Bryant Young

Bryant Colby Young was born on January 27, 1972, in Chicago Heights, Illinois. He played football at Bloom High School before attending the University of Notre Dame, where he started for three years and earned his degree in marketing in 1994. As a senior, he was named an All-American after recording 6.5 sacks and 67 tackles; as a junior, he received Honorable Mention All-American honors with 7.5 sacks.

The San Francisco 49ers selected Young with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 1994 NFL draft. He spent his entire 14-year career with the team. In 1995, he earned Honorable Mention All-Pro from the Associated Press. His best statistical season came in 1996, when he posted 84 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and two safeties, earning his first Pro Bowl selection. Though his sack total dropped to four in 1997, he remained a dominant interior lineman and helped the 49ers finish first in total defense that year. Despite teammate Dana Stubblefield winning Defensive Player of the Year, Young was widely regarded as the best all-around defensive tackle in the league.

During the 1998 season, Young led all NFL defensive tackles with 9.5 sacks before suffering a severe leg injury in Week 13 against the New York Giants that required a metal rod to be inserted. He fully recovered and returned in 1999, recording over 70 tackles, 11 sacks, and a safety, earning his second Pro Bowl selection and the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Over his career, Young totaled 89.5 sacks, ranking sixth all-time among defensive tackles. He also holds the 49ers franchise record for career safeties with three and ranks third on the team’s all-time sacks list. He retired after the 2007 season as the last active member of the 49ers’ Super Bowl-winning team.

Young was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 1990s. He became eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013, advanced to the semifinalist stage in 2020, and was inducted in 2022. He is an eight-time recipient of the 49ers’ Len Eshmont Award, the team’s most prestigious honor, given for inspirational and courageous play—no other player has won it more than three times.

After his playing career, Young coached defensive lines at San Jose State University (2010), the University of Florida (2011), and the Atlanta Falcons (2017–2018), where he reunited with former 49ers position coach Dan Quinn. He resigned from the Falcons to spend more time with his family.

Young is a Christian. He and his wife, Kristin M. Young, have six children. Their son Bryce plays college football at Notre Dame.