Young was coming out of college, the USFL was taking off. The USFL’s Los Angeles Express took Young in the first round of their draft that was held in January of 1984. Young was selected with the 11th overall pick. According to The USFL Site, The Los Angeles Express offered Young a 10-year $40 million contract, which convinced the quarterback.

The Los Angeles Express did not last long under their ownership, as J. William Oldenburg lied about his financial status. The team also struggled to gain fans at the time. The Los Angeles Express was set to be bought by Jay Roulier, though the league halted that in 1895. The Express ended up being no more that same year. Young was told his contract would be paid out until 2027, but it was cut down to a four-year contract. Young then made the decision to buy out his contract and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccanneers in the NFL.

Tampa Bay Buccanneers

The Tampa Bay Buccanneers drafted Young with the first pick on the supplemental draft of USFL and CFL players. This began the quarterback’s NFL career. In two years with the Buccanneers, Young threw 21 interceptions compared to just 11 touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. Young was considered a bust and traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 1987 as the Buccanners drafted his replacement. Young became the backup to legendary quarterback, Joe Montana.

San Francisco 49ers

While Young did not have the best time in Tampa Bay, 49ers head coach Bill Walsh believed that Young had raw talent. With Montana constantly dealing with injuries, Young at first came in as a backup which soon turned into a quarterback controversy. For the first couple of years, Young did not start many games, but he made an appearance in many due to Montana’s injuries.

There were moments where it looked as though Young would turn into the starter over Montana, but in 1989, Montana led the team to another Super Bowl win and was the league MVP.

In 1991, Montana missed the entire season with an injury, giving Young the chance to prove himself as a starter. San Francisco started the season in a rough way, but then 1991 turned into a season of injuries. Young injured his knee during the ninth game of the season and was replaced by backup quarterback, Steve Bono. Bono took the team on a winning streak, and head coach George Seifert chose to stay with Bono and his momentum. Then, Bono went down with an injury and Young was back in. Despite the slow start, Young ended the season on a high note.

49ers Quarterback Controversy

1992 was a big quarterback competition year. Montana was returning, Bono had his chance to compete, and Young was almost traded. Young ended up still being named the starter and had an MVP season. Despite Young earning MVP in 1992, owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. wanted Montana to be the starter in 1993. With growing tension, the 49ers traded Montana to the Kansas City Chiefs in the spring of 1993 and Young remained the 49ers starter for years to come.

In 1993, the 49ers made the playoffs but exited in the Divisional round. In 1994, Steve Young earned his second MVP and his first Super Bowl win as a starting quarterback. This was the last time that the 49ers have won a Super Bowl.

The 1994 Super Bowl performance that Young had is arguably the greatest by any quarterback. The San Francisco 49ers faced the San Diego Chargers for Super Bowl XXIX on January 29th, 1995. San Francisco won the game 49-26. Young completed 24 passes for 325 yards and six touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. While throwing six touchdowns, he did not throw one interception and was sacked just three times. He also rushed the ball for 49 yards. Young’s six passing touchdowns in the Super Bowl earned him MVP of the game.

Young spent 13 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, retiring after the 1999 season. With the 49ers, Young completed 2,400 passes for 29,907 yards and 221 touchdowns in the regular season, according to Pro Football Reference. He also rushed the ball for 3,581 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Career Accolades

Young’s career was a true journey, but he has a lot to show from it. Aside from being a successful left-handed quarterback, Young is a two-time NFL MVP. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Young was named All-Pro in 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1998. He also earned All-NFC honors three times. Young was also selected to the Pro Bowl seven times. Of course, he earned Super Bowl MVP one time with his six passing touchdowns. While Super Bowl XXIX is the only one he started in, with the 49ers he is a three-time Super Bowl champion. The 49ers won Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV while Young was on the roster.

Steve Young was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.