Age: 22
College: Notre
Dame
Height: 6’2” Weight: 276
Prelude:
Young played
in 41 games at Notre Dame, started 30 of them, and was credited with 176
tackles and 18 sacks. He received first-team All-American recognition in 1993
from the American Football Coaches Assn. and was chosen by the 49ers in the
first round of the ’94 NFL draft (seventh overall). Young moved directly into
the starting lineup and teamed well with second-year DT Dana Stubblefield to
solidify the middle of the defensive line.
1994 Season Summary
Appeared in
all 16 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Sacks – 6
Most sacks,
game – 1 on six occasions
Interceptions
– 0
Fumble
recoveries – 1
Forced fumbles
– 1
Tackles – 45
Assists – 4
Postseason: 3 G
Sacks – 1
Interceptions
– 0
TD – 0
Awards &
Honors:
NFC Rookie of
the Year: UPI
49ers went 13-3
to finish first in the NFC West with the conference’s best record. Won NFC
Divisional playoff over Chicago Bears (44-15), NFC Championship over Dallas
Cowboys (38-28), and Super Bowl over San Diego Chargers (49-26).
Aftermath:
Young lost
four games to an ankle injury in 1995, but bounced back in ’96 to record a
career-high 11.5 sacks and receive consensus first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl
recognition. Fast, strong, and with great skill, he went on to become a fixture
on San Francisco’s defensive line for a total of 14 seasons. Injuries cost
Young time in 1997 and ’98, including a broken leg that required the insertion
of a metal rod, but he bounced back in 1999 to return to the Pro Bowl and
received NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors as well as 2nd-team
All-NFL recognition from the Associated Press. He was selected to the Pro Bowl
again in 2001 and ’02. Young was an outstanding team leader who was recognized
for his professionalism and sportsmanship. He was shifted to defensive end in
2005, where he remained for his last three seasons. Upon his retirement
following the ’07 season, he had played in 208 games, all with San Francisco,
and recorded 89.5 sacks, making him the franchise’s career leader. He received
first- or second-team All-NFL recognition after four seasons and was chosen to
the Pro Bowl four times as well.
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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie
of the Year in the NFL (including NFC/AFC), AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by
a recognized organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper
Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the
league itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year).
