Hall of Fame QB Steve Young spent most of his career with the San Francisco 49ers, winning 3 Super Bowls by throwing to one of the best receivers to ever live in Jerry Rice. Before Young solidified himself as one of the all-time greats, he had a tumultuous couple years in Tampa Bay, combining for a dogshit record of 4-28.
In an excerpt shared by MMQB from his upcoming autobiography, “QB: My Life Behind the Spiral,” Young shared a story about a referee extending him an odd offer during his 1985 season with the Bucs, which involved his daughter and Young’s alma mater, BYU, where he set an NCAA single season completion record his senior year.
Partway through the second quarter I’m in the huddle when the head referee taps me on the shoulder. “Can I talk to you for a second?” he says. I step away from the huddle. “Hey, listen, my daughter’s going to BYU,” he whispers. Next thing I know he starts trying to convince me that I should meet his daughter. “I’d like you to take her out,” he says.
I cannot believe this. We’re in the middle of a game! “Oh, okay,” I said. “What’s her name?’’ He tells me and I return to the huddle … Late in the game we’re down 31-23 and I’m trying to mount a comeback. I scramble out of the pocket and take a brutal hit. It causes me to fumble just before the whistle blows to stop the play. I am lying on the ground when the defense recovers the loose ball, all but sealing our defeat. Suddenly out of nowhere a yellow flag lands next to me. The referee whose daughter is headed to BYU calls a personal foul on the defense. First down, Tampa Bay. I get up and brush myself off. Then the ref walks past me and whispers she likes Italian food.
BYU, a Mormon school, does not allow its students to have sex based on its honor code and encourages students to live a “chaste and virtuous life.” This was evidenced a few years back when the basketball team dismissed star player Brandon Davies after he admitted to having sex with his girlfriend. Maybe, in Steve’s case, the ref wanted his daughter to get a bone in before it could potentially cost her her education. Not the dumbest idea when you think about it.
[h/t MMQB]