49ers Clubhouse

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Career Timeline

June 12, 2000

1985
• Sept. 10: Signs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who selected him in the 1984 Supplemental Draft.
• Nov. 24: Makes his first start in a home game against the Detroit Lions. Throws for 167 yards and runs for 60 more as the Bucs upset the Lions 19-16 in overtime to improve to 2-10.
• Dec. 1: Everything goes wrong in Young's second NFL start at Green Bay against the Packers. The game is played in blizzard-like, white-out conditions, which were problematic by themselves. Compounding the woes are the Bucs' uniforms — white helmets, white jerseys, white pants — making teammates indistinguishable in the storm. Young throws for just 53 yards as the Bucs fall, 21-0, in a game later immortalized in an Alka-Seltzer commercial.
• Dec. 22: Throws for a season-high 277 yards in the rematch with Green Bay. However, the Bucs fall, 20-17, and Young's record as starter falls to 1-4 as the Bucs head into port with their second 2-14 record in three years.
1986
• Sept. 7: Does not start the season, as peripatetic Steve DeBerg reclaims the starter's role. However, DeBerg doesn't last long — mainly because of a ghastly seven-interception disaster in an opening-day loss to the San Francisco 49ers — and Young takes over in Week 3.
• Sept. 21: Just like in 1985, Young's first start is against the Lions. Just like in 1985, the Bucs win, this time by a 24-20 score, as Young scores the first of his five rushing touchdowns for the season. He will start the rest of the Bucs' games.
• Sept. 28: Against the unbeaten Atlanta Falcons, Young plays the best game of his brief career, passing for 160 yards and rushing for 68 more, including a 21-yard touchdown. The Bucs force overtime, but fall on a Mick Luckhurst field goal, 23-20. Young and the Bucs also force an extra session against the playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams one week later, but lose.
• Dec. 21: The Bucs lose their seventh consecutive game, and close the season 2-14. Young finishes with 2,282 passing yards and 425 rushing yards. The latter figure remains the second-highest of his career. Eight days later, head coach Leeman Bennett is fired, and Ray Perkins takes over, intending to use the No. 1 pick in the draft on Miami Hurricanes phenom Vinny Testaverde.
1987
• Apr. 24: With Testaverde on the way, the Bucs dump Young to the 49ers for two draft picks and cash. The selections become wide receiver Bruce Hill and linebacker Winston Moss, neither of whom lasts more than five seasons for Tampa Bay.
• Nov. 15: Makes his first start for the 49ers against the New Orleans Saints, and completes five of six passes for 80 yards in one quarter of action. However, he is forced to the sidelines with a concussion.
• Dec. 14: Relieves an injured Joe Montana and performs flawlessly, tossing four touchdown passes in a 41-0 rout of the Chicago Bears.
1988
• Jan. 9: Is pressed into service for an ineffective Montana after the 49ers fall behind the Minnesota Vikings 27-10 in the second half of their divisional playoff game. Young throws for 158 yards and a score and runs for 72 yards and another touchdown, but it's not enough, as the 49ers fall, 36-24.
• Oct. 30: Makes perhaps the best play of his career and 49ers history when he scrambles, ambles, eludes and dives 49 yards for a touchdown with 1:58 left in a game against the Vikings, giving the Niners a 24-21 win. For the run, Young is named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
1989:
• Oct. 22: In a game moved to Palo Alto because of earthquake damage to Candlestick Park, Young turned in perhaps his most efficient performance, connecting on 11 of 12 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-20 win over the New England Patriots.
1990:
• Dec. 23: In his only start of the season, against the Saints, he rushed for a career-high 102 yards, becoming just the second 49ers quarterback to go over the century mark for rushing in a game, and the first since Billy Kilmer in 1961.
1991:
• Sept. 2: With Montana forced to the sidelines with an elbow injury, Young begins his first season as the Niners' starting quarterback. His opening act is skittish; he throws for a touchdown and runs for another, but that is all the offense San Francisco can muster in a 16-14 loss to the defending champions, the New York Giants.
• Sept. 8: Turns in his first 300-yard passing game, throwing for 348 yards and three scores in a 34-14 romp over the San Diego Chargers.
• Oct. 20: Completes 90 percent of his passes (18-of-20) for 237 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
• Nov. 3: Connects with John Taylor for a 97-yard touchdown, the longest in 49ers history, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium against the Falcons. However, Young injures the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in the second quarter, and is forced to miss the next five games.
1992:
• Sept. 13: One week after leaving on the fifth play of the Niners' opener with the Giants, Young passes for 449 yards, the second-highest total of his career, in a loss to the Buffalo Bills.
• Nov. 15: Throws two touchdown passes and ran for another against the Saints to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
• Dec. 6: Becomes the answer to a trivia question when he tosses a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Jerry Rice, giving the legendary wideout a league-record-breaking 101 touchdown receptions.
• Dec. 28: Closes out the season with 153 passing yards in just one half of action against the Lions. Young's final numbers — 3,465 passing yards, a 107.0 rating, 25 passing touchdowns, 537 rushing yards and four rushing scores — would end up earning him NFL MVP honors, as well as several other player of the year awards.
1993:
• Jan. 9: Makes his first playoff start against the defending Super Bowl champions, the Washington Redskins, and tosses two touchdown passes in a 24-17 win.
• Feb. 7: In his first Pro Bowl, completes 18 of 32 passes for 196 yards and connects on a game-tying, 23-yard, fourth-down touchdown pass with 10 seconds left in regulation. However, he loses a fumble in overtime at the NFC's 28-yard-line, leading to an AFC field goal and a 23-20 defeat.
• Sept. 19: Throws three touchdown passes against the Falcons, but comes up with a memorable play, becoming the first 49ers quarterback since Y.A. Tittle in 1959 to catch his own pass.
• Oct. 17: Throws for 267 yards against the Dallas Cowboys to surpass the 10,000-yard milestone for his career.
• Nov. 14: Tosses four touchdown passes — all to Rice — in his first start at Tampa Stadium, his old stomping grounds.
• Nov. 28: Sees his streak of 183 consecutive passes without an interception, dating back to Oct. 3, end in the second quarter against the Rams. However, he rebounded for a career-high 462 yards and four touchdowns.
1994:
• Jan. 3: Closes the season by throwing for 165 yards and two touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles to finish the season with 4,023 yards, marking the first time in team history anyone had thrown for more than 4,000 yards … Ends the season with a 101.5 rating, giving him three straight seasons with a 100-plus rating and three consecutive years as the NFL's passing leader, both NFL records.
• Oct. 9: One week after being benched in a 40-8 loss to the Eagles, Young leaves the 49ers' game at the Silverdome with the Detroit Lions after suffering a minor knee injury. However, he returned, and rallied the team from a 14-0 deficit to a 27-21 win, completing 19 of 25 passes en route.
• Oct. 16: Earns NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors by connecting on 15 of 16 passes for 143 yards and four touchdowns against the Falcons at the Georgia Dome.
• Dec. 11 Torches the eventual AFC champion Chargers and their vaunted defense, completing 25 of 32 passes for 304 yards and two scores to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
• Dec. 26: Completed 12 of 13 passes for 94 yards as the 49ers closed out the regular season with a league-best 13-3 record. … Finished the year with an NFL single-season record 112.8 rating. … Set 49ers records by completing 70.3 percent of his passes and hurling 35 touchdown passes (he broke his own record in 1998 with 36 scoring strikes). … Named the league's Player of the Year for his efforts.
1995:
• Jan. 15: Avenges back-to-back NFC Championship losses to the Cowboys by throwing for two scores and running for another in a 38-28 win over the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
• Jan. 29: In his sole start on the Super Bowl stage, he faces San Diego and just as he did a month and a half earlier, he singes the team's defense, throwing for 325 yards, rushing for a team-leading 49 yards, and firing a Super Bowl and postseason-record six touchdown passes in a 49-26 electrocution of the Chargers. Young is named the game's most valuable player.
• Sept. 17: Tosses for 284 yards and three scoring passes against the Patriots; it's the second consecutive week Young has posted a touchdown-pass hat trick.
• Sept. 25: Throws two touchdown passes against the Lions. It's Young's 15th straight game with at least one touchdown pass, breaking Montana's team record for consecutive games with a scoring toss. Young ends up extending the streak to 18 games.
• Oct. 15: Endures a rough afternoon in the then-Hoosier Dome against the Indianapolis Colts, suffering six sacks, which collectively lead to a left shoulder injury that requires arthroscopic surgery and keeps him out for five games.
• Nov. 26: Has a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving weekend, as he returns to the lineup against the St. Louis Rams, passing for 226 yards and three touchdowns.
• Dec. 18: Throwing a career-regular season-high 49 times, Young hits on 30 of his attempts for 425 yards and three touchdowns as the Niners sew up the NFC West crown for the fourth time in Young's five years as a starter with a win over the Vikings.
• Dec. 24: Closes the season with 3,200 passing yards, 250 rushing yards (second on the team) and 20 touchdown passes, in spite of missing five games. … Posts a 92.3 passer rating, good enough for the Pro Bowl, but not good enough to maintain his streak of consecutive seasons with a 100-plus rating (four, 1991-94). … Ends the year with a career high five 300-yard passing games.
1996:
• Jan. 6: Sets an NFL playoff record with 65 attempts against the Packers. However, Young's 328 yards in the air and 77 on the ground aren't enough to ward off a 27-17 divisional playoff defeat.
• Dec. 23: Ends the season as the NFL's leading passer for the fifth time in six years with a rating of 97.2. Young is also selected for his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl in spite of missing four games. However, the 49ers' run of four consecutive division titles is snapped by the Carolina Panthers, and two weeks later, after Young suffers cracked ribs, the Niners fall in the divisional round.
1997:
• Aug. 31: Goes back to Tampa Bay as a starter for just the second time in his career and suffers a first-quarter concussion. His top target, Rice, goes out in the second quarter with a torn knee ligament. The game, which is also Young's first under new head coach Steve Mariucci, ends with a disastrous 13-6 loss.
• Sept. 14: The Bay blues are just a memory as Young returns to the lineup with one of the most accurate games in 49ers history against the Saints. Young completes 18 of 21 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-7 pasting of the Saints.
• Dec. 7: Completes 20 of 25 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns in a home win over the Vikings. For the effort, Young is named the NFC's offensive player of the week.
• Dec. 21: Closes out the season with a 104.7 passer rating … Tied a league record with his sixth passer rating title, as the 49ers finish the season 13-3 in spite of being without the services of Rice.
1998:
• Jan. 11: The bid for the Super Bowl ends for the 49ers, as Young's 250 yards passing fail to generate a touchdown in a 23-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers. For the Niners, it's the third straight postseason loss to the Pack.
• Oct. 18: Leads the 49ers back from deficits of 21-0 and 31-17 against the Colts, throwing for two touchdowns and running for two more in a wild 34-31 win. The performance earns him NFC offensive player of the week honors.
• Dec. 27: Closes out a regular season where he posted team records in yardage (4,170) and touchdown passes (36) while notching a passer rating of 101.1, his sixth 100-plus rating.
1999:
• Jan. 3: In a wild-card game at 3Com Park, Young completes 18 of 32 passes for 182 yards. His last pass, though, might have been his most memorable — a 25-yard touchdown strike to Terrell Owens with three seconds left, giving the 49ers an improbable 30-27 win over the Packers.
• Sept. 27: Is injured in the second quarter of the 49ers' Monday Night Football clash with the Cardinals at Sun Devil Stadium. He leaves the field with a concussion and is reduced to a sideline spectator for the remainder of the season.
2000:
• June 12: Announces his retirement after 15 seasons in the NFL.

1985

• Sept. 10: Signs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who selected him in the 1984 Supplemental Draft.

• Nov. 24: Makes his first start in a home game against the Detroit Lions. Throws for 167 yards and runs for 60 more as the Bucs upset the Lions 19-16 in overtime to improve to 2-10.

• Dec. 1: Everything goes wrong in Young's second NFL start at Green Bay against the Packers. The game is played in blizzard-like, white-out conditions, which were problematic by themselves. Compounding the woes are the Bucs' uniforms — white helmets, white jerseys, white pants — making teammates indistinguishable in the storm. Young throws for just 53 yards as the Bucs fall, 21-0, in a game later immortalized in an Alka-Seltzer commercial.

• Dec. 22: Throws for a season-high 277 yards in the rematch with Green Bay. However, the Bucs fall, 20-17, and Young's record as starter falls to 1-4 as the Bucs head into port with their second 2-14 record in three years.

1986

• Sept. 7: Does not start the season, as peripatetic Steve DeBerg reclaims the starter's role. However, DeBerg doesn't last long — mainly because of a ghastly seven-interception disaster in an opening-day loss to the San Francisco 49ers — and Young takes over in Week 3.

• Sept. 21: Just like in 1985, Young's first start is against the Lions. Just like in 1985, the Bucs win, this time by a 24-20 score, as Young scores the first of his five rushing touchdowns for the season. He will start the rest of the Bucs' games.

• Sept. 28: Against the unbeaten Atlanta Falcons, Young plays the best game of his brief career, passing for 160 yards and rushing for 68 more, including a 21-yard touchdown. The Bucs force overtime, but fall on a Mick Luckhurst field goal, 23-20. Young and the Bucs also force an extra session against the playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams one week later, but lose.

• Dec. 21: The Bucs lose their seventh consecutive game, and close the season 2-14. Young finishes with 2,282 passing yards and 425 rushing yards. The latter figure remains the second-highest of his career. Eight days later, head coach Leeman Bennett is fired, and Ray Perkins takes over, intending to use the No. 1 pick in the draft on Miami Hurricanes phenom Vinny Testaverde.

1987

• Apr. 24: With Testaverde on the way, the Bucs dump Young to the 49ers for two draft picks and cash. The selections become wide receiver Bruce Hill and linebacker Winston Moss, neither of whom lasts more than five seasons for Tampa Bay.

• Nov. 15: Makes his first start for the 49ers against the New Orleans Saints, and completes five of six passes for 80 yards in one quarter of action. However, he is forced to the sidelines with a concussion.

• Dec. 14: Relieves an injured Joe Montana and performs flawlessly, tossing four touchdown passes in a 41-0 rout of the Chicago Bears.

1988

• Jan. 9: Is pressed into service for an ineffective Montana after the 49ers fall behind the Minnesota Vikings 27-10 in the second half of their divisional playoff game. Young throws for 158 yards and a score and runs for 72 yards and another touchdown, but it's not enough, as the 49ers fall, 36-24.

• Oct. 30: Makes perhaps the best play of his career and 49ers history when he scrambles, ambles, eludes and dives 49 yards for a touchdown with 1:58 left in a game against the Vikings, giving the Niners a 24-21 win. For the run, Young is named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

1989:

• Oct. 22: In a game moved to Palo Alto because of earthquake damage to Candlestick Park, Young turned in perhaps his most efficient performance, connecting on 11 of 12 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-20 win over the New England Patriots.

1990:

• Dec. 23: In his only start of the season, against the Saints, he rushed for a career-high 102 yards, becoming just the second 49ers quarterback to go over the century mark for rushing in a game, and the first since Billy Kilmer in 1961.

1991:

• Sept. 2: With Montana forced to the sidelines with an elbow injury, Young begins his first season as the Niners' starting quarterback. His opening act is skittish; he throws for a touchdown and runs for another, but that is all the offense San Francisco can muster in a 16-14 loss to the defending champions, the New York Giants.

• Sept. 8: Turns in his first 300-yard passing game, throwing for 348 yards and three scores in a 34-14 romp over the San Diego Chargers.

• Oct. 20: Completes 90 percent of his passes (18-of-20) for 237 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

• Nov. 3: Connects with John Taylor for a 97-yard touchdown, the longest in 49ers history, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium against the Falcons. However, Young injures the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in the second quarter, and is forced to miss the next five games.

1992:

• Sept. 13: One week after leaving on the fifth play of the Niners' opener with the Giants, Young passes for 449 yards, the second-highest total of his career, in a loss to the Buffalo Bills.

• Nov. 15: Throws two touchdown passes and ran for another against the Saints to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

• Dec. 6: Becomes the answer to a trivia question when he tosses a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Jerry Rice, giving the legendary wideout a league-record-breaking 101 touchdown receptions.

• Dec. 28: Closes out the season with 153 passing yards in just one half of action against the Lions. Young's final numbers — 3,465 passing yards, a 107.0 rating, 25 passing touchdowns, 537 rushing yards and four rushing scores — would end up earning him NFL MVP honors, as well as several other player of the year awards.

1993:

• Jan. 9: Makes his first playoff start against the defending Super Bowl champions, the Washington Redskins, and tosses two touchdown passes in a 24-17 win.

• Feb. 7: In his first Pro Bowl, completes 18 of 32 passes for 196 yards and connects on a game-tying, 23-yard, fourth-down touchdown pass with 10 seconds left in regulation. However, he loses a fumble in overtime at the NFC's 28-yard-line, leading to an AFC field goal and a 23-20 defeat.

• Sept. 19: Throws three touchdown passes against the Falcons, but comes up with a memorable play, becoming the first 49ers quarterback since Y.A. Tittle in 1959 to catch his own pass.

• Oct. 17: Throws for 267 yards against the Dallas Cowboys to surpass the 10,000-yard milestone for his career.

• Nov. 14: Tosses four touchdown passes — all to Rice — in his first start at Tampa Stadium, his old stomping grounds.

• Nov. 28: Sees his streak of 183 consecutive passes without an interception, dating back to Oct. 3, end in the second quarter against the Rams. However, he rebounded for a career-high 462 yards and four touchdowns.

1994:

• Jan. 3: Closes the season by throwing for 165 yards and two touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles to finish the season with 4,023 yards, marking the first time in team history anyone had thrown for more than 4,000 yards … Ends the season with a 101.5 rating, giving him three straight seasons with a 100-plus rating and three consecutive years as the NFL's passing leader, both NFL records.

• Oct. 9: One week after being benched in a 40-8 loss to the Eagles, Young leaves the 49ers' game at the Silverdome with the Detroit Lions after suffering a minor knee injury. However, he returned, and rallied the team from a 14-0 deficit to a 27-21 win, completing 19 of 25 passes en route.

• Oct. 16: Earns NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors by connecting on 15 of 16 passes for 143 yards and four touchdowns against the Falcons at the Georgia Dome.

• Dec. 11 Torches the eventual AFC champion Chargers and their vaunted defense, completing 25 of 32 passes for 304 yards and two scores to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

• Dec. 26: Completed 12 of 13 passes for 94 yards as the 49ers closed out the regular season with a league-best 13-3 record. … Finished the year with an NFL single-season record 112.8 rating. … Set 49ers records by completing 70.3 percent of his passes and hurling 35 touchdown passes (he broke his own record in 1998 with 36 scoring strikes). … Named the league's Player of the Year for his efforts.

1995:

• Jan. 15: Avenges back-to-back NFC Championship losses to the Cowboys by throwing for two scores and running for another in a 38-28 win over the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.

• Jan. 29: In his sole start on the Super Bowl stage, he faces San Diego and just as he did a month and a half earlier, he singes the team's defense, throwing for 325 yards, rushing for a team-leading 49 yards, and firing a Super Bowl and postseason-record six touchdown passes in a 49-26 electrocution of the Chargers. Young is named the game's most valuable player.

• Sept. 17: Tosses for 284 yards and three scoring passes against the Patriots; it's the second consecutive week Young has posted a touchdown-pass hat trick.

• Sept. 25: Throws two touchdown passes against the Lions. It's Young's 15th straight game with at least one touchdown pass, breaking Montana's team record for consecutive games with a scoring toss. Young ends up extending the streak to 18 games.

• Oct. 15: Endures a rough afternoon in the then-Hoosier Dome against the Indianapolis Colts, suffering six sacks, which collectively lead to a left shoulder injury that requires arthroscopic surgery and keeps him out for five games.

• Nov. 26: Has a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving weekend, as he returns to the lineup against the St. Louis Rams, passing for 226 yards and three touchdowns.

• Dec. 18: Throwing a career-regular season-high 49 times, Young hits on 30 of his attempts for 425 yards and three touchdowns as the Niners sew up the NFC West crown for the fourth time in Young's five years as a starter with a win over the Vikings.

• Dec. 24: Closes the season with 3,200 passing yards, 250 rushing yards (second on the team) and 20 touchdown passes, in spite of missing five games. … Posts a 92.3 passer rating, good enough for the Pro Bowl, but not good enough to maintain his streak of consecutive seasons with a 100-plus rating (four, 1991-94). … Ends the year with a career high five 300-yard passing games.

1996:

• Jan. 6: Sets an NFL playoff record with 65 attempts against the Packers. However, Young's 328 yards in the air and 77 on the ground aren't enough to ward off a 27-17 divisional playoff defeat.

• Dec. 23: Ends the season as the NFL's leading passer for the fifth time in six years with a rating of 97.2. Young is also selected for his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl in spite of missing four games. However, the 49ers' run of four consecutive division titles is snapped by the Carolina Panthers, and two weeks later, after Young suffers cracked ribs, the Niners fall in the divisional round.

1997:

• Aug. 31: Goes back to Tampa Bay as a starter for just the second time in his career and suffers a first-quarter concussion. His top target, Rice, goes out in the second quarter with a torn knee ligament. The game, which is also Young's first under new head coach Steve Mariucci, ends with a disastrous 13-6 loss.

• Sept. 14: The Bay blues are just a memory as Young returns to the lineup with one of the most accurate games in 49ers history against the Saints. Young completes 18 of 21 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-7 pasting of the Saints.

• Dec. 7: Completes 20 of 25 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns in a home win over the Vikings. For the effort, Young is named the NFC's offensive player of the week.

• Dec. 21: Closes out the season with a 104.7 passer rating … Tied a league record with his sixth passer rating title, as the 49ers finish the season 13-3 in spite of being without the services of Rice.

1998:

• Jan. 11: The bid for the Super Bowl ends for the 49ers, as Young's 250 yards passing fail to generate a touchdown in a 23-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers. For the Niners, it's the third straight postseason loss to the Pack.

• Oct. 18: Leads the 49ers back from deficits of 21-0 and 31-17 against the Colts, throwing for two touchdowns and running for two more in a wild 34-31 win. The performance earns him NFC offensive player of the week honors.

• Dec. 27: Closes out a regular season where he posted team records in yardage (4,170) and touchdown passes (36) while notching a passer rating of 101.1, his sixth 100-plus rating.

1999:

• Jan. 3: In a wild-card game at 3Com Park, Young completes 18 of 32 passes for 182 yards. His last pass, though, might have been his most memorable — a 25-yard touchdown strike to Terrell Owens with three seconds left, giving the 49ers an improbable 30-27 win over the Packers.

• Sept. 27: Is injured in the second quarter of the 49ers' Monday Night Football clash with the Cardinals at Sun Devil Stadium. He leaves the field with a concussion and is reduced to a sideline spectator for the remainder of the season.

2000:

• June 12: Announces his retirement after 15 seasons in the NFL.