Charles Young, USC’s first All-American tight end and a former NFL standout who played in two Super Bowls during a 13-year professional career, has died at age 75, USC officials announced Tuesday.
Details regarding where he died and his cause of death were not immediately released.
Young, a Fresno native nicknamed “Tree,” was a unanimous All-American selection in 1972 as USC won the national championship. The three-year letterman caught 68 passes for 1,090 yards and 10 touchdowns during his career with the Trojans, including a team-leading 29 receptions in 1972.
Selected sixth overall in the 1973 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, Young earned NFL Rookie of the Year honors and was named an All-Pro during his first professional season.
“Of course, I made an impact because I wanted to make an impact. I had certain goals that I needed to attain,” Young told the Eagles’ website in 2017.
“And back in those days, there were only three television stations, and I wanted my parents to know that I was doing well. That’s why I had to make a statement,” he added.
He played 13 NFL seasons with the Eagles, Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, appearing in 187 regular-season games with 418 receptions for 5,106 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Young joined the 49ers in 1980 and played a role in the franchise’s first Super Bowl-winning season. He caught the first postseason touchdown pass of Joe Montana’s career and contributed to the team’s NFC Championship Game victory over Dallas in the game remembered for Dwight Clark making “The Catch,” with four receptions for 45 yards.
Young played in four Pro Bowls and two Super Bowls — the 1980 game with the Rams in 1980 and the 1982 game with the 49ers.
In 2004, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and in 2016 he was named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team.
After retiring from football, Young became a minister in Seattle and operated a learning center for at-risk youths.
His daughters, Candace, Cerenity and Chanel, competed on USC’s track and field team.