| | 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 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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