Former Pro Bowl tight end Charle Young, who played for four NFL teams over a 13-year career, passed away. He was 75. The 49ers revealed they were informed of Young’s death by his wife, according to the Associated Press; no cause of death has been provided.
Spending his career with the Eagles, Rams, 49ers and Seahawks, Young was selected to three Pro Bowls; a hot start to his career in Philadelphia brought those invites, and the former top-10 pick became a long-term NFL starter who enjoyed a memorable second act.
The Eagles used the No. 6 overall pick on Young in 1973, acquiring the selection from the Chargers in a trade for linebacker Tim Rossovich. Philly deployed Young, a USC product, as an immediate starter. Even with the mid-1970s known as a low-octane passing era, Young shined as a receiving tight end.
He earned first-team All-Pro honors as a rookie, helping trade acquisition Roman Gabriel to his final Pro Bowl nod. The Gabriel-Young connection hooked up for six touchdowns, Young’s career-high mark, as the 6-foot-4 target amassed a career-best 854 receiving yards. Gabriel, acquired from the Rams, led the NFL with 23 TD passes that season.
Young then strung together 696- and 653-yard seasons in 1974 and ’75, earning second-team All-Pro acclaim each year, but the Eagles struggled during a down period in their franchise history. Gabriel did not sustain the momentum his 1973 season brought, and the Eagles lacked a quarterback answer. In 1977, they used Young to land one. In Dick Vermeil‘s second offseason in charge, the Eagles traded Young to the Rams for Ron Jaworski. That turned out to be a trade that benefited Philly more than L.A., as Jaworski — mostly a backup with the Rams early in his career — was the NFC East team’s starter for nearly a decade.
The Rams did not see much from Young, who totaled just 35 receiving yards in 14 games during his first Los Angeles season. Young only started three games in three Rams seasons, but an intra-NFC West trade allowed for a resurgence. The Rams traded Young to the 49ers in 1980, receiving two third-round picks in a pick-swap deal that saw L.A. third- and fourth-round choices go to San Francisco. This trade came as Bill Walsh, in Year 2 at the helm in San Francisco, was crafting a seminal turnaround.
In Young’s second 49ers campaign, he totaled 400 receiving yards and five touchdowns. The 49ers deployed the veteran as a 16-game starter as they zoomed to a surprising 13-3 season in Joe Montana‘s first year as a full-time starter. Young then caught Montana’s first playoff touchdown pass, during a divisional-round win over the Giants, and added four receptions for 45 yards in the 49ers’ storied NFC championship game win over the Cowboys before collecting a Super Bowl ring.
The 49ers, however, sent first- and fourth-round picks to the Patriots for retired TE Russ Francis‘ rights in 1982. This preceded a 1983 Young release, but he landed a prominent role with the Seahawks soon after. Chuck Knox, Young’s coach during his first Rams season, was at the controls in Seattle when the Seahawks signed Young. The July addition made a difference in Seattle’s first playoff season, catching 36 passes for 529 yards and two scores. The Seahawks voyaged to the AFC championship game that season. Young finished his career after two more Seahawks slates, continuing to work as a regular starter.
Young finished his career with 142 career starts — that remains 30th among TEs in NFL history — to go with 418 catches and 5,106 receiving yards. Among pure tight ends at the time of Young’s retirement, those totals ranked seventh and 11th in NFL annals.
RIP Sir. Thanks for helping make the league what it is!