Tyrone Young facts for kids

Tyrone Donnive Young (born April 29, 1960 – died October 15, 2015) was an American football player. He was a talented wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1980s. Tyrone played college football for the University of Florida before joining the New Orleans Saints as a professional player. He played for two seasons in the NFL.

Growing Up in Ocala

Tyrone Young was born in Ocala, Florida in 1960. He went to Forest High School in Ocala. Tyrone was the quarterback for his high school football team, the Forest Wildcats. He helped lead the Wildcats to win two Florida state football championships in a row, in 1975 and 1976.

College Football Career

Tyrone earned a sports scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. He played for the Florida Gators football teams from 1978 to 1982. When he first started, the coaches decided to red-shirt him in 1978. This meant he practiced with the team but didn't play in games, giving him more time to develop.

Becoming a Star Wide Receiver

Tyrone worked hard and briefly became the Gators' starting quarterback. Later, he changed his position to wide receiver. He teamed up with another player who also used to be a quarterback, Cris Collinsworth. They became the Gators' star flankers, which is a type of wide receiver.

In 1980, during Tyrone's second year of playing, his team made an amazing comeback. The year before, in 1979, they had a record of 0 wins, 10 losses, and 1 tie. But in 1980, they improved greatly, finishing with 8 wins and 4 losses. This was one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA Division I football history!

Tyrone had a memorable game in 1980 against the Georgia Bulldogs. He caught ten passes for 183 yards, which is still one of the best single-game performances by a Gators wide receiver. In 1981, he also caught a fifty-one-yard touchdown pass against the Florida State Seminoles.

Tyrone Young finished his studies at the University of Florida and earned his bachelor's degree in 1988.

Professional Football Career

In 1983, the New Orleans Saints signed Tyrone Young as an undrafted free agent. This means he wasn't chosen in the NFL draft but was signed by a team afterward. He played for the Saints in 1983 and 1984.

During his first year, he played in a few games. But in his second year, he had a great season, gaining almost 600 receiving yards. In total, over his two seasons in the NFL, Tyrone played in thirty-two games. He made thirty-six receptions for 682 yards and scored six touchdowns.

Later Life

Tyrone Young passed away on October 15, 2015, in San Diego, California. He was 55 years old. He had been diagnosed with a serious illness called multiple myeloma in 2004.

See also

• List of New Orleans Saints players
• List of University of Florida alumni