By Brigham Prince
Football great Steve Young will have his number retired Aug. 28 at halftime of the season opener against Georgia Tech.
'The entire halftime will be devoted to honoring Steve,' said BYU men''s athletic director Val Hale. 'I hope our fans will come out in force to honor one of BYU''s best ambassadors and to show their support and appreciation for all he has done over the years.'
Young''s name and jersey number will be displayed on a banner that will be placed on the press box. He will be the first football player at BYU to have this honor.
A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Young won numerous awards while playing for BYU including the Davey O''Brien Award given to the nation''s top quarterback and finishing second in the Heisman Trophy balloting after his senior year.
During his career at BYU, Young threw for more than 7,000 yards and passed for 56 touchdowns. As a senior he lead the nation in passing, total offense and touchdowns.
While Young''s jersey will be retired, his number will not, leaving the opportunity for current BYU quarterback Matt Berry and future players to wear the famous No. 8.
The criterion that Young had to meet to have his jersey retired includes things both on the field and off. On the field a player must be named a First Team All-American and be a recipient of a major national award.
Off the field prerequisites include significant accomplishments after graduation from BYU and being a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or other church affiliation.
Since retiring, Young has been active in many different charities, including founding the Forever Young Foundation. The foundation, although based in Utah, aims to give aid to unprivileged children nationwide.
After graduating from BYU, Steve played two seasons in the now defunct UFSL before playing 15 seasons in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the San Francisco 49ers.
As a backup for former NFL great Joe Montana, Steve was part of two Super Bowl championship teams.
When finally receiving his chance to be a starter, Steve made the most of the opportunity. One of his greatest accomplishments came in 1995 during Super Bowl XXIV. Steve led the 49ers to a 49-26 Super Bowl victory over the San Diego Chargers. He was selected as the games most valuable player completing 24 of 36 passes for 325 yards and throwing a Super Bowl record six touchdowns.
Young completed his career having thrown for more than 30,000 yards, 232 touchdowns and winning two league MVP awards.
Along with his charity efforts, Steve is now a football analyst for ESPN. He is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and is widely praised for his humanitarian efforts since stepping away from his football career.