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 Monday, June 12
Young created own legacy in Joe's shadow
 
 Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO -- Steve Young's retirement marks the end of a storied career as one of the most accurate throwing and best rushing quarterbacks ever.

Steve Young
Steve Young certainly never shied away from contact with defenders.
Young's propensity to scramble, and the added vulnerability that brings, may have contributed to his retirement at age 38. The quarterback had too many concussions, caused by too many hard hits.

Ending months of speculation, Young told the 49ers last week that he was retiring. The team scheduled a Monday ceremony for Young to publicly step down.

Young is certainly headed to the Hall of Fame, and perhaps the broadcast booth. With a bold and sometimes brazen style, the seven-time Pro Bowler won two league MVP awards, six passing titles and numerous other accolades over a 15-year career.

Young ran for an NFL-record 43 touchdowns. His 4,239 career rushing yards are second among quarterbacks only to Randall Cunningham, with 4,799.

He's finishing with a 96.8 career passing rating, the highest in NFL history, and a league-best 64.3 pass-completion percentage.

"Steve Young has all the credentials to be one of the top quarterbacks. He has the numbers, he has the stats, he's won a Super Bowl, he's heck of a player," broadcaster and former NFL coach John Madden said. "He's certainly one of the best running quarterbacks of all time."

And Young managed to distinguish himself from Hall of Famer Joe Montana, who won four Super Bowls in San Francisco before him.

Young, who came west in 1987 in a trade with Tampa Bay, waited somewhat impatiently as Montana's backup for four years before he got his chance.

He distanced himself from Montana, solidifying the separation when he won his own Super Bowl ring in 1995 with a 49-26 rout of the San Diego Chargers.

"I wanted people to like what I did," he once said about the frustrating transition. "They didn't. They wanted Joe."

It wasn't the first time Young had to play understudy: When he arrived at Brigham Young University, Jim McMahon was the quarterback.

"He not only took it on, but he answered all the questions by winning the Super Bowl and putting together some unbelievable statistics," said Cleveland general manager Dwight Clark, the former 49ers receiver. "He pulled off replacing a legend."

And, in the process, Young created his own legacy.

"I really believe he's one of the top five players ever to play the game at his position," said Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, the former 49ers offensive coordinator. "He could do it all. He had a great sense of timing. He could make all the throws. He was a great competitor."

Former 49ers coach George Siefert said: "He was a Super Bowl quarterback, a record-setting quarterback. And he may have been one of the best -- I know he doesn't want to be noted for this, he wants to be noted as a passer -- but one of the best combination running-passing quarterbacks that played the game."

Teammates also spoke of Young with reverence

"That guy has been through the battles and wars. He's stood out among stars in this lockerroom. To be a star guy and be very approachable, that's unique. He was very much one of the guys," guard Roy Brown said.

Although he couldn't possibly realize it at the time, the future was decided for Young last Aug. 27 in a game against Arizona, when he went down with his fourth concussion in three years and his sixth in 13 seasons with the 49ers.

Young wanted to play again, and some argued that as the consummate competitor he needed to play again. But after talking to doctors, teammates, colleagues and friends, Young decided to go out a 49er.

His personal life is much more certain than any future career. He recently married 30-year-old Barbara Graham, and the couple are expecting a child in December.

There were rumors Young might join the crew of ABC Monday Night Football, replacing Boomer Esiason. But the San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday that Young doesn't want to be considered for the job.

Others speculated that the great-great-great grandson of Mormon Church leader Brigham Young might run for public office in Utah.

His friends and colleagues agree the possibilities are still endless. In addition to his on-field experience, Young has a law degree from BYU.

"Those kinds of questions will be answered by him," Shanahan said. "I'm kind of looking forward to seeing what he says."

 


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