Steve Young Biography in Brief

Age -- 38

College -- BYU (1983; law degree, 1994)

Pro Teams -- L.A. Express, USFL 1984; Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1985-86); San Francisco 49ers (1986-1999)

Super Bowl Rings -- 3

Honors -- NFL MVP in 1992 and 1994, Super Bowl MVP in 1995, seven Pro Bowls

NFL Records -- Six passing titles (ties Sammy Baugh), six straight 300-yard games

Favorite receiver -- Jerry Rice, 85 TDs (NFL record)

Quote -- "He's the best athlete to have ever played the position of quarterback." -- former 49ers coach Bill Walsh.

Career Highlights

Pro Career
Combining toughness, athleticism, character, and leadership, Steve Young has established himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history...In fact, with a career quarterback rating of 97.6, he stands as the most accurate passer in the 80-year history of the league...He is the only player in league history to have a quarterback rating of more than 100 six times...Matched Sammy Baugh's NFL RECORD with his sixth NFL PASSING TITLE with rating of 104.7 in 1997...He is the NFL'S ALL-TIME LEADER in touchdown-interception ratio (2.22), topping Joe Montana (1.96)...He has a touchdown-interception ratio of 2.66 during his career with 49ers...He is one of few NFL quarterbacks who can win games with his arm and his legs...Since taking over as San Francisco's starting signal caller in 1991, he has thrown 175 touchdown passes and rushed for 33 scores...Owns career record of 92-48 (.657) as starting quarterback...He has 89-32 (.736) record as a starter for 49ers, topping Joe Montana (.719, 100-39) for highest winning percentage in team history...Named to seven consecutive PRO BOWLS, second longest streak in TEAM HISTORY behind Jerry Rice (11)...Earned NFL MVP honors in both 1992 and '94, in addition to being named SUPER BOWL XXIX MVP...He holds TEAM CAREER RECORDS with a 66.1 completion percentage, longest pass play (97t), average gain per pass attempt (8.27) and 102.4 QB rating...He also ranks third with 2,355 completions, 3,564 attempts, 208 touchdowns and 29,461 yards...Has recorded 28 300-yard passing games...Holds NFL RECORD for most consecutive 300 yards games with six in 1998, breaking Joe Montana's record of five in 1982...Enters 1999 ranked 17th in NFL history with 32,678 career passing yards and 14th with 2,651 career completions...Moved into second on NFL's all-time quarterback rushing list with 4,182 yards, trailing only Randall Cunningham (4,741)...His 43 rushing touchdowns are most by quarterback in PRO FOOTBALL HISTORY, breaking Jack Kemp's previous mark (40)...Enters 1999 ranked sixth on 49ers career rushing list with 3,524 yards...Played one season (1984) for L.A. Express of USFL and two seasons (1985-86) with Tampa Bay Buccaneers prior to being traded to San Francisco in 1987.

1998
Played and started 15 regular season and two postseason games...Completed 322 of 517 passes for 4,170 yards, 36 touchdowns and quarterback rating of 101.1...Marked LEAGUE RECORD sixth time he registered QB rating over 100...Registered quarterback rating of over 100 in game eight times...Finished second on team with 454 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 70 carries...Earned seventh consecutive PRO BOWL invitation, fourth as starter for NFC...Named second team ALL-PRO by Associated Press...Shattered SINGLE-SEASON TEAM RECORDS for most passing yards and touchdown passes...Threw for 300 yards seven times, including NFL RECORD six consecutive games...Broke Joe Montana's TEAM and NFL RECORD of five consecutive 300-yard games in 1982...Combined with Jerry Rice to set NFL RECORD for most touchdowns by QB-WR combination at 84, shattering previous mark of 79 set by Dan Marino and Mark Clayton...

1997
Played and started 15 regular season games and two playoff outings...Completed 241 of 356 passes for 3,029 yards, 19 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 104.7...His third highest quarterback rating and LEAGUE-RECORD fifth time over century mark...Tied NFL RECORD with his sixth LEAGUE PASSER RATING TITLE...Reached 3,000-yard mark for fifth time in career...Produced a quarterback rating of 100-or-better eight times, including 140-or-above three times...Carried 50 times for 199 yards and three touchdowns...Moved into second on NFL's all-time quarterback rushing list with 3,716 yards, trailing only Randall Cunningham (4,609).

1996
Played and started 12 regular season games and two playoff contests...Completed 214 of 316 passes for 2,410 yards and 14 touchdowns...Claimed fifth NFL PASSER RATING TITLE in six years with quarterback rating of 97.2...Voted to fifth consecutive PRO BOWL.

1995
Played in 11 games, completing 299 of 447 passing attempts for 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns...Missed five games with a left shoulder injury...Earned fourth consecutive PRO BOWL selection...Ranked fifth in the NFL (4th in NFC) with a 92.3 passer rating...Was second on the team with 250 rushing yards on 50 carries, scoring three touchdowns...Had CAREER-HIGH five 300-yard passing games...Completed 27 of 44 attempts at Detroit (9-25) with a pair of scoring passes, surpassing Joe Montana's TEAM RECORD with touchdown passes in 15 consecutive games...Extended the string to 18 over his next three games before having it snapped against Buffalo (12-3)...Set an NFL POSTSEASON GAME RECORD by attempting 65 passes in the NFC Divisional Playoff vs. Green Bay (1-6), breaking the previous record of 64 by Cleveland's Bernie Kosar in an AFC Divisional Playoff during the 1986 season.

1994
Named NFL PLAYER OF THE YEAR and a starter in the PRO BOWL...Set an NFL SINGLE-SEASON RECORD with a 112.8 QB rating...Established new 49ers single-season records with 35 touchdown passes and a 70.2% completion percentage...Extended his own NFL RECORD of consecutive seasons as the league's top-rated quarterback to four...Passed for better than 3,000 yards for the third straight season, joining Joe Montana as the only QB in 49ers history to accomplish that feat...Finished the year with 3,969 passing yards, the second most in club history...Named NFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK at Atlanta (10-16), completing 15 of 16 passes for 143 yards and four touchdowns...threw his 56th career scoring pass to WR Jerry Rice, topping the Montana-to-Rice combination at 55 to rank as the No. 2 passing duo in NFL history...Named NFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE MONTH for November...Named NFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK as he completed 25 of 32 passes for 304 yards and two scores...Named SUPER BOWL XXIX MVP after throwing for 325 yards on 24 of 36 completions and a SUPER BOWL RECORD six touchdown passes, while also leading the 49ers in rushing with 49 yards on five carries vs. San Diego (1-29).

1993
Selected to the PRO BOWL...NFL LEADER with a 101.5 quarterback rating and 29 touchdown passes...Set NFL RECORDS by winning three consecutive passing titles (1991-93) and becoming the only quarterback in league history to have three straight seasons with a 100+ quarterback rating...Set a SINGLE-SEASON TEAM RECORD with 4,023 yards as he became the first San Francisco quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards...Set a TEAM RECORD by throwing 183 consecutive passes without an interception, beginning in the second quarter vs. Minnesota (10-3) and extending into the second quarter at the L.A. Rams (11-22), surpassing Joe Montana's previous mark of 154...Moved into fourth place on the 49ers' all-time completion list (684), surpassing Steve DeBerg (670) at Cleveland (9-13)...Named NFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE MONTH for November as he completed 63 of 82 passes (76.9%) for 978 yards with 11 touchdowns and one interception...became the first 49ers quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in a season (4,023).

1992
NFL MOST VALUABLE PLAYER...Sports Illustrated, Miller Lite and The Sporting News PLAYER OF THE YEAR...Selected as a starter to the PRO BOWL...Named the winner of the LEN ESHMONT AWARD as the team's most inspirational and courageous player in a vote by teammates...NFL LEADER with a 107.0 passer rating, becoming the first player in NFL history to lead the league two consecutive seasons with a passer rating of 100 or better (101.8 in '91)...Also the NFL LEADER in touchdown passes (25) and completion percentage (66.7)...Named NFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE MONTH for October...NFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK after throwing a pair of touchdown passes, including the game-winning eight-yard strike to Brent Jones with :46 remaining, and scoring himself on a 10-yard run vs. New Orleans (11-15).

1991
NFL LEADER in passing efficiency with a 101.8 quarterback rating...Moved into seventh place on the 49ers' all-time completion list (271), surpassing Jim Plunkett (254), vs. L.A. Rams (9-22)...Selected as both NFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK by the league and USA Today PLAYER OF THE WEEK when he set a TEAM RECORD by completing 90% of his passes (18 of 20) for 237 yards and two touchdowns vs. Detroit (10-20). His completion total in that game moved him into sixth place on the 49ers' all-time completion list (329), surpassing Frankie Albert (316)...Named NFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE MONTH for October, after completing 68.5 percent of his passes for 681 yards and five touchdowns...Threw a TEAM RECORD 97-yard touchdown pass to John Taylor.

1990
Played in six games, including one start...Completed 61.3% of his passes (38-62) for 427 yards with two touchdowns...Became only the second 49ers quarterback to rush for 100 yards (102) in a game vs. New Orleans (12-23), joining Billy Kilmer, who had 103 yards at Detroit (10-1-61).

1989
Saw action in 10 games, including three starting assignments...Completed 69.6% of his passes for the season as he connected on 64 of 92 passes for 1,001 yards with eight touchdowns.

1988
Started for injured Montana (back) vs. Minnesota (10-30) and threw a 73-yard TD pass to John Taylor...Recorded one of the team's all-time memorable plays with a 49-yard scoring run with 1:58 remaining, providing the margin of victory that game, and was named NFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK for his efforts.

1987
Acquired by San Francisco four days prior to the 1987 draft (4-24) for second and fourth-round selections.

1986
Started a total of 19 games in two seasons with the Bucs, including 14 in 1986 when he passed for 2,282 yards.

1985
Started the final five games for Tampa Bay in '85.

1984
Selected in the first-round (No.10 overall) of the 1984 USFL draft by the L.A. Express, but did not sign until after the sixth game of the season...Started 12 games for the Express as a rookie and became the first player in pro football history to rush for 100 yards and pass for 300 yards in the same game at Chicago (4-20-84)...Signed with Tampa Bay (9-10-85) after his Express release...Buccaneers made Young the first selection of the NFL Supplemental Draft (June, '84).

College Highlights
Consensus All-America and Heisman Trophy runner-up to Nebraska's Mike Rozier in 1983...Completed 71.3 percent (306-429 for 3,902 yards and 33 TDs) of his passes as a senior for the highest single-season percentage in NCAA history at the time...BYU won 11 of 12 games (including a Holiday Bowl victory over Missouri) in '83, as he passed for better than 300 yards in all but two contests.

Steve Young Timeline

Oct. 11, 1961 -- Born Jon Steven Young in Salt Lake City, the great-great-great grandson of early Mormon church leader Brigham Young.

1983 -- Heisman Trophy runner-up after a college career at BYU.

1984 -- With L.A. Express of USFL. Becomes first pro football player to rush for 100 yards and pass for 300 yards in one game.

1985-86 -- With Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Threw 21 interceptions and 11 touchdowns in 19 games.

April 24, 1987 -- Acquired by 49ers four days before NFL draft for two picks.

Jan. 22, 1989 -- Does not play as Joe Montana leads 49ers to Super Bowl win over Cincinnati.

Jan. 28, 1990 -- Makes brief appearance in Super Bowl win over Denver.

1991 -- Becomes 49ers starter, replacing Joe Montana. Leads NFL in passing efficiency with 101.8 quarterback rating.

1992 -- NFL MVP. Leads league in passing efficiency (107.0), TD passes (25).

1993 -- Leads NFL with 101.5 rating, throws for 4,023 yards, goes 183 straight passes without an interception.

1994 -- Receives law degree from BYU.

1994 -- NFL MVP. Sets league record with 112.8 rating, throws 35 TD passes, completes 70.2 percent of passes.

Jan. 29, 1995 -- Named Super Bowl MVP. Throws six TD passes, leads 49ers in rushing with 49 yards vs. San Diego.

1996 -- Leaves two games with concussions, misses three games with groin injury, cracks ribs in playoffs.

1997 -- Has concussion on fifth play of season, wins sixth passing efficiency title.

Oct. 25, 1998 -- Throws TD pass to Jerry Rice on first play from scrimmage, breaking record for most scoring passes by quarterback/receiver duo with 80.

Sept. 27, 1999 -- Has concussion against Arizona, sixth in 13 seasons with 49ers.

Steve Young's Injuries with 49ers

Nov. 15, 1987 -- Knocked out of game with concussion.

Nov. 3, 1991 -- Strains ligament in left knee. Misses five games.

Sept. 6, 1992 -- Knocked out of game with concussion.

Nov. 1, 1992 -- Misses most of game with flu.

August 1993 -- Misses most of preseason with broken left thumb.

Oct. 9, 1994 -- Briefly leaves game with minor knee injury.

Sept. 3, 1995 -- Briefly leaves game with sprained neck.

Oct. 15, 1995 -- Hurts left shoulder on sack, misses five games.

Sept. 8, 1996 -- Strains groin, misses three games.

Oct. 27, 1996 -- Knocked out of game with concussion.

Nov. 10, 1996 -- Knocked out of game with concussion, misses next game.

Dec. 12, 1996 -- Cracks ribs, stays in game. Misses most of next game.

Aug. 31, 1997 -- Knocked out of game with concussion, misses next game.

Nov. 8, 1998 -- Misses game with abdominal strain.

Sept. 27, 1999 -- Knocked out of game with concussion.

"Watching a great quarterback is like watching the conductor of an orchastra. He directs the team, he leads by example and he throws 6 touchdowns in a single Super Bowl Game. Thanks for the great memories Steve.. You'll always be a winner."
--Rockne Green