|
Steve Young
Former Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers; Founder, The Forever Young Foundation
Answers to Written Questions from the Floor:
Q: Since you are left-handed, why do you always roll right?
A: When I was growing up, a lot of people didn't want to coach a lefty. Even in college, people said, "You're a lefty, you can't play quarterback, you have to play something else." I actually feel like a little bit of a pioneer, because it shows that lefties can play quarterback. The problem was that no coach wanted to flip everything and show everything left-handed. I don't know why I always roll right. It's a deep, dark question. I always say that when football gets too deep, you're going to be alone, so don't do that.
Q: What inspired you to become a football player when you were a child, and who was your idol?
A: My idol was Roger Staubach of the Dallas Cowboys, who were then a really nice group of guys. Obviously they've changed. I'm appreciative of Roger Staubach. I remember watching those games and thinking that guy could run around and throw great passes. He was dynamic. He was a great role model. We didn't meet until the 1992 championship game against the Cowboys. He didn't know the impact he had on my life.
Q: What are your words of advice to young football players?
A: I was a good athlete. I had a lot of fun; I played every sport imaginable. Anyone who thinks about a young boy or girl, even in high school, talking about going pro or making money professionally, is just causing grief. I encourage kids to have fun. A lot of kids will say, "Well, how do I throw the ball better? Should I lift weights?" My experience is that I grew up and played all kinds of games. Football knocked on my door, and I answered it. I say the same thing to boys and girls. If you're passionate about something, go and do it. If they knock on your door, then go and do it in college or as a pro. But if they don't knock, continue to go to school and get great grades. I am 39 years old, had a great career and may go to the hall of fame, but I am starting again in other careers that don't value the great pass I threw, or the big win that we had. Despite all that happened to me, I still need an education.
Q: Which political office appeals to you and do you want to run for the U.S. Senate?
A: I am developing expertise in things like the law and charitable work, which I love. I find the combination of business and charity work very well together, using capitalism to fund and endow great charities. I have a passion for that right now. I don't have much expertise in politics. I have a lot of opinions, but I don't sense that happening. I promised my dad that I'd never put up a sign with my name on it on his lawn.
Q: How is fatherhood?
A: Fatherhood is a miracle. In football you study and learn about yourself and hopefully become a better person on the quest to see how good you could be. These are all really positive things, but I didn't realize how selfish I had become and how much of life really is learned by being selfless. In the last year, up all night burping and diapering and making sure my wife is okay, I found myself for the first time truly being selfless, worrying more about someone else. That has been one of the deeper endeavors of my life. I'm just getting started on it. Having a family is the secret to learning what life's all about.
Q: What's it like to play in the NFL?
A: It's really hard. I played in college, and every receiver was open in college. All you had to do was throw the ball to them. Then I went to the NFL, and no one was open. To top it off, I couldn't see. To be successful in the NFL, year in and year out, is one of the toughest challenges I can imagine. But the great thing about the NFL is that success brings a tremendous amount of adulation. When I was at the airport, sitting down and reading, an elderly lady next to me reading the newspaper looks over and says, "You look like Steve Young." I leaned over and said, "Yeah, people say that a lot." She went back to reading, and so did I. Then she turns back and says, "I don't like him." I said, "Neither do I."
Q: What was it like to sit on the bench in college football?
A: The coach told me that I was going to be really important to their program, but when I showed up there were seven quarterbacks in front of me. That's low on the totem pole. During my freshman year I was convinced that I would never have a chance, no one would ever know my name. I gave 70 reasons why I was going to come home, but my dad said the famous words, "You can quit, but you can't come home." If he had said, "Steve, that's unfair, and it's hard, and we understand," I would have gone home. I'm grateful for people like my dad, whose nickname is Grit, and he means it.
Q: Have the 49ers approached you about employment on their management team? Do you aspire to be a general manager of a team or a coach or own a team?
A: Brent Jones has been my teammate and friend for many years. On the road, he would always lie on the bed at night and think about all the mess-ups that management was making, and how if we were in charge, we'd be able to fix all the problems. Out of these conversations came a real effort to find an ownership group. There are only 31 teams, so it's not going to be an easy process. It's a pipe dream, I understand. But the dream is that one day we'll own a team and be able to practice what we preached and see if we really know what we're talking about.
Q: Do you think your Toyota career will last as long as your football career?
A: I never thought I'd be a pitchman for anything, and I've really enjoyed it. The funny thing is - you'll think this is solicitous - that they really are great cars. I always knew they were well made, but I really think the Land Cruiser is the best car on the road. As goofy as commercials and being a pitchman can be, I've actually found it quite enjoyable.
Q: On average, how many takes are required before you tape the commercial?
A: Sometimes not many, and sometimes a lot. Usually it takes a whole day to do a commercial. I have had a few acting opportunities over the years. I was on "Lois and Clark," "Dharma and Greg," "Beverly Hills, 90210." Magic Johnson had a talk show a couple of years ago, which was really hard to watch. I remember feeling for Magic the same way when I watched myself act. I don't think that, as athletes, we really want to bridge that gap. A few guys have been able to act. I'll just stick with commercials.
Q: Who was the weirdest individual you worked with during your football career?
A: Me - but I don't show that side of myself very often. We had some characters, some amazingly funny experiences, and some real hardship. Some of the hardest moments were watching guys who had played 15 years getting to the last training camp. After 15 years, you look at a piece of paper and your name is not there; you have to go home. There are some dramatic moments in football, too - injuries and so forth. Who was the most weird? No one, really. The only thing that comes to mind is a story about humility. In 1994, as a Super Bowl champion, I had to take part in a promotion after the game by saying that I was going to Disney World. I agreed to do it if they allowed me to bring Jerry Rice, figuring I wouldn't be so embarrassed and I'd have more fun. We had the party that night, and the next morning had the celebration for "Good Morning America." I flew from Miami back to San Francisco for the parade on Market Street. We got to LA late at night, and were dead tired. Down on Main Street, a parade was all set up, starting at the castle. On top of a float there was a sign that said "Steve Young and Jerry Rice." The crowds were huge and cheering. We were on top with Mickey Mouse, and in front was the Disneyland band. Then backstage at Disney, we were just standing there, awkwardly, and I see these two boys, probably six and eight years old, sitting on the curb, waiting for this stuff to go by so they can get on through the Magic Kingdom. To them, this was just an impediment. The six year old looks up and says, "Mickey Mouse." It was the first time in his life that he saw him. So he starts to charge. I was afraid he was going to get hurt or run over. But his big brother grabs him and pulls him back, saying, "You can't get near him; the two big guys won't let you." No matter how big you get, you will never be as big as Mickey Mouse.
Q: Do you think Garcia is worth $36 million?
A: We're all paid much more than we deserve, at least most of us are - although I did make $4.35 as a crew chief for a landscaping company during high school, and I thought I was grossly underpaid. Worth is relative. If you have a man who is competent, you had better keep him. I think they made that judgment with Jeff after just one year. Clearly, he's a guy who can not only play competent football but can also get better.
Q: What was the most significant piece of advice given to you by one of your coaches?
A: I've had great coaches my whole life, including Sid Gilman, who is now about 82. He was a crackly old guy; when I was younger I was scared of older people who screamed at me and called me names. He did that. Then we'd watch film at the end of the practice. In the old days they would watch film on a reel, not a tape. Inevitably, the reel would end and you'd hear that noise of the tape flapping around. Because he was old enough to be unable to drive, I would wake him up and take him home. We had some wonderful conversations. I long for those days again, just to listen to him. One of the things he always used to say is that when you throw the ball, there's no rubber band connected to it - so throw it with purpose. I have kept that in my mind my whole life. When you let it go, let it go with purpose, because there is no rubber band attached. I think that's a great metaphor for all of us.
Marwan Muasher
Arianna Huffington
Ben Stein