Steve Young

Jon Steven Young was born on October 11, 1961, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. During his junior and senior years as the starting quarterback, he earned All-FCIAC West Division First Team honors, and in his senior year, he was named to the CIAC All-State team. Young then attended Brigham Young University (BYU), where he initially struggled with throwing but dedicated himself to improving his skills. He succeeded Jim McMahon as BYU’s starting quarterback, passing for 3,902 yards and 33 touchdowns in 1983, achieving a 71.3% completion percentage, an NCAA single-season record. He also added 544 rushing yards, contributing to BYU averaging 584.2 yards of total offense per game. Young finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting and received the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.

Young’s professional career began in the USFL with the Los Angeles Express in 1984, where he signed a 10-year, $40 million contract. In his first season, he became the first professional football player to pass for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in a single game. After the USFL’s instability, he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1985 before being traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 1987. Serving as a backup to Joe Montana for several seasons, Young became the full-time starter in 1991. He was named NFL Most Valuable Player twice (1992, 1994), leading the league in passer rating a record six times and completion percentage five times. His career culminated in Super Bowl XXIX (1995), where he was named MVP after throwing a record six touchdown passes, leading the 49ers to victory over the San Diego Chargers. He retired in 1999 due to repeated concussions, having established himself as one of the most efficient passers and mobile quarterbacks in NFL history.

Following his retirement from football, Young continued to demonstrate his diverse capabilities. In 1994, he earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School. In 2007, he co-founded Huntsman Gay Global Capital (HGGC), a private equity firm, where he continues to serve as a managing director. Young has also held positions as corporate spokesperson for major companies such as Nike, Visa, and Sprint. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. His number 8 jersey was retired by the San Francisco 49ers in 2008. Beyond his professional achievements, Young is actively involved in philanthropy, having founded the Forever Young Foundation in 1993, which supports children facing significant challenges.