Charle Young, a standout tight end who played for the Los Angeles Rams and the USC Trojans, has died at the age of 75. His wife informed the San Francisco 49ers of his passing on Tuesday.
Young was a key contributor to the 49ers’ first Super Bowl victory in 1982, when San Francisco defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 in Super Bowl XVI. That season, he recorded 37 receptions for 400 yards and five touchdowns. Before joining the 49ers, Young helped the Rams reach Super Bowl XIV in the 1979 season, catching three passes for 39 yards in the NFC Championship game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A standout at USC, Young was part of the Trojans’ national championship team in 1972 and earned AP All-America honors. Over three seasons, he tallied 62 catches for 998 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
Selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the No. 6 overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft, Young played 13 seasons in the league. After stints with the Eagles, 49ers, and Rams, he finished his career with the Seattle Seahawks over his final three seasons. In his rookie year, Young was named first-team All-Pro after a 55-catch, 854-yard, six-touchdown performance, and he followed that with second-team All-Pro honors in each of the next two seasons.