Vince Young

American athlete Vince Young is best known for his professional footbal career as a quarterback in the National Football League.

Born in Texas, Young had a tough upbringing and was hit by a car at seven years old. On reflection, the quarterback said the incident made him stronger and more physically tough. Young first began playing football at school and was coached by Ray Seals at Madison High School, compiling 12,987 yards of total offense during his high school career. He led the Madison Marlins to a victory over the Mustangs, who were previously undefeated, in his senior year, passing for three touchdowns and rushing for two. Young received several honours at this time, including Parade’s and Student Sports’ National Player of the Year and The Sporting News’ top high school prospect, marking the young sports star as one to watch.

At college, Young played for the University of Texas’ Texas Longhorns and secured his spot as an iconic athlete long before he went professional. Young won numerous awards and titles, making him one of the most celebrated athletes in University of Texas’ history. Notably, Young’s game-winning touchdown in the 2006 Rose Bowl ranked number five in ESPN’s 2007 list of the top plays in college football history. He was also named All-American Offensive Player, Best Championship Performance and won The Maxwell Award for College Player of the Year, with the Texas Longhorns retiring his #10 jersey to boot.

After being interviewed by Jay Leno on The Tonight Show, Young entered the NFL draft and was drafted by The Tennessee Titans, first round, third choice overall. His professional career saw Young sign a five-year contract with the Titans, making his debut against The New Orlean Saints. After spending five celebrated seasons with the Titans, Young played with the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns and Saskatchewan Roughriders. He was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Sporting News’ NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Since retiring in 2014, Young has worked with the University of Texas as a development officer for its Division of Diversity and Community Engagement.