Vince Young
Encyclopedia
Vincent Paul Young, Jr. (born May 18, 1983), nicknamed "VY", is an American football
quarterback
for the Philadelphia Eagles
of the National Football League
(NFL). He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans
. Young was the third overall draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at The University of Texas
. In his rookie season, Young was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned a roster spot on the AFC
Pro Bowl
team. In 2009, Young earned his second Pro Bowl Selection and was named Sporting News NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
As a junior in college, Young finished second behind Reggie Bush
in the voting for the Heisman Trophy
, an honor later vacated. He won the Davey O'Brien Award
which is given annually to the best collegiate quarterback in the nation. Following the Heisman voting, Young led his team to a BCS National Championship
against the defending BCS national champion, University of Southern California
, in the 2006 Rose Bowl
. The game was called one of the most-anticipated games in the history of college football. Texas retired Young's jersey on August 30, 2008.
, where he was primarily raised by his mother and his grandmother. His father, Vincent Young Sr., missed much of Vince's college career due to a 2003 burglary
conviction and prison sentence. Young credits his mother and grandmother for keeping him away from the street gangs. At the age of 7, Young was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle
at the corner of Tidewater and Buxley, streets in his Houston neighborhood. The accident nearly killed him, leaving him hospitalized for months after the bicycle's handle bar went into his stomach. Today, he credits this event for making him into a "tougher" individual. Vince Young wore the number 10 to show love and respect for his mother, Felicia Young, whose birthday is June 10. Young attended Dick Dowling Middle School in Hiram Clarke. Some of Young's friends were a part of the "Hiram Clarke Boys," a local street gang
; many of those friends died as a result of their activities. Young's mother confronted him after he had been involved in a fight between gangs, and told him that he needed to change his behavior.
in Houston where he started at quarterback (QB) for three years and compiled 12,987 yards of total offense during his career. During his senior season he led his Madison Marlins to a 61–58 victory in the 5A Regionals over the previously undefeated Galena Park North Shore
Mustangs, accounting for more than 400 yards of total offense while passing for three touchdowns and rushing for two more before a crowd of 45,000 in the Houston Astrodome. After beating Missouri City Hightower
56–22 in the state quarterfinals, Houston Madison faced Austin Westlake in the state semi-finals. Although Young completed 18-of-30 passes for 400 yards and five TDs and rushed for 92 yards (on 18 carries) and a TD, Houston Madison lost 42–48.
Among the honors Young received in high school were:
He was also a varsity athlete in numerous other sports. In basketball
he played as a guard/forward and averaged more than 25 points per game over his career. This allowed him to be a four-year letterman and two-time all-district performer. In track and field
he was a three-year letterman and member of two district champion 400-meter relay
squads. In baseball
he played for two seasons, spending time as both an outfielder and pitcher. He also made the all-state team in football and in track.
Young chose to sign
with Texas in 2002 for its winning tradition and football prominence there. He was part of a Texas recruiting class, which contained future NFL players Rodrique Wright
, Justin Blalock
, Brian Robison
, Kasey Studdard
, Lyle Sendlein
, David Thomas
, Selvin Young
, and Aaron Ross. This class has been cited as one of the strongest college recruiting classes ever. Young redshirt
ed his freshman
year.
As a redshirt freshman during the 2003 season
, Young was initially 2nd on the depth chart
behind Chance Mock
. However, Mock was benched halfway through the season (in the game against Oklahoma
) in favor of Young. After that game, Young and Mock alternated playing time, with Young's running ability complementing Mock's drop-back passing.
As a redshirt sophomore in the 2004 season
, Young started every game and led the Longhorns to an 11–1 season record (losing only to rival Oklahoma), a top 5 final ranking, and the school's first-ever appearance and victory in the Rose Bowl
, in which they defeated the University of Michigan
. He began to earn his reputation as a dual-threat quarterback by passing
for 1,849 and rushing
for 1,189 yards. The Texas coaches helped facilitate this performance by changing the team offensive scheme from the more traditional I-formation to a Shotgun formation
with three wide receivers. This change gave the offense more options in terms of play
selection, and consequently made it more difficult to defend against.
Before his junior season, Young appeared on the cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football
alongside Texas A&M
quarterback Reggie McNeal
.
In his All-America
2005 season
, Young led the Longhorns to an 11–0 regular season record. The Longhorns held a #2 ranking in the preseason, and held that ranking through the season except for one week when they were ranked #1 in the Bowl Championship Series
. Texas then won the Big 12
championship game and still held their #2 BCS ranking, which earned them a berth in the National Championship Rose Bowl game against the USC Trojans. Before the game, the USC Trojans were being discussed on ESPN
and other media outlets as possibly the greatest college football team of all time. Riding a 34-game winning streak, including the previous National Championship, USC featured two Heisman Trophy winners in the backfield – quarterback Matt Leinart
(2004 Heisman winner) and running back Reggie Bush
(2005 Heisman winner—since vacated).
In the 2006 Rose Bowl
, Vince Young put on one of the most dominating individual performances in college football history, accounting for 467 yards of total offense (200 rushing
, 267 passing
) and three rushing touchdown
s (including a 9 yard TD scramble on 4th down with 19 seconds left) to lead the Longhorns to a thrilling 41–38 victory. This performance led to him winning Rose Bowl MVP
honors for the second consecutive season—becoming only the fourth player, in the history of the Rose Bowl, to be twice named MVP (and the only player from the Big 12 Conference). After the game, former USC and NFL safety Ronnie Lott
said "Vince Young is the greatest quarterback to ever play college football." Trojans coach Pete Carroll said "that was the best [performance] I've seen by one guy." Young finished the season with 3,036 yards passing and 1,050 yards rushing earning him the Davey O'Brien Award
.
Early in his collegiate career, Vince Young had been criticized as "great rusher...average passer", and his unconventional throwing motion had been criticized as being "side-arm" as opposed to the conventional "over the top" throwing motion typically used by college quarterbacks. However, by the 2005 season most of the criticism had faded, and he developed into a consistent and precise passer. Young concluded the 2005 regular season as the #1 rated passer in the nation. Including the Big 12 Championship game and the Rose Bowl, he finished as the #3 rated passer in the nation, with a quarterback rating
of 163.9.
Young reached a win/loss record as a starter of 30–2, ranking him #1 of all UT quarterbacks by number of wins, although his successor, Colt McCoy
, would far surpass him with 45. His .938 winning percentage as a starting quarterback ranks sixth best in Division I history. Young’s career passing completion percentage is the best in UT history, 60.8%. During his career at Texas (2003–05), Young passed for 6,040 yards (No. 5 in UT history) and 44 TDs (No. 4 in UT history) while rushing for 3,127 yards (No. 1 on UT's all-time QB rushing list/No. 7 on UT's all-time list) and 37 TDs (No. 5 on UT's all-time rushing TDs list/Tied for No. 1 among QBs). He was also #10 on ESPN/IBM's list of the greatest college football players ever. In 2007, ESPN compiled a list of the top 100 plays in college football history; Vince Young's game-winning touchdown in the 2006 Rose Bowl
ranked number 5.
The University of Texas retired Young's jersey number 10 during the 2008 season-opening football game on August 30, 2008.
with Jay Leno
. When Leno asked Young whether he would stay for his senior year of college or declare for the 2006 NFL Draft, Young replied that he would discuss the matter with his pastor, his family, and coach Mack Brown. On January 8, 2006, Young announced he would enter the NFL draft, where he was expected to be drafted early in the first round. Even after his Rose Bowl performance, some observers said he may have difficulty in the NFL because of his unorthodox sidearm throwing motion and the different style of play in the NFL. After Drew Brees
signed as a free agent
with the New Orleans Saints
, Young was predicted by most experts to be the third overall pick in the draft belonging to the Tennessee Titans
(which used to play in Houston as the Oilers), where he would reunite with his close friend and mentor Steve McNair
, but McNair was soon traded to the Baltimore Ravens
. With the second overall pick, the Saints (now with Brees) were now likely to pass on drafting a high-rated quarterback, and Young was no longer thought to be a consensus top five pick. Some had speculated that he would not even be picked in the top ten.
A controversy regarding the Wonderlic, a standardized test given to all recruits, was thought also to have been problematic for Young. On February 25, 2006, during the NFL Combine
, it was erroneously reported that Vince scored a six, out of a possible fifty points, on his Wonderlic Test
. The test is designed to measure a player's ability to learn a complex NFL playbook. Some observers believed this score would lower Young's draft selection and faulted his agent, Major Adams, for not preparing Young ahead of time with practice tests.
However, on February 26, 2006, combine officials said the reported score of six was incorrect. According to NFL Spokesman Steve Alic, "I can tell you absolutely that the score that has been reported on the Internet is inaccurate. I spoke to the person who graded the test, and he assured me that that number was not correct." The next day, the test was properly readministered and Young scored a 16, the same as Dan Marino
. Wonderlic scores are released to NFL teams for draft purposes, but are not supposed to be released publicly. A few media outlets apologized for running the highly improbable first result. But most media did not correct the story and continued to wonder whether the first (now inaccurate) score would lower Young's draft selection. Many in the NFL have disputed whether the Wonderlic scores are meaningful at predicting a recruit's playing ability. Sean Jones, a member of the Oakland Raiders
' personnel department, said:
The NFL draft was held on April 29–30, 2006. The Tennessee Titans
drafted Vince Young with their first round pick (3rd choice overall), confirming the predictions of many draft experts. He was the first quarterback taken in the draft, with the Titans choosing him instead of Matt Leinart
. The Titans general manager, Floyd Reese, said Young's upside was the deciding factor in his being chosen. Reese said, "Last night at 11:35, I was on my knees praying ... he will rewrite the position. This guy physically is such a combination of arms and legs. People want to make him out to be a Michael Vick
. He's not that. He's different." He started his NFL career on August 12, 2006, in a preseason matchup against a Reggie Bush led New Orleans Saints.
58 million overall including $25.7 million in guaranteed money. As a quarterback, Young was able to reach a deal similar to that signed by the draft's #1 overall pick, Texans
defensive end Mario Williams
.
On August 12, 2006, Vince Young made his preseason debut against the New Orleans Saints
which featured Reggie Bush
in his NFL debut, the two Heisman candidates picking up where they left off in the BCS national championship game seven months before. Young did not start, but entered the game in the second half. On September 17, Young threw for his first career touchdown against the San Diego Chargers
. Young made his first career start versus the Dallas Cowboys
on October 1, 2006, completing 14 of 29 passes for 155 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He achieved his first NFL victory (against the Washington Redskins, 25–22) on October 15, 2006.
On Sunday November 26, 2006, Vince Young led his first NFL fourth-quarter comeback, against the New York Giants
. With the Giants leading 21–0, the tide suddenly changed after New York quarterback Eli Manning
threw an interception to Pacman Jones. Young subsequently led a scoring drive, throwing a touchdown pass to ex-Longhorn teammate Bo Scaife
. After the Titans forced a three-and-out, Young ran an option play for a touchdown on the next drive. Another successful stop led to Young throwing his second touchdown of the quarter. After another Eli Manning interception to Pacman Jones, this time with only 30 seconds left in the game, Young calmly led his team down the field for Rob Bironas
' game-winning field goal; the final score was 24–21 over the Giants. It is statistically the best performance of Vince Young's NFL career: he went 24/35 for 249 yards and two touchdowns, with a 107.9 passer rating. He also rushed 10 times for 69 yards and a touchdown.
A week later, Young led another come-from-behind victory over the Indianapolis Colts
who, prior to the game, held a 10–1 record. Rob Bironas
iced the game with a 60-yard field goal. The 14-point comeback marked the first time in NFL history that a rookie quarterback led two 14+ point comebacks in the same season.
On Sunday December 24, 2006, Vince Young led yet another come-from-behind victory over the Buffalo Bills
who, along with the Titans, had a 7–7 record and were competing for an AFC wild card playoff spot. This time the comeback was from 9 points down after Rian Lindell
kicked a 24-yard field goal at the end of the 3rd quarter to make the score 29–20 in favor of the Bills. Young then led the Titans on a 9-play, 62-yard drive that spanned 4:16 and ended with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Jones to make the score 27–29. After a three and out by the Buffalo Bills
, Young again led his team on a 7:15, 14-play scoring drive that culminated in a 30-yard field goal by Rob Bironas
, putting the Titans on top 30–29. Bironas' kick would prove to be the winning points. Young ended the day going 13-of-20 for 183 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, with a rating of 127.7. He also rushed 8 times for 61 yards and 1 touchdown.
Young holds the NFL record for rushing yards by a rookie quarterback with 552, breaking the old record of 408 yards set by Bobby Douglass
in 1969. He won the Associated Press
NFL Offensive Rookie of The Year
honors at the conclusion of the 2006 NFL campaign, becoming only the third quarterback to win the award, along with Dennis Shaw
and Ben Roethlisberger
.
On February 3, Vince Young was named to the 2007 Pro Bowl
to replace Philip Rivers
whose foot injury kept him out of what would have been his first Pro Bowl appearance. Young threw one interception in limited play time in the Pro Bowl.
Of the rookie QB class of 2006, Vince Young has the best record as a starter, surpassing the only other three starting rookie QB's: Matt Leinart
, Jay Cutler
, and Bruce Gradkowski
. During the 2006 season, Vince Young led the Tennessee Titans to eight wins including six straight wins. He had a record of 8–5 as a starter. Of the wins, four of them were fourth quarter comebacks, including three straight fourth quarter comebacks. His passer rating was 66.7, which ranked 30th of 31 qualified quarterbacks in the NFL that season. Only Tampa Bay
quarterback Bruce Gradkowski had a lower rating of 65.9.
Vince Young has also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated
six times: once in the 2005 College Football season preview issue, on a December issue prior to the Big 12 Championship game versus Colorado, on the weekly edition after the 2006 Rose Bowl
and also the Commemorative edition following the 2006 Rose Bowl, once for the 2006 NFL Draft
preview issue, and most recently after the Titans won 4 straight games in the 2006 NFL season. Young's performance in his rookie season earned him the honor of being the cover athlete for the video game Madden NFL 08
.
In 2006, Merril Hoge
gained notoriety for acting as a vocal critic of Vince Young. Hoge's criticism began before the 2006 NFL draft, in which Young was drafted third overall by the Tennessee Titans, and continued throughout the season even as Young took command of a losing team, bringing the Titans within a game of an unlikely playoff berth. For his efforts, Vince Young was named the 2006 Rookie of the Year, far and away the favorite of the voters. Despite these achievements, Hoge continues to maintain that Young does not have the talent or skills to play in the NFL.
In an article published by NFL.com Young was quoted as saying he thought about retiring from professional football after his first season stating "I really thought long and hard about it. There was so much going on with my family. It was crazy being an NFL quarterback. It wasn't fun anymore. All of the fun was out of it. All of the excitement was gone. All I was doing was worrying about things." However, Young would later recant this stating he never considered quitting football and his remarks were blown out of proportion.
For the first exhibition game
against the Washington Redskins
on August 11, 2007, Titans Coach Jeff Fisher
benched Young after he broke one of the team rules. Though Fisher declined to mention the rule Young broke, Young later hesitantly admitted that he left the team hotel the previous night in order to sleep at his home without informing Fisher. Young apologized for his behavior and was allowed to play for the next game.
During the Titans first game, a 13–10 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars
, Young threw for 78 yards with 1 interception and ran for 22 yards, including a TD. In Week 2, the Titans lost 22–20 to the Indianapolis Colts
at home. Vince threw for 164 yards and a TD and ran for 53 yards on 5 carries. During Week 3, the Titans played the New Orleans Saints
in the first of their 2 appearances on Monday Night Football
in the 2007 season. The Titans beat the Saints 31–14 behind Young’s 185 total yards (21 rushing, 164 passing) and 2 TDs with 1 interception. On Sunday October 7, Vince Young and the Titans took to the field in Nashville as they took on the Atlanta Falcons. Despite a lackluster day, the Titans and Young would come away with the victory 20–13. Young was 20–33 with 153 yards and 3 INT's.
Young injured his quadriceps during the first half of a matchup against Tampa Bay Buccaneers
in Week 6. Young went to the dressing room clutching his leg, but returned after half-time and was shown warming up on the sidelines. However, he would not return to the game as a precautionary measure. The Titans would go on to lose the game 13–10.
Despite an upcoming divisional matchup against the Houston Texans
Young missed the following week's matchup after being listed as a gametime decision. This would be Young's first start missed due to injury. He returned the next week against the Oakland Raiders to complete 6 of 14 attempts for 42 yards in a 13–9 win. The following week against Carolina, Young would complete 14 of 23 attempts for 110 yards and 2 interceptions and add 25 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in a 20–7 win.
In Week 10 Young completed 24 of 41 passes for 257 yards 1 TD and 2 INT's in 28–13 loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Young's 257 yards passing in the game would become a new career high passing his previous best of 249 yards in a 24–21 comeback win over the New York Giants in Week 12 of the 2005–2006 season. His 41 attempts would also be a new career high.
The following week Young eclipsed his previous mark for passing yards in a game by throwing for 305 yards with 1 TD and 2 INT's as well as rushing for 74 yards and 1 TD in a 34–20 loss against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. His 379 combined yards would set a new career mark passing his previous best of 318 total yards in a 24–21 comeback win over the New York Giants in Week 12 of the 2005–2006 season. He would also equal his career high in attempts with 41.
In Week 13 Young had his best overall passing game of the season against the Houston Texans. Young ended the day by going 21 of 31 for 248 yards with 2 TD and 1 INT for a 99.9 QB Rating in a 28–20 win. Young also added 5 carries for 44 yards which brought his streak of 250+ combined yardage games to 4 straight.
In Week 15 Young posted his best QB Rating of the season by going 16 of 26 for 191 yards with 2 TD and 0 INT for a QB Rating of 109.6. He would also add 7 carries for 32 yards as the Titans overcame a 14–10 halftime lead by the Kansas City Chiefs to win the game 26–17 and keep their playoff hopes alive moving to 8–6 for the season.
In Week 16, Young completed 12 of 22 passes for 166 yards and 1 interception and added 1 rushing yard in a 10–6 win against the New York Jets. The win against the Jets combined with a loss by the Cleveland Browns
earlier in the day put the Titans in position for the last play off spot in the AFC.
In Week 17 Vince Young and the Titans' playoff wishes came to life as they defeated the Indianapolis Colts 16–10 to clinch the 6th seed in the AFC Playoffs. Young would leave the game in the 3rd quarter after suffering what seemed to be a re-injury of his right quad which kept him out for a game earlier in the season. Backup quarterback Kerry Collins
would enter in the game and lead the Titans to 2 field goals to break a 10–10 tie and seal the victory. Before the injury, Young posted some of his best numbers of the year by completing 14 of 18 passes for 157 yards with 0 TD, 0 INT, and posting a 103.0 QB Rating.
At the end of the regular season, Young finished with 2,459 passing yards with 9 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Additionally, Young would finish with 395 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.
In Young's first playoff game, Young completed 16 of 29 passes for 138 yards, 1 interception and 12 rushing yards for a 53.5 passer rating.
Young injured his knee and was expected to miss 2 to 3 weeks. On September 15, Jeff Fisher made the decision to go with Kerry Collins
and for Collins to remain the starter for the rest of the season. The Titans went on to finish 13–3 in the regular season with Young assuming back-up duties.
On October 29, 2009, following a disappointing 0–6 start to the season, Coach Fisher announced that Young would replace Collins as starter. Titans owner Bud Adams had reportedly urged Fisher to give Young more playing time following the team's 59–0 loss to the New England Patriots
on October 18, and became even more insistent during the team's bye week that followed. Fisher nonetheless withheld announcing the change "for competitive reasons" until the Thursday afternoon before the Titan's next game, on Sunday, November 1, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Upon announcing the change, Fisher further stated: "I'm still in Kerry Collins' corner because I don't believe that our record is a reflection of the quarterback play," Fisher said. "It's a reflection of the team play. I'm still in his corner, but we've decided to go ahead and make this change."
Young won eight of his ten starts in the 2009 campaign. The 2009 Titans are the first team in NFL history to win five straight after losing their first six games. On November 29, 2009, Young led the Titans on a 2:37 long, 99-yard drive near the end of their game against the Arizona Cardinals
. Young sealed the deal, with a 10-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Kenny Britt
on 4th down as time expired. The Titans won 20–17. Young finished with a 99.7 QB rating, went 27 for 43, with a career-high 387 yards, 1 TD, and had 4 carries for 8 yards. Incidentally, due to an injury to Cardinals' starting QB Kurt Warner
, this would mark a rematch of the 2006 Rose Bowl
between Young and Cardinals' back-up QB Matt Leinart
.
Young finished 3rd in the bidding for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award behind Tampa Bay Buccaneers
running back Carnell Williams
and the winner, New England Patriots
quarterback Tom Brady
. Shortly thereafter, Young was announced as the Sporting News comeback player of the year.
Young played in the 2010 Pro Bowl
, taking the roster spot of the injured Phillip Rivers after Ben Roethlisberger
and Carson Palmer
declined to replace the San Diego Chargers
Quarterback
due to their own respective injuries. It was the 2nd Pro Bowl appearance of his career, his first being after his 2006 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award winning season.
During a Week 11 loss to the Washington Redskins
, Young suffered a torn flexor tendon in his right thumb, but was held out of the game after he was prepared to reenter. Following the game, Young threw his shoulder pads into the crowd as he left the field, had an altercation with Coach Fisher in the locker room, and stormed out. Fisher then declared that Rusty Smith
would become the Titans' starting quarterback.
On January 5, 2011, Titans owner Bud Adams
issued a press release stating that Young would no longer be on the team's roster for the 2011/12 season. Whether Young would be traded or released has yet to be disclosed. Vince Young would finish his Titans career with a 30-17 record (63.8%) over five years. During that span, the Titans compiled a record of 15-18 (45.5%) without Young. As a Titan, Young finished with a 75.4 QB rating and with 42 touchdowns to 42 interceptions.
On July 28, 2011, Young was released by the Titans.
to a one-year contract on July 29, 2011 winning his first start on November 20, 2011. Young finished the game with 258 yards passing for two touchdowns and three interceptions resulting in a 69.0 QB Rating.
, a Vizio television commercial, and Campbell's Chunky Soup with his mother. He also appears in rapper Mike Jones's video, "My 64". Young was also interviewed by 60 Minutes for an episode that was aired on September 30, 2007. The Texas Senate passed a resolution on February 20, 2007, to declare the day "Vince Young Day" throughout state.
Young re-enrolled at the University of Texas for the 2008 spring semester to finish his degree.
Young continues to live in Hiram Clarke
. Young's grandmother, Betty, lives in the Sunnyside area of Houston.
the previous day and the sprained medial collateral ligament
in his left knee
suffered four plays after head coach Jeff Fisher
prodded him back into the game. Young postponed a doctor's examination until the following day. After speaking to members of Young's family, Fisher called Nashville
police. After a four-hour search, they found Young, who agreed to meet with Fisher and police at the team's training facility.
Vince Young's agent
, Major Adams, told ESPN
reporter George Smith that he did not know why the story had taken on a life of its own, and stated that the incident was "blown out of proportion" and called any perceived depression or emotional problems suffered by his client "unfounded." His mother, Felicia Young, however, stated that her son was "hurting inside and out."
player Enos Cabell
and two others for applying for a trademark to use his initials and "Invinceable" nickname to sell products without his permission in 2006. The suit claims that their use of Young's name has damaged endorsement deals for Young; he is asking the court to give him the exclusive rights to use the initials and nickname.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL). He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
. Young was the third overall draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offered by ESPNU and, for the first time, by...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at The University of Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
. In his rookie season, Young was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned a roster spot on the AFC
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
team. In 2009, Young earned his second Pro Bowl Selection and was named Sporting News NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
As a junior in college, Young finished second behind Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush
Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
in the voting for the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
, an honor later vacated. He won the Davey O'Brien Award
Davey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
which is given annually to the best collegiate quarterback in the nation. Following the Heisman voting, Young led his team to a BCS National Championship
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
against the defending BCS national champion, University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, in the 2006 Rose Bowl
2006 Rose Bowl
The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
. The game was called one of the most-anticipated games in the history of college football. Texas retired Young's jersey on August 30, 2008.
Early years
Young grew up in the Hiram Clarke neighborhood in Houston, TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, where he was primarily raised by his mother and his grandmother. His father, Vincent Young Sr., missed much of Vince's college career due to a 2003 burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
conviction and prison sentence. Young credits his mother and grandmother for keeping him away from the street gangs. At the age of 7, Young was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
at the corner of Tidewater and Buxley, streets in his Houston neighborhood. The accident nearly killed him, leaving him hospitalized for months after the bicycle's handle bar went into his stomach. Today, he credits this event for making him into a "tougher" individual. Vince Young wore the number 10 to show love and respect for his mother, Felicia Young, whose birthday is June 10. Young attended Dick Dowling Middle School in Hiram Clarke. Some of Young's friends were a part of the "Hiram Clarke Boys," a local street gang
Gangs in the United States
Street gangs in the United States date to the early 19th century. The most publicized street gangs in the U.S. are African-American; black gangs were not recognized as a social problem until after the great migration of the 1910s...
; many of those friends died as a result of their activities. Young's mother confronted him after he had been involved in a fight between gangs, and told him that he needed to change his behavior.
High school career
Young was coached by Ray Seals at Madison High SchoolMadison High School (Houston, Texas)
James Madison High School is a public secondary school located at 13719 White Heather Drive in the Hiram Clarke area of Houston, Texas, United States. The school serves grades 9 through 12 and is part of the Houston Independent School District...
in Houston where he started at quarterback (QB) for three years and compiled 12,987 yards of total offense during his career. During his senior season he led his Madison Marlins to a 61–58 victory in the 5A Regionals over the previously undefeated Galena Park North Shore
North Shore Senior High School (Texas)
North Shore Senior High School is a 10th 11th and 12th grade campus with the addition of 10th grade , which originally opened in 1965, but relocated to a new campus in the spring of 1999. The original North Shore Senior High campus still remains operational as the North Shore 9th grade center...
Mustangs, accounting for more than 400 yards of total offense while passing for three touchdowns and rushing for two more before a crowd of 45,000 in the Houston Astrodome. After beating Missouri City Hightower
Hightower High School
L.V. Hightower High School is a secondary school located at 3333 Hurricane Lane, Missouri City, Texas, United States.Hightower is administered by Fort Bend Independent School District and its mascot is Poseidon, but they are known as the Hightower Hurricanes.Hightower serves parts of Missouri City...
56–22 in the state quarterfinals, Houston Madison faced Austin Westlake in the state semi-finals. Although Young completed 18-of-30 passes for 400 yards and five TDs and rushed for 92 yards (on 18 carries) and a TD, Houston Madison lost 42–48.
Among the honors Young received in high school were:
- being named ParadeParade (magazine)Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
' s and Student Sports' National Player of the Year after compiling 3,819 yards and 59 touchdowns (TD) as a senior, - being named 2001 Texas 5A Offensive Player of the Year,
- designation as The Sporting NewsThe Sporting NewsSporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
' s top high school prospect, - and the Pete Dawkins TrophyPete Dawkins TrophyThe Pete Dawkins Trophy is awarded to most valuable player of the annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl. The trophy is named for Pete Dawkins, a former Army halfback who won the 1958 Heisman Trophy.-Past winners:...
in the U.S. Army All-American BowlU.S. Army All-American BowlThe U.S. Army All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game held in early January in San Antonio, Texas. Currently played in the Alamodome, the game brings 90 of the nation's top high school football players in an East versus West matchup. In addition to the Bowl game, there is the U.S...
.
He was also a varsity athlete in numerous other sports. In basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
he played as a guard/forward and averaged more than 25 points per game over his career. This allowed him to be a four-year letterman and two-time all-district performer. In track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
he was a three-year letterman and member of two district champion 400-meter relay
Relay race
During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...
squads. In baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
he played for two seasons, spending time as both an outfielder and pitcher. He also made the all-state team in football and in track.
College career
National Signing Day
National Signing Day most commonly refers to a day in February, usually on the first Wednesday of that month, which is the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college football with a school that is a member of the NCAA, the main governing body for...
with Texas in 2002 for its winning tradition and football prominence there. He was part of a Texas recruiting class, which contained future NFL players Rodrique Wright
Rodrique Wright
Rodrique Charles Wright is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
, Justin Blalock
Justin Blalock
Justin Christopher Blalock is an American football NFL player for the Atlanta Falcons. He played college ball as the right tackle for the Texas Longhorns under coach Mack Brown. He stands at 6'3.25" and weighs 320 lbs.-High school career:Blalock attended Plano East Senior High School, playing...
, Brian Robison
Brian Robison
Brian Gale Robison is an American football defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns...
, Kasey Studdard
Kasey Studdard
Kasey Studdard is an American football offensive guard for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. The son of former Denver Broncos tackle Dave Studdard, he was drafted by the Texans in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
, Lyle Sendlein
Lyle Sendlein
Lyle Sendlein is an American football center for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2007...
, David Thomas
David Thomas (American football)
John David Thomas is an American football tight end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
, Selvin Young
Selvin Young
Selvin Young is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2007...
, and Aaron Ross. This class has been cited as one of the strongest college recruiting classes ever. Young redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
ed his freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
year.
As a redshirt freshman during the 2003 season
2003 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with an abundance of controversy, resulting in a split national championship. This was the first split title since the inception of the BCS, something the BCS intended to eliminate....
, Young was initially 2nd on the depth chart
Depth chart
In sports, a depth chart is used to show the placements of the starting players and the secondary players. Generally a starting player will be listed first or on top while a back-up will be listed below...
behind Chance Mock
Chance Mock
Chance Mock is a former American football quarterback who played college football for the University of Texas and played professionally for the Austin Wranglers in the Arena Football League...
. However, Mock was benched halfway through the season (in the game against Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
) in favor of Young. After that game, Young and Mock alternated playing time, with Young's running ability complementing Mock's drop-back passing.
As a redshirt sophomore in the 2004 season
2004 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with several undefeated teams vying for a spot in the national title game, triggering controversy. In the 2003 season, no team finished the regular season unbeaten, and five teams finished the season with one loss...
, Young started every game and led the Longhorns to an 11–1 season record (losing only to rival Oklahoma), a top 5 final ranking, and the school's first-ever appearance and victory in the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
, in which they defeated the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He began to earn his reputation as a dual-threat quarterback by passing
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
for 1,849 and rushing
Rush (American football)
Rushing has two different meanings in gridiron football .-Offense:The first is an action taken by the offensive team that means to advance the ball by running, as opposed to passing. A run is technically any play that does not involve a forward pass...
for 1,189 yards. The Texas coaches helped facilitate this performance by changing the team offensive scheme from the more traditional I-formation to a Shotgun formation
Shotgun formation
The shotgun formation is a formation used by the offensive team in American and Canadian football. This formation is used mainly for passing plays, although some teams use it as their base formation. In the shotgun, instead of the quarterback receiving the snap from center at the line of scrimmage,...
with three wide receivers. This change gave the offense more options in terms of play
Play from scrimmage
A play from scrimmage is the activity of the games of Canadian football and American football during which one team tries to advance the ball or to score, and the other team tries to stop them or take the ball away. Once a play is over, and before the next play starts, the football is considered...
selection, and consequently made it more difficult to defend against.
Before his junior season, Young appeared on the cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football
Dave Campbell's Texas Football
Dave Campbell's Texas Football is an annual publication, previewing football teams in the state of Texas.It is unique in that it is the only publication to preview every team in Texas , from the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, through every level of college football, to the roughly 1,400...
alongside Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
quarterback Reggie McNeal
Reggie McNeal
Reginald Parrish McNeal is a quarterback and wide receiver in the Canadian Football League with the Edmonton Eskimos. He played college football at Texas A&M University.-High school career:...
.
In his All-America
2005 College Football All-America Team
The 2005 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Weekly, ESPN, CBS Sports, College...
2005 season
2005 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the least amount of controversy surrounding the Bowl Championship Series title game in many years.To an extent it was a return to classic football...
, Young led the Longhorns to an 11–0 regular season record. The Longhorns held a #2 ranking in the preseason, and held that ranking through the season except for one week when they were ranked #1 in the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
. Texas then won the Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
championship game and still held their #2 BCS ranking, which earned them a berth in the National Championship Rose Bowl game against the USC Trojans. Before the game, the USC Trojans were being discussed on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and other media outlets as possibly the greatest college football team of all time. Riding a 34-game winning streak, including the previous National Championship, USC featured two Heisman Trophy winners in the backfield – quarterback Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
(2004 Heisman winner) and running back Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush
Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
(2005 Heisman winner—since vacated).
In the 2006 Rose Bowl
2006 Rose Bowl
The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
, Vince Young put on one of the most dominating individual performances in college football history, accounting for 467 yards of total offense (200 rushing
Rush (American football)
Rushing has two different meanings in gridiron football .-Offense:The first is an action taken by the offensive team that means to advance the ball by running, as opposed to passing. A run is technically any play that does not involve a forward pass...
, 267 passing
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
) and three rushing touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s (including a 9 yard TD scramble on 4th down with 19 seconds left) to lead the Longhorns to a thrilling 41–38 victory. This performance led to him winning Rose Bowl MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
honors for the second consecutive season—becoming only the fourth player, in the history of the Rose Bowl, to be twice named MVP (and the only player from the Big 12 Conference). After the game, former USC and NFL safety Ronnie Lott
Ronnie Lott
Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...
said "Vince Young is the greatest quarterback to ever play college football." Trojans coach Pete Carroll said "that was the best [performance] I've seen by one guy." Young finished the season with 3,036 yards passing and 1,050 yards rushing earning him the Davey O'Brien Award
Davey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
.
Early in his collegiate career, Vince Young had been criticized as "great rusher...average passer", and his unconventional throwing motion had been criticized as being "side-arm" as opposed to the conventional "over the top" throwing motion typically used by college quarterbacks. However, by the 2005 season most of the criticism had faded, and he developed into a consistent and precise passer. Young concluded the 2005 regular season as the #1 rated passer in the nation. Including the Big 12 Championship game and the Rose Bowl, he finished as the #3 rated passer in the nation, with a quarterback rating
Passer rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...
of 163.9.
Young reached a win/loss record as a starter of 30–2, ranking him #1 of all UT quarterbacks by number of wins, although his successor, Colt McCoy
Colt McCoy
Daniel "Colt" McCoy is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
, would far surpass him with 45. His .938 winning percentage as a starting quarterback ranks sixth best in Division I history. Young’s career passing completion percentage is the best in UT history, 60.8%. During his career at Texas (2003–05), Young passed for 6,040 yards (No. 5 in UT history) and 44 TDs (No. 4 in UT history) while rushing for 3,127 yards (No. 1 on UT's all-time QB rushing list/No. 7 on UT's all-time list) and 37 TDs (No. 5 on UT's all-time rushing TDs list/Tied for No. 1 among QBs). He was also #10 on ESPN/IBM's list of the greatest college football players ever. In 2007, ESPN compiled a list of the top 100 plays in college football history; Vince Young's game-winning touchdown in the 2006 Rose Bowl
2006 Rose Bowl
The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
ranked number 5.
The University of Texas retired Young's jersey number 10 during the 2008 season-opening football game on August 30, 2008.
College career statistics
| Year | | Passing | | Rushing | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comp | Att | Yards | TDs | Int | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2003 | 84 | 143 | 1,155 | 6 | 7 | 135 | 998 | 7.4 | 11 | |
| 2004 | 148 | 250 | 1,849 | 12 | 11 | 167 | 1,079 | 6.5 | 14 | |
| 2005 | 212 | 325 | 3,036 | 26 | 10 | 155 | 1,050 | 6.8 | 12 | |
| Totals | 444 | 718 | 6,040 | 44 | 28 | 457 | 3,127 | 6.8 | 37 | |
List of accomplishments and records
- Vince Young was the first player in NCAA I-A history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. The only other player was Dan LeFevourDan LeFevourDan LeFevour is an American football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Central Michigan University...
of Central Michigan UniversityCentral Michigan UniversityCentral Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
. *He had a win/loss record as a starter of 30–2, ranking him #1 of all UT quarterbacks by number of wins. His .938 winning percentage as a starting quarterback ranks sixth best in NCAA Division I football history. - Vince's career passing completion percentage is the second best in UT history at 61.8%, behind his successor, Colt McCoyColt McCoyDaniel "Colt" McCoy is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
. - He passed for 44 touchdowns (No. 4 in UT history) while rushing for 3,127 yards (No. 1 on UT's all-time quarterback rushing list/No. 5 on UT's all-time list) and 37 touchdowns (No. 4 on UT's all-time rushing touchdowns list/T-No. 1 among quarterbacks).
- Young's 9,167 yards of total offense is the second best total in school history, also behind McCoy.
- Young rushed and threw for over 100 yards in the same game five times in his career, a UT school record.
- Young is the only UT player to accumulate 400 or more yards of total offense in a single game more than one time. Chris SimmsChris SimmsChristopher David Simms is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas.Simms has also played for the Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
, Major ApplewhiteMajor ApplewhiteMajor Lee Applewhite is the Co-Offensive Coordinator and Running Backs Coach for the University of Texas. Prior to Texas, Applewhite served as offensive coordinator at Rice University under Todd Graham in 2006, and at the University of Alabama under Nick Saban in 2007...
and Colt McCoy accomplished it once each, while Young accomplished the feat four times. - Vince set a UT record for total offensive yards in a game, with 506 yards against Oklahoma State on October 29, 2005.
- He is the only quarterback in UT history to rush for 100 yards in three or more games during a season and he did so in each of his 3 seasons at UT.
- Young set the UT single-game pass completion percentage record against Oklahoma State in 2004 by completing 18 of 21 passes (85.7%). He broke his own record by completing 25 of 29 passes (86.2%) against Colorado in 2005. His record was later broken my McCoy.
- Young set the UT single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 192 versus MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in the Rose BowlRose Bowl GameThe Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
. He broke his own record in 2005 by rushing for 267 yards against Oklahoma State. - Young owns five of the top seven single-game quarterback rushing performances in UT history: 267 yards vs Oklahoma State as a Junior; 200 yards vs USC as a Junior; 192 yards vs. Michigan as a Sophomore; 163 yards vs. Nebraska as a Freshman; 158 yards at Texas TechTexas Tech UniversityTexas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
as a Sophomore. - Young has six of the top 8 longest runs by a quarterback in UT history.
- Young became the first player in UT history to pass and rush for 1,000 or more yards in the same season.
- Young became the first quarterback in UT history to have three 100-yard rushing games (vs. OklahomaOklahoma SoonersThe University of Oklahoma features 19 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to the early participants in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A,...
, at BaylorBaylor UniversityBaylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
, vs. Nebraska) in the same season and is tied with Ricky WilliamsRicky WilliamsErrick Lynne "Ricky" Williams, Jr. is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft...
(1995) for the third-most 100-yard games by a freshman in school history. - Young's 17 wins and 43 touchdowns accounted for in 2003–2004 were the most ever by a UT quarterback in their first two years. However, Colt McCoy surpassed both of these, accounting for 57 touchdowns and 20 wins in 2006–2007.
- Young is a two-time winner of the Rose BowlRose Bowl GameThe Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
MVP award, joining Ron DayneRon DayneRon Dayne is a former American football running back who is currently a free agent. He holds the NCAA record for career rushing yards, and he won the 1999 Heisman Trophy.-Early life:...
, Bob SchloredtBob SchloredtRobert Schloredt was a college football quarterback for the Washington Huskies. He was awarded the 1959 W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast. He is the first, of only four players , to be twice named the Most Valuable Player of the Rose Bowl...
, and Charles WhiteCharles White (American football)Charles White is a former professional American football running back. He had a distinguished college career and later played in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Rams.-College football:...
as the only two-time winners. He is the only two-time winner of the Rose Bowl MVP award who did not play for a school in either the Pac-10 Conference or the Big Ten ConferenceBig Ten ConferenceThe Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
, which are the two conferences that traditionally send teams to the Rose Bowl game. - In the Rose Bowl on January 4, 2006, the BCS National Championship, he completed 30 of 40 passes for 267 yards and carried the ball 19 times for 200 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. Those 200 rushing yards set a Bowl gameBowl gameIn North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
rushing record by a QB. He was named Rose Bowl MVP for the second time in his career. UT beat USC by the score of 41 to 38 and Vince Young ran in the winning touchdown. In this game, UT ended USC's 34-game win streak. Young's 467 total yards set a new Rose Bowl record.
College awards and honors
- 2006 – ESPY Award for Best Championship Performance. Vince Young and Matt LeinartMatt LeinartMatthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
jointly accepted the ESPY for the Best Game for their respective teams. - 2006 – Big 12Big 12 ConferenceThe Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
Male Athlete of the Year (for 2005–2006 scholastic year) - 2006 – Manning AwardManning AwardThe Manning Award has been presented annually since 2004 to the collegiate American football quarterback adjudged by the Sugar Bowl Committee to be the best in the United States...
winner - 2006 – Rose Bowl MVP (at end of 2005 season)
- 2005 – Heisman TrophyHeisman TrophyThe Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
finalist and runner-up - 2005 – The Cingular All-America Player of the Year Award
- 2005 – All-AmericaAll-AmericaAn All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n Offensive Player - 2005 – The Maxwell AwardMaxwell AwardThe Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
– College Player of the Year - 2005 – Davey O'Brien National Quarterback AwardDavey O'Brien AwardThe Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
- 2005 – 1st Team All-Big 12 Conference honors (unanimous decision)
- 2005 – Rose Bowl Most Valuable Player (at end of 2004 season)
- 2004 – Honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference honors
- 2003 – Big 12 Conference Offensive Freshman of the Year
- Texas LonghornsTexas Longhorns footballThe Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
#10 retired
2006 NFL Draft
Throughout the 2005 season Young had indicated that he planned to return to the University of Texas for his senior year in 2006. The day after Texas won the BCS National Championship, Young accepted an invitation to appear on The Tonight ShowThe Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
with Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
. When Leno asked Young whether he would stay for his senior year of college or declare for the 2006 NFL Draft, Young replied that he would discuss the matter with his pastor, his family, and coach Mack Brown. On January 8, 2006, Young announced he would enter the NFL draft, where he was expected to be drafted early in the first round. Even after his Rose Bowl performance, some observers said he may have difficulty in the NFL because of his unorthodox sidearm throwing motion and the different style of play in the NFL. After Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
signed as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
with the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
, Young was predicted by most experts to be the third overall pick in the draft belonging to the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
(which used to play in Houston as the Oilers), where he would reunite with his close friend and mentor Steve McNair
Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair was an American football quarterback who spent the majority of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans....
, but McNair was soon traded to the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
. With the second overall pick, the Saints (now with Brees) were now likely to pass on drafting a high-rated quarterback, and Young was no longer thought to be a consensus top five pick. Some had speculated that he would not even be picked in the top ten.
A controversy regarding the Wonderlic, a standardized test given to all recruits, was thought also to have been problematic for Young. On February 25, 2006, during the NFL Combine
NFL Combine
The National Invitational Camp or NFL Scouting Combine, as it is more widely known, is a week-long showcase, occurring every February in Indianapolis, Indiana's Lucas Oil Stadium , where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Football League coaches, general...
, it was erroneously reported that Vince scored a six, out of a possible fifty points, on his Wonderlic Test
Wonderlic Test
The Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test is a twelve-minute, fifty-question test used to assess the aptitude of prospective employees for learning and problem-solving in a range of occupations. The test was developed by industrial psychologist Eldon F. Wonderlic...
. The test is designed to measure a player's ability to learn a complex NFL playbook. Some observers believed this score would lower Young's draft selection and faulted his agent, Major Adams, for not preparing Young ahead of time with practice tests.
However, on February 26, 2006, combine officials said the reported score of six was incorrect. According to NFL Spokesman Steve Alic, "I can tell you absolutely that the score that has been reported on the Internet is inaccurate. I spoke to the person who graded the test, and he assured me that that number was not correct." The next day, the test was properly readministered and Young scored a 16, the same as Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
. Wonderlic scores are released to NFL teams for draft purposes, but are not supposed to be released publicly. A few media outlets apologized for running the highly improbable first result. But most media did not correct the story and continued to wonder whether the first (now inaccurate) score would lower Young's draft selection. Many in the NFL have disputed whether the Wonderlic scores are meaningful at predicting a recruit's playing ability. Sean Jones, a member of the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
' personnel department, said:
- "All I need to know about Vince Young is that he came up with one of the greatest performances ever in the Rose Bowl. In the fourth quarter, I saw (USC coach) Pete Carroll throw every kind of blitz at Vince. I saw Vince read the blitz and beat the blitz. I don't care what his Wonderlic score is. The only score I care about is 41–38."
The NFL draft was held on April 29–30, 2006. The Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
drafted Vince Young with their first round pick (3rd choice overall), confirming the predictions of many draft experts. He was the first quarterback taken in the draft, with the Titans choosing him instead of Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
. The Titans general manager, Floyd Reese, said Young's upside was the deciding factor in his being chosen. Reese said, "Last night at 11:35, I was on my knees praying ... he will rewrite the position. This guy physically is such a combination of arms and legs. People want to make him out to be a Michael Vick
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
. He's not that. He's different." He started his NFL career on August 12, 2006, in a preseason matchup against a Reggie Bush led New Orleans Saints.
Rookie season
On July 27, 2006, Young agreed to terms on his initial contract with the Titans. Terms of the deal were reported to include five years with a sixth year team option and as much as US$United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
58 million overall including $25.7 million in guaranteed money. As a quarterback, Young was able to reach a deal similar to that signed by the draft's #1 overall pick, Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
defensive end Mario Williams
Mario Williams
Mario Jerrel Williams is an American football defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was selected first overall by the Texans in the 2006 NFL Draft...
.
On August 12, 2006, Vince Young made his preseason debut against the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
which featured Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush
Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
in his NFL debut, the two Heisman candidates picking up where they left off in the BCS national championship game seven months before. Young did not start, but entered the game in the second half. On September 17, Young threw for his first career touchdown against the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Young made his first career start versus the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
on October 1, 2006, completing 14 of 29 passes for 155 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He achieved his first NFL victory (against the Washington Redskins, 25–22) on October 15, 2006.
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. With the Giants leading 21–0, the tide suddenly changed after New York quarterback Eli Manning
Eli Manning
Eli Nelson Manning is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning...
threw an interception to Pacman Jones. Young subsequently led a scoring drive, throwing a touchdown pass to ex-Longhorn teammate Bo Scaife
Bo Scaife
Oliver Edward "Bo" Scaife, III is an American football tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
. After the Titans forced a three-and-out, Young ran an option play for a touchdown on the next drive. Another successful stop led to Young throwing his second touchdown of the quarter. After another Eli Manning interception to Pacman Jones, this time with only 30 seconds left in the game, Young calmly led his team down the field for Rob Bironas
Rob Bironas
James Robert Douglas "Rob" Bironas is an American football placekicker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Auburn University and Georgia Southern.Bironas was an All-Pro...
' game-winning field goal; the final score was 24–21 over the Giants. It is statistically the best performance of Vince Young's NFL career: he went 24/35 for 249 yards and two touchdowns, with a 107.9 passer rating. He also rushed 10 times for 69 yards and a touchdown.
A week later, Young led another come-from-behind victory over the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
who, prior to the game, held a 10–1 record. Rob Bironas
Rob Bironas
James Robert Douglas "Rob" Bironas is an American football placekicker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Auburn University and Georgia Southern.Bironas was an All-Pro...
iced the game with a 60-yard field goal. The 14-point comeback marked the first time in NFL history that a rookie quarterback led two 14+ point comebacks in the same season.
On Sunday December 24, 2006, Vince Young led yet another come-from-behind victory over the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
who, along with the Titans, had a 7–7 record and were competing for an AFC wild card playoff spot. This time the comeback was from 9 points down after Rian Lindell
Rian Lindell
Rian Lindell is an American football placekicker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2000...
kicked a 24-yard field goal at the end of the 3rd quarter to make the score 29–20 in favor of the Bills. Young then led the Titans on a 9-play, 62-yard drive that spanned 4:16 and ended with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Jones to make the score 27–29. After a three and out by the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Young again led his team on a 7:15, 14-play scoring drive that culminated in a 30-yard field goal by Rob Bironas
Rob Bironas
James Robert Douglas "Rob" Bironas is an American football placekicker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Auburn University and Georgia Southern.Bironas was an All-Pro...
, putting the Titans on top 30–29. Bironas' kick would prove to be the winning points. Young ended the day going 13-of-20 for 183 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, with a rating of 127.7. He also rushed 8 times for 61 yards and 1 touchdown.
Young holds the NFL record for rushing yards by a rookie quarterback with 552, breaking the old record of 408 yards set by Bobby Douglass
Bobby Douglass
Robert Gilchrist Douglass is a former American football quarterback in the NFL, who played most of his career with the Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the second round of the 1969 NFL Draft. During his career, he also played for the San Diego Chargers, the New Orleans Saints, the Oakland...
in 1969. He won the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
NFL Offensive Rookie of The Year
NFL Rookie of the Year Award
Since 1967, the Associated Press has given two annual Rookie of the Year Awards to National Football League players: one for an offensive player and one for a defensive player. These two are often regarded as the "official" awards...
honors at the conclusion of the 2006 NFL campaign, becoming only the third quarterback to win the award, along with Dennis Shaw
Dennis Shaw
Dennis Wendell Shaw is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, and the Kansas City Chiefs.-College career:...
and Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
.
On February 3, Vince Young was named to the 2007 Pro Bowl
2007 Pro Bowl
The 2007 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl took place on February 10, 2007, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game was held on a Saturday instead of the usual Sunday after the Super Bowl because of a request by broadcaster CBS....
to replace Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers is an American football quarterback for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League . He was one half of the Manning-Rivers draft trade which sent him to San Diego and the 1st overall pick, Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning, to the New York Giants. Rivers played college...
whose foot injury kept him out of what would have been his first Pro Bowl appearance. Young threw one interception in limited play time in the Pro Bowl.
Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
, Jay Cutler
Jay Cutler (American football)
Jay Christopher Cutler is a quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He played football at Vanderbilt University. Cutler began his professional football career with the Denver Broncos, who selected him as the 11th overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft...
, and Bruce Gradkowski
Bruce Gradkowski
Bruce Raymond Gradkowski is an American Football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Toledo.Gradkowski has previously been a member of the Tampa...
. During the 2006 season, Vince Young led the Tennessee Titans to eight wins including six straight wins. He had a record of 8–5 as a starter. Of the wins, four of them were fourth quarter comebacks, including three straight fourth quarter comebacks. His passer rating was 66.7, which ranked 30th of 31 qualified quarterbacks in the NFL that season. Only Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
quarterback Bruce Gradkowski had a lower rating of 65.9.
Vince Young has also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
six times: once in the 2005 College Football season preview issue, on a December issue prior to the Big 12 Championship game versus Colorado, on the weekly edition after the 2006 Rose Bowl
2006 Rose Bowl
The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
and also the Commemorative edition following the 2006 Rose Bowl, once for the 2006 NFL Draft
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offered by ESPNU and, for the first time, by...
preview issue, and most recently after the Titans won 4 straight games in the 2006 NFL season. Young's performance in his rookie season earned him the honor of being the cover athlete for the video game Madden NFL 08
Madden NFL 08
Madden NFL 08 is the 2008 edition of the American football video game series published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 19th installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise. It features Titans star quarterback Vince Young on the cover. San Diego Chargers defensive end Luis...
.
In 2006, Merril Hoge
Merril Hoge
Merril DuAine Hoge is a former professional American football player. He played eight seasons at running back for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears, retiring after the 1994 season. Since 1997 he has been a football analyst for ESPN television....
gained notoriety for acting as a vocal critic of Vince Young. Hoge's criticism began before the 2006 NFL draft, in which Young was drafted third overall by the Tennessee Titans, and continued throughout the season even as Young took command of a losing team, bringing the Titans within a game of an unlikely playoff berth. For his efforts, Vince Young was named the 2006 Rookie of the Year, far and away the favorite of the voters. Despite these achievements, Hoge continues to maintain that Young does not have the talent or skills to play in the NFL.
In an article published by NFL.com Young was quoted as saying he thought about retiring from professional football after his first season stating "I really thought long and hard about it. There was so much going on with my family. It was crazy being an NFL quarterback. It wasn't fun anymore. All of the fun was out of it. All of the excitement was gone. All I was doing was worrying about things." However, Young would later recant this stating he never considered quitting football and his remarks were blown out of proportion.
2007 season
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
against the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
on August 11, 2007, Titans Coach Jeff Fisher
Jeff Fisher
Jeffrey Michael "Jeff" Fisher is the former head coach of the Tennessee Titans of the NFL. He has a 146-120 career record as an NFL head coach.-Early life:...
benched Young after he broke one of the team rules. Though Fisher declined to mention the rule Young broke, Young later hesitantly admitted that he left the team hotel the previous night in order to sleep at his home without informing Fisher. Young apologized for his behavior and was allowed to play for the next game.
During the Titans first game, a 13–10 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Young threw for 78 yards with 1 interception and ran for 22 yards, including a TD. In Week 2, the Titans lost 22–20 to the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
at home. Vince threw for 164 yards and a TD and ran for 53 yards on 5 carries. During Week 3, the Titans played the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
in the first of their 2 appearances on Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
in the 2007 season. The Titans beat the Saints 31–14 behind Young’s 185 total yards (21 rushing, 164 passing) and 2 TDs with 1 interception. On Sunday October 7, Vince Young and the Titans took to the field in Nashville as they took on the Atlanta Falcons. Despite a lackluster day, the Titans and Young would come away with the victory 20–13. Young was 20–33 with 153 yards and 3 INT's.
Young injured his quadriceps during the first half of a matchup against Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
in Week 6. Young went to the dressing room clutching his leg, but returned after half-time and was shown warming up on the sidelines. However, he would not return to the game as a precautionary measure. The Titans would go on to lose the game 13–10.
Despite an upcoming divisional matchup against the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
Young missed the following week's matchup after being listed as a gametime decision. This would be Young's first start missed due to injury. He returned the next week against the Oakland Raiders to complete 6 of 14 attempts for 42 yards in a 13–9 win. The following week against Carolina, Young would complete 14 of 23 attempts for 110 yards and 2 interceptions and add 25 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in a 20–7 win.
In Week 10 Young completed 24 of 41 passes for 257 yards 1 TD and 2 INT's in 28–13 loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Young's 257 yards passing in the game would become a new career high passing his previous best of 249 yards in a 24–21 comeback win over the New York Giants in Week 12 of the 2005–2006 season. His 41 attempts would also be a new career high.
The following week Young eclipsed his previous mark for passing yards in a game by throwing for 305 yards with 1 TD and 2 INT's as well as rushing for 74 yards and 1 TD in a 34–20 loss against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. His 379 combined yards would set a new career mark passing his previous best of 318 total yards in a 24–21 comeback win over the New York Giants in Week 12 of the 2005–2006 season. He would also equal his career high in attempts with 41.
In Week 13 Young had his best overall passing game of the season against the Houston Texans. Young ended the day by going 21 of 31 for 248 yards with 2 TD and 1 INT for a 99.9 QB Rating in a 28–20 win. Young also added 5 carries for 44 yards which brought his streak of 250+ combined yardage games to 4 straight.
In Week 15 Young posted his best QB Rating of the season by going 16 of 26 for 191 yards with 2 TD and 0 INT for a QB Rating of 109.6. He would also add 7 carries for 32 yards as the Titans overcame a 14–10 halftime lead by the Kansas City Chiefs to win the game 26–17 and keep their playoff hopes alive moving to 8–6 for the season.
In Week 16, Young completed 12 of 22 passes for 166 yards and 1 interception and added 1 rushing yard in a 10–6 win against the New York Jets. The win against the Jets combined with a loss by the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
earlier in the day put the Titans in position for the last play off spot in the AFC.
In Week 17 Vince Young and the Titans' playoff wishes came to life as they defeated the Indianapolis Colts 16–10 to clinch the 6th seed in the AFC Playoffs. Young would leave the game in the 3rd quarter after suffering what seemed to be a re-injury of his right quad which kept him out for a game earlier in the season. Backup quarterback Kerry Collins
Kerry Collins
Kerry Michael Collins is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft, the first choice in the franchise's history...
would enter in the game and lead the Titans to 2 field goals to break a 10–10 tie and seal the victory. Before the injury, Young posted some of his best numbers of the year by completing 14 of 18 passes for 157 yards with 0 TD, 0 INT, and posting a 103.0 QB Rating.
At the end of the regular season, Young finished with 2,459 passing yards with 9 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Additionally, Young would finish with 395 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.
In Young's first playoff game, Young completed 16 of 29 passes for 138 yards, 1 interception and 12 rushing yards for a 53.5 passer rating.
2008 season
In the first game against the Jacksonville JaguarsJacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
Young injured his knee and was expected to miss 2 to 3 weeks. On September 15, Jeff Fisher made the decision to go with Kerry Collins
Kerry Collins
Kerry Michael Collins is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft, the first choice in the franchise's history...
and for Collins to remain the starter for the rest of the season. The Titans went on to finish 13–3 in the regular season with Young assuming back-up duties.
2009 season
During the 2009 offseason, Coach Jeff Fisher announced that Kerry Collins would remain the Titans' starting quarterback for the 2009 season; Fisher said that if Young wanted to become the starting quarterback, he would have to "earn his job back".On October 29, 2009, following a disappointing 0–6 start to the season, Coach Fisher announced that Young would replace Collins as starter. Titans owner Bud Adams had reportedly urged Fisher to give Young more playing time following the team's 59–0 loss to the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
on October 18, and became even more insistent during the team's bye week that followed. Fisher nonetheless withheld announcing the change "for competitive reasons" until the Thursday afternoon before the Titan's next game, on Sunday, November 1, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Upon announcing the change, Fisher further stated: "I'm still in Kerry Collins' corner because I don't believe that our record is a reflection of the quarterback play," Fisher said. "It's a reflection of the team play. I'm still in his corner, but we've decided to go ahead and make this change."
Young won eight of his ten starts in the 2009 campaign. The 2009 Titans are the first team in NFL history to win five straight after losing their first six games. On November 29, 2009, Young led the Titans on a 2:37 long, 99-yard drive near the end of their game against the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Young sealed the deal, with a 10-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Kenny Britt
Kenny Britt
-Tennessee Titans:Kenny Britt was drafted in the 1st round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He was Rutgers' first ever first-round pick. This was a surprising pick because many thought that he would be selected by the New York Giants with the pick immediately before the Titans picked...
on 4th down as time expired. The Titans won 20–17. Young finished with a 99.7 QB rating, went 27 for 43, with a career-high 387 yards, 1 TD, and had 4 carries for 8 yards. Incidentally, due to an injury to Cardinals' starting QB Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner is a retired American football player. He played quarterback for three National Football League teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing...
, this would mark a rematch of the 2006 Rose Bowl
2006 Rose Bowl
The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
between Young and Cardinals' back-up QB Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
.
Young finished 3rd in the bidding for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award behind Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
running back Carnell Williams
Carnell Williams
Carnell Lamar "Cadillac" Williams is an American football running back for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
and the winner, New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
quarterback Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
. Shortly thereafter, Young was announced as the Sporting News comeback player of the year.
Young played in the 2010 Pro Bowl
2010 Pro Bowl
The 2010 AFC–NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2009 season. It took place at 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site of Super Bowl XLIV...
, taking the roster spot of the injured Phillip Rivers after Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
and Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...
declined to replace the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
Quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
due to their own respective injuries. It was the 2nd Pro Bowl appearance of his career, his first being after his 2006 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award winning season.
2010 season
Young led the Titans to a 5–5 record in its first ten games while throwing for ten touchdowns with a 98.6 passer rating.During a Week 11 loss to the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, Young suffered a torn flexor tendon in his right thumb, but was held out of the game after he was prepared to reenter. Following the game, Young threw his shoulder pads into the crowd as he left the field, had an altercation with Coach Fisher in the locker room, and stormed out. Fisher then declared that Rusty Smith
Rusty Smith (American football)
-Tennessee Titans:Smith was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He was the first ever player from FAU to be drafted.He was signed to a four-year contract on June 17, 2010....
would become the Titans' starting quarterback.
On January 5, 2011, Titans owner Bud Adams
Bud Adams
Kenneth Stanley "Bud" Adams, Jr. is the owner of the Tennessee Titans' National Football League franchise. He was instrumental in the founding and establishment of the former American Football League. Adams became a charter AFL owner with the establishment of the Titans franchise, which was...
issued a press release stating that Young would no longer be on the team's roster for the 2011/12 season. Whether Young would be traded or released has yet to be disclosed. Vince Young would finish his Titans career with a 30-17 record (63.8%) over five years. During that span, the Titans compiled a record of 15-18 (45.5%) without Young. As a Titan, Young finished with a 75.4 QB rating and with 42 touchdowns to 42 interceptions.
On July 28, 2011, Young was released by the Titans.
Philadelphia Eagles
Young was signed by the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
to a one-year contract on July 29, 2011 winning his first start on November 20, 2011. Young finished the game with 258 yards passing for two touchdowns and three interceptions resulting in a 69.0 QB Rating.
List of awards and honors
- 2002 Pete Dawkins TrophyPete Dawkins TrophyThe Pete Dawkins Trophy is awarded to most valuable player of the annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl. The trophy is named for Pete Dawkins, a former Army halfback who won the 1958 Heisman Trophy.-Past winners:...
- 2005 Rose Bowl MVP
- 2005 Manning AwardManning AwardThe Manning Award has been presented annually since 2004 to the collegiate American football quarterback adjudged by the Sugar Bowl Committee to be the best in the United States...
- 2005 Maxwell AwardMaxwell AwardThe Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
- 2005 Davey O'Brien AwardDavey O'Brien AwardThe Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
- 2005 Cingular All-America Player of the Year
- 2005 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year
- 2005 Consensus First-Team All-American
- 2006 Rose Bowl MVP
- "4 weeks" 2006 NFL Rookie of the Week Awards
- 2006 NFL AP Offensive Rookie of the YearNFL Rookie of the Year AwardSince 1967, the Associated Press has given two annual Rookie of the Year Awards to National Football League players: one for an offensive player and one for a defensive player. These two are often regarded as the "official" awards...
- 2006 Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year
- 2007 Pro Bowl
- 2008 Madden Football Cover
- 2008 The Farren Staten Award
- 2010 Pro Bowl
Personal
As a result of his strong on-field performance and his ties to the Houston, Texas area, January 10, 2006, was proclaimed "Vince Young Day" in his hometown of Houston. Young has been in a number of television commercials for Madden 2008, Reebok with Allen IversonAllen Iverson
Allen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball point guard and shooting guard. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season...
, a Vizio television commercial, and Campbell's Chunky Soup with his mother. He also appears in rapper Mike Jones's video, "My 64". Young was also interviewed by 60 Minutes for an episode that was aired on September 30, 2007. The Texas Senate passed a resolution on February 20, 2007, to declare the day "Vince Young Day" throughout state.
Young re-enrolled at the University of Texas for the 2008 spring semester to finish his degree.
Young continues to live in Hiram Clarke
Hiram Clarke, Houston
Hiram Clarke is a community in Houston, Texas, United States, southwest of Reliant Park.-History:Hiram Clarke Road was named after Hiram Clarke, a Houston Lighting & Power Co...
. Young's grandmother, Betty, lives in the Sunnyside area of Houston.
Disappearance
On September 9, 2008, a distraught Vince Young left his home without his cell phone. The reasons given were that Young was upset over being booed by fans after throwing a second interception against the visiting Jacksonville JaguarsJacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
the previous day and the sprained medial collateral ligament
Medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament of the knee is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. It is also known as the tibial collateral ligament, or abbreviated as the MCL.- Structure :It is a broad, flat, membranous band,...
in his left knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
suffered four plays after head coach Jeff Fisher
Jeff Fisher
Jeffrey Michael "Jeff" Fisher is the former head coach of the Tennessee Titans of the NFL. He has a 146-120 career record as an NFL head coach.-Early life:...
prodded him back into the game. Young postponed a doctor's examination until the following day. After speaking to members of Young's family, Fisher called Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
police. After a four-hour search, they found Young, who agreed to meet with Fisher and police at the team's training facility.
Vince Young's agent
Sports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
, Major Adams, told ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
reporter George Smith that he did not know why the story had taken on a life of its own, and stated that the incident was "blown out of proportion" and called any perceived depression or emotional problems suffered by his client "unfounded." His mother, Felicia Young, however, stated that her son was "hurting inside and out."
Lawsuits
In December 2008, Young filed suit against former Major League baseballMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player Enos Cabell
Enos Cabell
Enos Milton Cabell, Jr. is a former third baseman and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played 15 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, the Houston Astros, the San Francisco Giants, the Detroit Tigers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cabell is a cousin of center fielder Ken Landreaux.Cabell was...
and two others for applying for a trademark to use his initials and "Invinceable" nickname to sell products without his permission in 2006. The suit claims that their use of Young's name has damaged endorsement deals for Young; he is asking the court to give him the exclusive rights to use the initials and nickname.
Impersonator
On September 19, 2011 Young made the following tweets about a person impersonating him that had been collecting money intended for Young's charity, making appearances, and signing autographs for financial gain:"To the my fans and the media, please be aware that there is man in the DC area that has been impersonating me. He is a career criminal." "The man that has been impersonating me is Stephan Pittman. He is dangerous. Thank you to NFL Security and Prince George Police for ur help."Young also called the act "sick". On September 23, Stephan Pittman, a registered sex offender in Maryland was arrested on felony fraud charges for the impersonation.