Charle Young obit

Seahawks Legend & Captain Charle Young Dies At 75

The Seahawks mourn the passing of former team captain Charle Young.

 

He was not on the list.

Charle Young, a former team captain and member of the first playoff teams in Seahawks history, died on Tuesday at the age of 75.

Young, an All-Pro and Pro-Bowl selection with the Eagles early in his career, went on to play for the Rams and 49ers, winning a Super Bowl title with the latter, before finishing his 13-year NFL career with the Seahawks, playing three seasons in Seattle from 1983-1985.

Young joined the Chuck Knox-led Seahawks in 1983 and started all 16 games for the team that would become the first in franchise history to reach the postseason, with that 1983 squad reaching the AFC championship game.

Young, who played for Knox when both were with the Rams in 1977, was one of several veterans Knox brought to Seattle when he took the job in 1983 with the expectation that they would “Teach these guys how to win,” as former Bills and Seahawks guard Reggie McKenzie explained it.

Young was named Seattle's offensive team captain for the 1984 season, making him one of just three players to be named offensive captain for the Seahawks during the 1980s along with Steve Largent and Curt Warner.

In his three seasons with the Seahawks, Young recorded 97 receptions for 1,217 yards and five touchdowns while starting 43 of 45 games played. Young stayed in the Seattle area after retiring and was active in the Seahawks Legends community. Young also volunteered his time in the community to several organizations and also served as an NFL uniform inspector at Seahawks home games for several years.

He was a tight end for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 1973 NFL draft. He played in the NFL for the Eagles (1973–1976), the Los Angeles Rams (1977–1979), the San Francisco 49ers (1980–1982), and the Seattle Seahawks (1983–1985).

Young attended Edison High School in Fresno, California, where he led his high school basketball team to the valley playoffs. Following high school, he went on to a college and professional career playing football.

A unanimous first-team All-American in 1972, Young appeared in the Hula Bowl and College All-Star Game. A First-team All-Conference selection, he led USC to a Pacific-8 Conference title and a national championship in 1972. Named USC's Lineman of the Year in 1972, Young set a school record for receptions by a tight end with 62. In three seasons, he amassed 1,008 receiving yards and ten touchdowns. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Following graduation, Young earned Rookie of the Year honors with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973 and went on to play for 13 seasons in the NFL with four teams. He played in the Pro Bowl in 1973, 1974, and 1975, played in Super Bowl XIV with the Los Angeles Rams in 1979, and won Super Bowl XVI with the San Francisco 49ers in 1981. The following year, he changed his name to Charle, explaining "People had a problem. They thought they had better call me Charlie or Chuck. But Chuck doesn't fit me, and they didn't know if they should spell the other one Charlie or Charley. So I decided to find a shorter name that would make it easier for them, and I decided on Charle. Call me Charlie if you want but spell it Charle." He was a key contributor on the final 89-yard drive that led to the play that has been immortalized as "The Catch" in the 1981 NFC Playoffs versus the Dallas Cowboys. He also played with the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks.

 

Career history

Philadelphia Eagles (1973–1976)

Los Angeles Rams (1977–1979)

San Francisco 49ers (1980–1982)

Seattle Seahawks (1983–1985)

Awards and highlights

Super Bowl champion (XVI)

First-team All-Pro (1973)

2× Second-team All-Pro (1974, 1975)

3× Pro Bowl (1973–1975)

National champion (1972)

Unanimous All-American (1972)

Second-team All-American (1971)

First-team All-Pac-8 (1972)

Career NFL statistics

Receptions       418

Receiving yards          5,106

Receiving touchdowns            27