San Francisco NFL Draft Weekend: Living in the Past with Steve Young

(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

The game would be the career defining moment for #8.  He knew that his performance on this one Sunday would permanently shape his legacy in San Francisco.

The pressure was on.  Would Steve live up to the ridiculous expectations Joe Montana and the pampered fans of the Bay Area had set for him?

Young didn’t just answer that question with his performance in Super Bowl XXIX. 

Rather, he permanently put to rest any notion that he wasn’t one of the key pillars of the 49ers dynasty.

Jon Steven Young would throw a Super Bowl record six touchdown passes in a 49-26 trouncing of the Chargers—breaking the record previously set by…guess who?

Being the obvious choice as the game’s MVP, Young would finish with 325 yards in the air and 49 yards on the ground, becoming the first player to ever lead the Super Bowl in both rushing and passing yards.

It was a truly magical day for Steve, who, in the final minutes of the game, had his teammates physically pull the metaphorical monkey off of his back on the sidelines. 
In a segment of NFL films, Young would later claim that he regretted this antic, but I personally think it’s quite fitting given everything he had worked so hard to overcome during his years as a 49er.

Steve's adventurous style as a dual-threat quarterback caught up to him later in his career. He continued to excel despite numerous concussions before finally retiring three games into the 1999 season due to serious health concerns.

The heart that this man displayed on the football field should never be forgotten—he continued to use all of the tools in his toolbox even when coaches and doctors alike advised him to be more cautious and conservative. He allowed his mind to guide him as much as he did his arm, rarely forcing balls in places they didn't belong.

Football was an art form for Young; it was such a pleasure watching him work. He was truly an inspiration for all Bay Area fans.

As we head into the fog of tomorrow, I ask you, 49er nation, to not let the future get you down.  For we have a noble history that most franchises would sell the farm to inherit.

And no one can ever take it away from us, no matter what happens.

We must be resilient and proud, even if we are in many ways pessimistic and doubtful of where things go from here.  If Shaun Hill (or God forbid, whatever other gunslinger the Niners welcome to the organization between now and September) sets the all-time record for incompletions in 2009, that will not change the beauty of what previously was.

For Steve Young was once taking those snaps.  And that in itself should be enough to hold our spirits high.

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