Vince Young, a legendary All-American quarterback for Texas, was named Monday to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Young, who capped his career with the Longhorns by scoring the game-winning touchdown in the Longhorns’ 41-38 victory over USC to win the national championship in the 2006 Rose Bowl, becomes the 23rd Longhorn player or coach to be inducted. His coach Mack Brown was enshrined last year.
“I’m truly blessed and grateful to be selected to this year’s class of the College Football Hall of Fame,” Young said. “When I think about it, the honor is meaningful in so many ways and this award is full of reminders. It’s a reminder that I came from a broken home and an under-resourced community where the odds are against us all.
“It’s a reminder that I was given the chance to play for The University of Texas through the support of my family, hard work and dedication. It’s a reminder of the work my teammates and I put in, especially when no one was watching. It’s a reminder of all the adversity we have gone through and overcome. And last, but not least, it’s a reminder of all the awards, challenges and championships my brothers and mentors have won together. None of us have accomplished anything alone, and I’m thankful for everyone in my life. This honor means the world to me and my family, and as I think about it, two powerful words say it all: life changing.”
A consensus first-team All-American in 2005, Young was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy while claiming the Davey O’Brien and Maxwell awards. That season, Young was the unanimous Big 12 Player of the Year and first-team All-Big 12 selection.
Young, a product of Madison High School in Houston, had a professional playing career with Tennessee and Philadelphia in the NFL. He was briefly in camp for Buffalo, Green Bay and Cleveland and most recently had a short stint with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL in 2017 where he was hurt in a preseason game.
Earlier, Young had been hired by the University of Texas to work for its Division of Diversity and Community Engagement as a development officer for program alumni relations. He helped raise money for programs that assist first-generation and low-income college students.
