Steve Young has made enough memories in the NFL to last a lifetime, but there's one I'll always cherish.
It came on Jan. 11, 1999 at 3Com Park, when he split two defenders on a 20-yard pass play, somehow finding Terrell Owens in a crowd of Green Bay Packers for the winning touchdown in the final five seconds of their wild-card playoff.
I was on the 10-yard line, five feet from the sidelines and sandwiched between Young and Owens to witness one of the more poignant moments in San Francisco's football history, known by many as "The Catch II." I was standing next to my friend Steve, who was working with me at The Daily Democrat in Woodland, Calif., at the time. We turned and looked at each other wide-eyed. Steve said to me, "You've just witnessed history."
Indeed, I had.
Reporter objectivity was out the window. I stood on the sidelines cheering, caught up in the moment with the rest of the fans. I high-fived the security guard in front of me, who was mixing elation with his duty to keep all us media types off the field.
What came next, though, was everything I like about Steve Young.
He ran off the field to a hero's roar, the loudest cheer I've ever heard in that stadium. Minutes later in the locker room, he seemed like the only calm person in a conference room that was abuzz with what he'd just accomplished.
There was Steve Young, humble and truly nonchalant as ever, seemingly unaware that he'd made an incredible play that would be relived for ages.
It was classic Steve Young, who loves the limelight because he likes people, not hero-worship. The Steve Young you see in commercials or on TV is the Steve Young you get in real life. He's a regular guy, a likable guy by anyone's standards.
Reporters were fired up - they had a great story. Steve Young was just happy to win, just happy to be playing football.
"Life's funny sometimes," I clearly remember him saying after the game. "It's just so weird how things turn out, and you realize how special it is just to be able to play."
Steve Young was solidified right then as a hero in San Francisco. And, for a moment at least, he made them forget about Joe Montana.
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Steve Young won't be playing football anymore, unfortunately.
The great No. 8 will announce his retirement Monday, ending 30 years of playing football from Pop Warner to one of the most successful franchises in NFL history.
It was as much about necessity as it was priorities. Repeated concussions put his health in danger, and a new wife and child on the way probably sealed the deal.
As much as I'd like to see him play another 10 years, he made the right call.
I grew up watching the 49ers my whole life. My first football memory was watching Joe Montana plunge into the end zone on a QB sneak in Super Bowl XVI.
Joe was the 49ers in the 1980s, and as a kid it was hard to imagine rooting for a San Francisco team without him. So when he was shipped off to Kansas City and Young was made the starter, I was as skeptical as anyone.
From the minute he was acquired from the Bucs, Steve Young was the heir apparent to a legend, and he had much to prove. Maybe that's why Young worked so hard during his career, and maybe that's why he was reluctant to hang up the spikes after a fabulous career.
Steve Young was as gritty as they come, one of the most mentally and physically tough athletes I've ever known. He had a competitive spirit unlike anyone else, and that made him a great quarterback.
Young's blue-collar work ethic - and the obstacles he's overcome - is something we can all appreciate. This is a guy who was once seventh on BYU's quarterback depth chart, and when he turned pro some coaches couldn't decide if he'd make a better quarterback or running back.
Young had the toughest job in sports - following the greatest QB in NFL history and winning over a city that didn't want to see Joe go. He spent nine seasons trying to prove his worth.
He felt like "the monkey was off his back" after leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl win in 1995, but even now I'm sure he feels like he's partly in Montana's shadow.
It's too bad, because if I were starting a football team today, I'd pick Steve over Joe any day. Montana put San Francisco 49ers football on the map, but Young made it a dynasty.
The memories are endless:
-- His 49-yard touchdown scamper against the Minnesota Vikings back in 1988 made many highlight reels last week. At the time, it was the longest TD run by a quarterback in NFL history.
-- There was his spat with George Seifert after being yanked in 1994 during a 40-8 loss to Philadelphia. He came back the next week with a vengeance and led a 15-game 49er rampage that ended with a Super Bowl victory.
-- He demonstrated his toughness against San Diego in 1995 after his helmet came off in the pocket. He rolled left, then found a hole and ran forward for an 8-yard gain as four defenders zeroed in on him. Did I mention that was in a preseason game?
-- Finally, his last full game as a 49er, when he led a miraculous comeback against New Orleans while battling the effects of a concussion he didn't even know he had.
There are other things. He goes out as the highest-rated NFL passer of all time. He was the heart and soul of his team, the vocal leader that Montana could never be. He hated to lose, but he always remembered in the end that it's just a football game, and that he was a lucky man.
Young is, in short, the consummate combination of professionalism, class and toughness. I never heard him utter a bad word about anyone, and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who genuinely dislikes Steve Young, whether it be his character or the passion with which he played.
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There's something about Steve Young we can all relate to, or something about him we can all aspire to be. That's why he's my favorite.
Even if the 49ers struggle the next 20 years, I'll always have that January afternoon to remember fondly. We'll all have good memories of Steve Young, ones that will last long after he retires.
Jeremy Littau is the Nevada Appeal sports editor. Write to him at jlittau@tahoe.com