A left-handed thrower, Young was famous for his ability to "scramble" away from the pass rush. He holds the record for most career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, 43. He is the only quarterback in NFL history to have four consecutive seasons with a passer rating of over 100; he also led the league in passer rating those four years, another NFL record. Overall, Young was the NFL's top rated passer in 6 different seasons (1991-1994, 1996-1997), tying a record set by Sammy Baugh.He held the single-season passer rating record, 112.8 (made in the 1994-95 season) until Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning broke it during the 2004-2005 season. His career passer rating of 96.8 was the highest of any quarterback in NFL history when he retired. That mark was officially surpassed in 2002, when Kurt Warner made the required 1500 pass attempts to be eligible, dropping Young to second place; Joe Montana was third with a 92.3 rating. By the end of the 2004 season, Young regained his career passer rating record when Warner's rating dropped. Young's career completion rating (64.3%) was also a record before Warner qualified.In 1999, he was ranked on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. Young was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 5, 2005 and was enshrined August 7, 2005. His induction speech was given by his father, Grit Young.When the Buccaneers selected University of Miami QB Vinny Testaverde first overall in the 1987 NFL draft, Young was deemed a bust and traded to the San Francisco 49ers on April 24, 1987, to serve as a backup to Joe Montana. The Buccaneers received 2nd and 4th round draft picks in the trade, which they used to draft Miami linebacker Winston Moss and Arizona State wide receiver Bruce Hill, respectively. Steve Young played behind Montana his first several years, but shone as a backup. In a 1988 game, the scrambling southpaw shredded the Minnesota Vikings for a 49-yard, game-winning touchdown. In 1989, he displayed his potential to become the team's starter in the future. While Montana won the NFL MVP award and led the team to victory in Super Bowl XXIV, Young still had a good season, completing 69% of his passes for 1,001 yards and 8 touchdowns, with only 3 interceptions. Following an injury to Montana in the 1990 playoffs, Young got his chance to lead the 49ers in the 1991 season. He won the NFL's Most Valuable Player award in 1992 and again in 1994. He also led the league in pass efficiency for an NFL record four straight years. The crowning achievement of the Steve Young-led San Francisco 49ers was their dominating 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.
On the strength of a six touchdown performance that surpassed the previous record of five, owned by Joe Montana, Steve Young was named the game's Most Valuable Player. Young also threw for 325 yards and rushed for 49 yards, making him the first player ever to finish a Super Bowl as the game's lead in both rushing and passing yards.In the three years following Super Bowl XXIX, the 49ers would be eliminated each year by Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers, twice in San Francisco. However, in 1998, Young would finally best Favre in the NFC wild card game, as he threw the winning touchdown to wide receiver Terrell Owens as time expired to win the game 30-27. In deference to Dwight Clark's legendary catch against the Dallas Cowboys in the 1982 NFC championship game, Owens' grab was called "The Catch II". However, a week later, the 49ers were defeated by the Atlanta Falcons 20-18 in the divisional playoffs. 1999 eventually became Steve Young's final season. After suffering his fourth concussion in three years in the third game of the regular season (officially, Young has suffered seven concussions; many believe the number to be higher), he was relegated to the sidelines and retired at the end of the season. Reportedly, Young suffered from symptoms of post-concussion syndrome for weeks afterward. Despite not becoming the permanent starter on his team until his 8th season, and only playing all 16 games in a season twice during his 15-year career, Young's statistics were extremely high. He completed 2,667 of 4,149 passes for 33,124 yards and 232 touchdowns, with 107 interceptions. He also gained 4,239 rushing yards and 43 touchdowns on the ground. His 96.8 passer rating was the highest in NFL history at the time of his retirement, and his 4,239 rushing yards were the second most ever gained by a quarterback behind Randall Cunningham.Seven-Time NFL Pro Bowler, 1994 Super Bowl XXIX MVP, 1992 AP NFL MVP, 1994 AP NFL MVP, 1992 NFL Offensive POY, 1992 UPI NFC OFF POY, 1994 UPI NFC OFF POY, 1992 Bert Bell Award, 1992 PFWA NFL MVP, 1994 PFWA NFL MVP, 1994 Bert Bell Award, 1983 NCAA Davey O'Brien AwardSteve Young is the great-great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, a former President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for whom Brigham Young University is named. Young and his family are devout Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).
His father, LeGrande "Grit" Young, played football at BYU in the late 1950's. He led the school in scoring in 1955 and in rushing and total offense in 1959. Young's younger brothers Mike and Tom both played quarterback at BYU after Steve, but neither received much playing time. In 1994, Young graduated from Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School. Young spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2000, leading some to speculate that he might be interested in entering politics in the future.
Married former model Barbara Graham, on March 15, 2000 in a Mormon ceremony at the Kona Hawaii Temple in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii. They have two sons together.
Steve Young's 1988 scramble against the Minnesota Vikings was featured in a 2006 Burger King commercial with the Burger King "King" digitally superimposed over the young quarterback. When Salt Lake City was awarded the 2002 Winter Olympics in 1995, Young was the first volunteer. During the 2002 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, Young carried the placard for Great Britain. Additionally, Young was among the contingent at Salt Lake City in February,1998 to receive the Olympic Flag after the 1998 Winter Olympics closed in Nagano,Japan at Salt Lake City International Airport.
