|
By Paul Carter
Forever Young--Steve Wishes for 10 More Years of Family Life
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA -- He thrived on the excitement of the NFL and
its SuperBowls. At times, he misses the thrill. After all, the
combination of Steve Young to Jerry Rice was pretty awesome and very
successful when backed by the entire San Francisco 49ers organization.
But, that has all been left behind with Steve Young's decision to
retire from professional football. Now, after 38 years of being
single, Steve Young is loving married life. With 20 weeks experience
as a dad, Steve Young only wishes he could have started a family
sooner.
Steve Young and Barbara Graham were married in March of 2000. They
had actually been introduced by a friend in the very early 1990's,
but Barbara was a young coed at the University of Arizona and not
interested in Steve Young. At least not then. The two became
reacquainted in 1998 and dated for over a year. Barbara joined The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints during that time. They
were married in the Maui Hawaii Temple.
And now they are the doting parents to a soon-to-be 5 month old son, Braedon.
"I told Barb that I'm mad at her," says Steve about his wife. "If
she was going to be the one, why did she turn me down cold when I
asked her out 10 years ago? We could have had five kids by now!"
Steve cares for Braedon and supports Barb as if he could handle five.
He has approached parenthood the way friends say he masters
everything in his life. He shares diaper responsibilities and
feedings. He has read all the applicable books. Claims have been
attributed to him that he has done more laundry and shopped for more
groceries in the past 5 months than in his entire life previously.
Steve is extremely content with his family life. "I always knew
marriage would be great," he says. "I was a horrible bachelor. It's
not like I was really thriving. I just wish we could turn the clock
back."
Even now when he is enjoying so much what he had awaited for so long,
Steve is not focusing his efforts on just one high-profile endeavor.
That has never been the Steve Young way. While racking up
impressive statistics as a quarterback, he also earned a law degree
at BYU's Rex Lee School of Law and started the Forever Young
organization, in which he plays an active role.
Now retired, Steve is not cutting back. He has been a sportscaster
this past football season with ESPN. His charitable foundation,
Forever Young, funds Native American efforts as well as children's
hospitals. He is active also in the work of the Children's Miracle
Network and is the Chairman of Found, Inc, an internet company
offering retailers and distributors the ability to combine their
on-line and "bricks and mortar" distribution channels for their
customers.
Add to these responsibilities Steve's efforts as one of the highest
profile volunteers for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. In
addition to his role hosting the medal ceremonies each night of the
Games, Steve is currently assisting the efforts to schedule and
assign duties to the estimated 30,000 volunteers for the Olympics.
"For a stay-at-home dad, he's hardly ever home," says Barb.
Over a year now has passed since he last played professional
football, and that amount of time can allow Steve to put his current
efforts and his genuine pleasure in family life in a unique
perspective:
"It's all great stuff," he says with satisfaction, and yet with a
recollection of what used to be.
"But you cannot re-create third-and-10 in the Superdome. I really
miss that, where you can't hear at all and Jerry's yelling, 'What's
the play?' and you get on the bus afterward and you've won. It was
awesome. I loved it."
Steve's parting comment about his decision to retire, which Barb did
not ask him to make: "I always saw myself as an artist. And it's
like telling a painter he can't paint."
Source:
Young enjoys life with diapers, groceries
Wichita KS Eagle (San Jose Mercury News) 29Apr01 S2
By Ann Killion: San Jose Mercury News
The former 49ers QB wishes he had more children -- and more time to team with Jerry Rice.
|
