Tyrone Young
Encyclopedia
Tyrone Donnive Young is a former American college and professional football
player who was a wide receiver
in the National Football League
(NFL) for two seasons during the 1980s. Young played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the New Orleans Saints
of the NFL.
in 1960. He attended Forest High School in Ocala, and he was the quarterback
for the Forest Wildcats high school football
team. Young led the Wildcats to back-to-back Florida state football championships in 1975 and 1976.
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played for coach Doug Dickey
and coach Charley Pell
's Florida Gators football
teams from 1978 to 1982. The Gators coaching staff decided to red-shirt
him as a true freshman in 1978, but he subsequently worked his way up the depth chart to briefly become the Gators' starting
quarterback. He subsequently changed positions to wide receiver and was paired with another converted quarterback, Cris Collinsworth
, as the Gators' star flankers. During Young's sophomore season in 1980, he was a member of the Gators team that posted the biggest one-year turnaround in the history of NCAA
Division I football—from 0–10–1 in 1979 to an 8–4 bowl team in 1980. Memorably, Young caught ten passes for 183 yards against the Georgia Bulldogs in 1980, and caught a fifty-one-yard touchdown reception against the Florida State Seminoles
in 1981.
Young graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
in 1988.
season, but had almost 600 yards receiving as a second-year pro. In his two NFL seasons, Young played in thirty-two games and had thirty-six reception
s for 682 yards and six touchdown
s.
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...
player who was a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
in 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) for two seasons during the 1980s. Young 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...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for 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 ....
of the NFL.
Early life
Young was born in Ocala, FloridaOcala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
in 1960. He attended Forest High School in Ocala, and he was the 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 Forest Wildcats high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
team. Young led the Wildcats to back-to-back Florida state football championships in 1975 and 1976.
College career
Young received an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he played for coach Doug Dickey
Doug Dickey
Douglas Adair "Doug" Dickey is a former American college football player and coach and college athletics administrator. Dickey is a South Dakota native who was raised in Florida and graduated from the University of Florida, where he played college football...
and coach Charley Pell
Charley Pell
Charles Byron "Charley" Pell was an American college football player and coach. Pell was an Alabama native and an alumnus of the University of Alabama, where he played college football. He is most notably remembered as the head coach of the Clemson University and the University of Florida...
's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
teams from 1978 to 1982. The Gators coaching staff decided to red-shirt
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...
him as a true freshman in 1978, but he subsequently worked his way up the depth chart to briefly become the Gators' starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
quarterback. He subsequently changed positions to wide receiver and was paired with another converted quarterback, Cris Collinsworth
Cris Collinsworth
Anthony Cris Collinsworth is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played his entire professional career for...
, as the Gators' star flankers. During Young's sophomore season in 1980, he was a member of the Gators team that posted the biggest one-year turnaround in the history of NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I football—from 0–10–1 in 1979 to an 8–4 bowl team in 1980. Memorably, Young caught ten passes for 183 yards against the Georgia Bulldogs in 1980, and caught a fifty-one-yard touchdown reception against the Florida State Seminoles
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in 1981.
Young graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 1988.
Professional career
The New Orleans Saints signed Young as an undrafted free agent in 1983, and he played for the Saints in and . He saw limited action in his rookieRookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season, but had almost 600 yards receiving as a second-year pro. In his two NFL seasons, Young played in thirty-two games and had thirty-six reception
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
s for 682 yards and six 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.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1980–1989
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of New Orleans Saints players
- List of University of Florida alumni