Bryant Young

In this edition of gridiron legends, we review the Hall of Fame career of San Francisco 49ers Defensive lineman great Bryant Young.

Few have been so reverred by their peers of the gridiron not only for being a fearsome football player but also for their kind and gentle spirit. This is a special breed of person and Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee Bryant Young definitely fits that category. Bryant has a unique football story and we hope to enlighten the the world to his greatness as a person as well as the devestating defensive play on the gridiron.

He was born January 27, 1972 in the Chicago Heights, Illinois area and named Bryant Colby Young,  he grew up there and graduated from Bloom Township High School. His parents were excellent role models for Young as he watched them display kindness to others. This translated well to Bryant who is an admitted social introvert. He is a devout Christian and credits, God, his upbringing and strong core of people around him, including his family as reasons that he lives such a good life.

After high school Bryant attended the University of Notre Dame and played football for the Fighting Irish playing along the defensive line.  He was a pretty good D-tackle too as he ended up being a three-year starter for the Irish, lettering all 4 years from 1990 to 1993.  For his junior season, he was an Honorable Mention All-American selection and garnered 7.5 sacks.  He took this up a notch the following year as a senior, when Bryant Young was an All-American selection, registering 6.5 sacks and 67 tackles. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1994 with a major in marketing.

 He was highly coveted by pro football teams as he was selected as the seventh overall pick out in the 1994 NFL Draft. Bryant spent his entire NFL career with San Francisco from 1994-2007. Young won a Super Bowl with the 49ers as a rookie during the 1994 season. A lot of credit of that title run goes to the performance of this yongster too. The Super Bowl XXIX victory over the San Diego Chargers in 1994. Bryant Young had his finest Statistical season in 1996, recording 84 tackles,11.5 sacks,4 passes defensed and 2 safeties, while earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl. 

A low point and yet a time to grow as a man and as a Christian happened in a low point of his career. Young suffered devastating fractures to his tibia and fibula in 1998, ending his season after the 12th week of action just as he was leading all defensive tackles in the NFL in sacks that season. It was the Monday night matchup against the New York Giants in week 13 of the 1998 season when the leg injuries occurred. Undeterred, and through a rigorous rehab, he regained his previous form in 1999 and tallied 11 sacks en route to his second Pro Bowl selection. Young was honored for his season when he was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year for 1999.

Young would go onto to be a four-time Pro Bowl selection over the course of his NFL career. When it was all said and done for his professional career he had 208 appearances, registering totals of 605 combined tackles (504 solo), 89.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles and 29 pass breakups. That sack total has Bryant as second all-time for the San Francisco 49ers behind only the late, great defensive end Cedric Hardman who posted 108 during his Niners career.

A Very Special thanks to information obtained from the following brilliant internet sites mentioned above including the ProFootballHOF.com, AmericanFootballDatabase.com & Pro-Football-Reference.com