PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME MEMBER

#8 Steve Young - QB

Steve Young Career NFL Stats 1985-1999
G
GS
REC
COMP
ATT
COMP %
YARDS
TD
INT
RATT
RYDS
YPR
RTD
169
143
94-49
2,667
4,149
64.3
33,124
232
107
727
4,239
5.9
43
 

 

John Steven Young was born on October 11, 1961 in Salt Lake City, UT. He was one of five children of Sherry and LeGrande Young. Steve spent his childhood on the east coast, raised in Greenwich, CT. His family was of the Mormon faith. Like his father, Steve was an athlete. He played various sports, and he excelled at them all.

 

 

Steve Young played his high school football at Greenwich High School in Greenwich, CT. He didn’t put up tremendous passing numbers due to the team’s run oriented offense. However, Young’s athletic ability made him the perfect quarterback for the system; he rushed and passed for over 1,000 yards each in his high school career. His outstanding quarterback play got him to be named to First Team All-Division and All-State teams. During his high school years, Young also played basketball and baseball.  Young’s athleticism led to being recruited by major universities across the country. He decided to go back to the Beehive State and play for Brigham Young University.

 

Steve Young College Career Stats and Notes

Steve Young had a rough time at the start of his BYU career. So much so, that he contemplated quitting football altogether. His coaches even thought of switching his position. However, he continuously worked hard at quarterback, and it all paid off his senior year. Young and the Cougars stormed through their opponents on their way to an 11-1 season. BYU led the nation in total offense that year as Young passed for 3,902 yards and set an NCAA record with 71.2 completion percentage. He would win the top college QB award, the Davey O’Brien Award. As a Heisman finalist, he ended up second in the voting. Young finished his college career with a Holiday Bowl win over Missouri. His amazing career stats, 7,733 passing yards, 1,084 rushing yards and 74 total TDs earned him a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame.

 

Awards and Achievements
MVP
All-Pro

1st Team: 1992, 1993, 1994

2nd Team: 1995, 1997, 1998

Pro Bowl Selections
1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 1998
Passing Yards Title:
Achievements

Super Bowl Champion

XXIII, XXIV, XXIX

Super Bowl MVP

XXIX

NFL Offensive Player of the Year

1992

 

 

Steve Young NFL Career Stats and Notes

Young’s pro career didn’t start off the traditional way. Instead of going to the NFL, he opted for the USFL. He played two years for the Los Angeles Express. Although he had some success, the team didn’t financially. With the team and the league in trouble, Young signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1985.

His time with Tampa Bay didn't go the way anyone predicted for the former BYU standout.  He was traded to the San Francisco 49ers after two years and a 3-16 record. Young’s position on the perennial power was to backup legend Joe Montana.

After four years and a couple of Montana injuries, Young was able to secure the starting job. His play made the transition of trading the franchise’s greatest QB to the Kansas City Chiefs as smooth as it could possibly be. 

In the 1994, after a couple of NFC Championship game losses to the Dallas Cowboys, Young led the 49ers to victory in the trilogy and a berth in Super Bowl XXIX (more on this later).

One of the most accurate passers in NFL history, Young would continue to play at a high level until he retired after the 1999 season. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

 

Steve Young 1994 NFL MVP, Super Bowl Season

Steve Young's career was finally starting to blossom with the 49ers. He was voted the 1992 NFL MVP and established himself as one of the best QBs in the league. But up until the 1994 season, he still was in the shadows of the great Joe Montana. Also, back to back NFC Championship game losses didn't help. To elevate his career even more, he had to win. Then came the 1994 season.

The 49ers steamrolled through the regular season, clinching the important #1 seed and homefield throughout the playoffs. This was important with a rematch with the 2 time defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys all but certain. True to form, the Cowboys and 49ers met again for the third straight season with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Young and his teammates jumped on the Cowboys early at Candlestick Park and didn't let the game get close. When the smoke cleared, the 49ers finally got to the Super Bowl after being so clsoe the previous two years with a 38-28 victory.

In Super Bowl XXIX, the 49ers destroyed the San Diego Chargers 49-26. Young, now the 1994 NFL MVP, exercised all the demons of his past failures that night. He threw for 325 yards, added 49 yards on the ground and passed for a Super Bowl record 6 TDs. The two-time NFL MVP could now add Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP to his list of achievements. 

 

 

List of Pro Football Hall of Fame Members