Houston Sports - Vince Young

Vince Young

Born: May 18, 1983

Sport: Football (All-American, Rookie of the Year, 2-time Pro Bowl)

I was wrestling with a few different ideas about who should get the spotlight this week.  On the sports landscape, it is the final week of the NFL season so I thought about focusing on a member of the Texans since they wrapped up their season with a victory over Indianapolis.  Both the professional and college basketball teams have also been doing well in their seasons as well, so that caught my attention.  And then I found out that yesterday was the anniversary of the groundbreaking ceremony for the Houston Astrodome, so at least one figure from that event stood out in my mind.  It's also the anniversary of the first use of the term "Phi Slama Jama" to reference the high-flying style of the UH Cougars basketball team of the early 1980s.  But I finally settled on a local Houston product that cemented his legacy on this day 20 years ago when the University of Texas won a national championship in college football.  Interestingly, this is also an individual that I was able to watch in person during his high school career, so let's take a moment to examine the story of Vince Young.

A 2001 view of Madison High School, not far from the Astrodome

Growing up inside the loop in Houston, Texas, Vince Young was the son of Vincent Young, Sr. and his wife, Felicia.  Young has stated that his father was rarely around during his childhood, which made him want to be a better father for his own kids.  He spent time living in the Hiram Clark and 4th Ward neighborhoods, surrounded by gangs, drug use, and violence, and credits the influence of his mother with helping him change the course of his life towards leadership and athletics - throughout his career, he honored her by wearing #10 for her June 10 birthday.  In middle school Vince was handcuffed by police after participating in a fight between gangs, part of the racial tension that was part of his daily life, but the experience helped keep him away from gang activity as he grew up.  By the time he entered Madison High School as a freshman, Young had already outgrown many kids who were older than he was, and he was forced to continually have his birth certificate handy to prove that he was allowed to play against the younger competition.  A multi-sport star, Young played baseball for two seasons, ran track for three seasons, and played basketball all four years, lettering numerous times and being selected for all-conference and all-state teams.  But it was football that obviously showed the most promise and where he found fame.  I actually had the chance to watch Young play a game at Houston's Astrodome when his Madison Marlins played against the Humble Wildcats where my girlfriend (now wife) attended.  For three quarters his coach tried to keep him in the pocket as a passing QB, but with the game on the line in the fourth he was turned loose and displayed his amazing athleticism.  Anybody on Humble's team that was fast enough to catch him wasn't big enough to bring him down, and Madison ended up winning the game.

Although he never won a state title, Vince Young was the nation's most coveted quarterback prospect by the time he graduated.  Recruited by some of the top universities and coaches in the country, Young eventually decided not to attend the University of Houston and chose instead to join Mack Brown's Texas Longhorns.  After riding the bench his first year as a redshirt member of the team, Young started his second year behind existing QB Chance Mock.  By the seventh game of the season, however, he moved into a starting role and became the first UT freshman to throw and pass for 900+ yards in a season.  In fact, he came within just two rushing yards of being the 3rd NCAA freshman to ever eclipse 1,000 yards at both running and passing.  After Mock literally fumbled away UT's chance at winning their bowl game with two late turnovers, Young took the reins as the starter in 2004 and never looked back.  In fact, over his two full seasons as the Longhorns starter, rival Oklahoma was the only team to beat Young as he compiled a 24-1 record (he was 30-2 for his collegiate career, the sixth best W-L percentage in NCAA history).  His first bowl game victory was a clutch win over #13 Michigan in the Rose Bowl, where he rushed for four touchdowns and led Texas back from a 10-point deficit in the 4th quarter.  He personally accounted for 34 rushing yards during the game-winning drive that totaled 47 yards and ended with a field goal as time expired.  The following season was one for the record books, with Texas dominating their way to a 12-0 record during the season but only managing a #2 ranking by the time they matched up with #1 USC, again at the Rose Bowl.  Young had a personal matchup against the two biggest Trojan stars during the annual vote for the Heisman Trophy, coming in second place behind Reggie Bush and just ahead of Matt Leinart.  In one of the most epic bowl games in history, and one that I watched alongside my infant firstborn daughter at my in-laws' house, Young led the Longhorns to a 41-38 victory by passing and rushing for over 200 yards each, including an 8-yard scramble into the end zone on 4th down with only 19 seconds left.  In that moment he sealed his place as a legend in college football history.

Opting to go pro in a year when his hometown Houston Texas held the first overall pick, many sports enthusiasts were convinced that Vince Young was the logical pick.  The team was heading into their 5th season, having just fired the franchise's original head coach in favor of former quarterback Gary Kubiak, and everyone believed that QB David Carr was on his way out.  Houston surprised everyone by selecting a defensive end named Mario Williams instead, allowing Young to be selected third overall by  the division rival of his hometown team, the Tennessee Titans.  The talented rookie proved that his skill set translated to success at the highest level as he started 13 of the team's 16 games and helped improve the Titans season record from 4-12 in 2005 to 8-8.  Young was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned his first Pro Bowl nod, and when Houston released David Carr after the season ended it seemed to some like they had made a poor decision.  The Titans and their quarterback seemed to rise to the occasion when facing Houston, including Young rushing for a 39-yard game-winning TD against the Texans in overtime during his rookie campaign.  He was 4-0 in career starts against the team that passed on him in the draft, but injuries and inconsistent play limited his time on the field.  After losing his starting job to veteran Kerry Collins early in the 2008 season, Young would not earn it back until game seven of the 2009 campaign.  He made the most of the opportunity, winning eight of his 10 starts and being selected to his second Pro Bowl team as a replacement for injured Philip Rivers (who, coincidentally, just wrapped up his pro career today after a brief return from his first retirement).  It looked like he would reassert himself as the team leader in 2010, but he suffered a season-ending thumb injury during week 11 and the Titans decided to release him after five seasons on their roster.  The Philadelphia Eagles picked him up, prompting Young to declare that it would be a "Dream Team", but he only compiled a 1-2 record there while backing up starter Michael Vick and the team limped to an 8-8 finish.  Young signed one-year deals each of the following preseasons, but was released without seeing the field each time.  After a brief stint in training camp with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, Young once again sustained a significant injury when he tore a hamstring, leading to his release and eventual retirement.  Although he returned to the University of Texas and completed his degree in 2013, much of his time off the field has been troubled.  Young's reported spending habits and unreliable inner circle led to a 2014 bankruptcy, and he dealt with two DWI arrests in 2016 and 2019.  Recently, however, he seems to have righted the ship and been able to be a positive influence in his community.  Young still maintains a residence in the Hiram Clark neighborhood where he grew up, but works for the UT athletic department and owns a steakhouse in Austin, TX, which bears his name.  Through his work at the university and his own charitable foundation, Young helps raise funds for first-generation college students as well as helping assist academic and athletic performance for inner-city youth.  He has been honored with induction in the UT Hall of Honor (2015), Texas Sports Hall of Fame (2018), Rose Bowl Hall of Fame (2018), and College Football Hall of Fame (2019).

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