Bryant Young was surprised by the news that he was going to the Hall of Fame. There is a time and a place for this. Bryant Young wasn't a man of many words. Young didn't feel the need to tell the world about himself despite being one of the best three-technique defensive tackles in the league. It was his performance that made it clear. After 14 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Young earned a first-team All-Pro nod, three second-team All-Pro honors, four Pro Bowl selections, and landed a spot on the NFL's 1990s His quiet demeanor seemed to hurt him in his pursuit of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Young was passed over for nine years in a row, despite the fact that John and Warren were both in the hall of fame. It was fitting that Young's enshrinement breakthrough came this year, when a half-dozen well-respected offensive linemen decided it was time to push for Young in ways Young wouldn't push for himself. They worked on his behalf. Kirk Reynolds, who helped promote Young, said that it was obvious that his candidacy was stuck in neutral and that he was a quiet man. He was an absolute force on the field, the best in the game at his position who made the defense better. B.Y. wasn't going to be the guy tout his greatness to the voters, so I wanted everyone else to do the talking for him. Young wanted his production and the respect he'd earned around the league to get him into the Hall of Fame after retirement. Young's name started to fly under the radar after the Hall call. The longer Young had to wait, the less likely he was to get the job done. Some of Young's former opponents believed it was time to take action. Among them were Kevin Gogan andRobbie Tobeck. Reynolds knew it was time to act when he saw a social media interaction between Tobeck and a former Bears center. Reynolds found a group of Young's rivals who would speak on his behalf. Mark and Willie were involved. After he learned that Young wasn't already in, Adam Timmerman did the same. There are six linemen with 80 years of experience. The six former offensive linemen and eight Hall of Fame voters met with Reynolds in December. The rest of the electorate received a recording of the video and transcript of highlights. It didn't end there. Several people offered their support. Tobeck spent 30 minutes talking to a voter. Young didn't know anything about the campaign until an hour before the first meeting. You can meet the class of 2022.
• LeRoy Butler's leap to the HOF
• How Dick Vermeil overcame 'burnout'
• McNally defined an era
• Smith questions Boselli's credentials
Timmerman said that he wasn't someone who ran his mouth all the time. A couple of the other guys that are kind of in his category when I was playing would be like Warren Sapp and John Randle. Bryant was better in some areas but never spoke about it. He was not going to let you know how good he was. A man who worked hard every day and kept bringing it play after play. I hope he doesn't get in just because he's not a mouthy person. It would be a pity.
Many voters said that the testimonials of so many opponents helped push Young over the edge and into the Hall. Young wouldn't have had it any other way. He's going into the Hall in the same way he's been playing his entire career.
Young said that he learned a long time ago that his father carried a big stick. You don't need to discuss it. You don't have to say what you are going to do. You are who you are, and you do what you are told to do. My approach was the only one I used. I wanted the guy on the other side of the ball to know that I was respected. It was important to me.
A highly sought after outside linebacker at Bloomington High School, Young had his pick of top colleges. He decided to enroll at Notre Dame in the fall of 1990 after falling in love with the school, but was asked to move to defensive tackle.
Young kept his speed and became a difference-maker for the Irish as he gained more weight. He was an All-American during his senior year. The Niners used the 7th pick on Young in 1994 in order to surround him with other future Hall of Fame players.
The San Francisco 49ers won the Super Bowl in Young's first season as a starter. His best season was in 1996 when he had 84 tackles and 11.5 sacks. Young was proud to try to keep the tradition alive.
His career almost ended in a game against the New York Giants. Young dropped into coverage when Graham went to slide while Young was chasing him. Young pulled up to avoid contact with Graham.Norton ran into Young's leg.
His season was over. Is his career the same?
Young said that it challenged him in regards to his desire for the game. It was my goal to be the best. I wanted to be seen as a top guy. This obstacle tested my love for the game. I don't know if I wanted it that bad. It's said that adversity reveals a lot of who you are, what's inside of you in terms of the foundation that you're built on. It kind of made sense to me.
It wasn't easy for Young to recover. There were screws and a rod on his leg. Nerve damage was one of the consequences.
It took Young a week to sit up in bed, a few more to stand on crutches and three months to walk on his own. Young was unable to practice on consecutive days in 1999 because his right leg was too big.
If Young was struggling, his opponents didn't notice.
Young won the Comeback Player of the Year award in 1999 after coming back to start the season and playing in all 16 games with 41 tackles, 11 sacks and 19 tackles for losses.
Timmerman thinks he didn't miss a beat when he came back. "Maybe he felt like he was not, but I think everyone that played him knew that." He was very much in my mind.
Even though San Francisco struggled to get back to its previous glory, Young stayed with the Niners and played eight more seasons. It was a rare achievement in the world of football.
Young believes in seeing things through.
In the regular season, Young retired with 89.5 sacks, 622 tackles, 12 forced turnovers and 93 tackles for loss. It was a long wait to get to the Hall of Fame, but it has left him thankful.
Young said it was "humbling" to hear what those who supported him said. Those guys did a great job.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
