Steve Young in NFL History
Steve Young (1961–) was one of the most accurate passers in the history of the National Football League, leading the potent offense of the San Francisco 49ers throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. Young, who retired from football with the highest career passer rating in NFL history, won two League MVP awards and led San Francisco to its fifth and final Super Bowl championship in 1995. Young won election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Young's NFL career took quite a while to take flight. After a stellar collegiate career ended in 1982, the quarterback played for two years in the short-lived United States Football League before being drafted by the woeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After spending two years in the football wilderness of Tampa Bay, Young moved to San Francisco, where he found himself stuck on the depth chart behind superstar and San Francisco legend Joe Montana. Young, who could punish defenses with his running as well as with his pinpoint passing game, played well enough in Montana's frequent absences due to injury to generate a major quarterback controversy through 1988 and 1989. Montana retained the starting job, however, leading the 49ers to back-to-back championships in the 1988 and 1989 seasons.
After Montana suffered a gruesome injury in a 1991 playoff game, Young seized the starting job and never relinquished it, breaking several of Montana's passing records while leading the 49ers through most of the 1990s. Since retiring from football, Young went on to become a successful broadcaster and advertising pitchman. He has a reputation for being super nice to fans, especially kids who love football.