Faithful Flashbacks #33: Steve Young Takes Over

Faithful Flashbacks revisits Steve Young stepping in for Joe Montana and beginning his own Hall of Fame run.

Jul 27, 2026, 7:00 AM Updated: 10:45 am

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In honor of the San Francisco 49ers celebrating their 80th anniversary, Sactown Sports is kicking off a countdown of the 80 greatest moments in the franchise’s illustrious history in reverse order called “Faithful Flashbacks.”

From Super Bowl-winning plays to overperforming teams that had minimal expectations, there’s plenty to choose from the team with five titles under its belt.

The voting was conducted by a handful of the Sactown Sports’ staffers before results were compiled into a full list that will count down to the 49ers’ 2026 NFL regular season debut against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on September 10th.

Faithful Flashbacks -- San Francisco 49ers 80 Best Moments

Coming in at No. 33 on our ‘Faithful Flashbacks’ countdown of the 80 best moments in franchise history is the beginning of Steve Young’s run as the 49ers’ starting quarterback.

For most franchises, replacing one Hall of Fame quarterback would be difficult enough. For the 49ers, Young was taking over for Joe Montana, who had already become the face of the franchise and one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in NFL history. Montana had led San Francisco through its rise in the 1980s, with the Super Bowl wins and late-game moments that shaped the standard everyone after him would be measured against.

Young had already been in San Francisco for four seasons by the time the job became his. He arrived after a difficult start to his NFL career in Tampa Bay, then spent years backing up Montana while showing flashes whenever he got on the field. There was talent there, especially with what he could add as a runner, but there was no easy way to fully evaluate him while Montana was still Montana.

The change came at the start of the 1991 season, when Montana’s elbow injury kept him out for the year. Young became the starter for a team that was still trying to remain in contention while moving into a much different quarterback situation than the one it had known for years.

That first season with Young was not a clean handoff into another dominant run. The 49ers finished with a winning record but missed the playoffs, and Young did not start every game. It was still the beginning of the transition, not the finished version of it.

What came after is why the moment belongs this high. Young won league MVP in 1992, eventually led the 49ers to a Super Bowl title after the 1994 season and was named Super Bowl MVP after throwing a record six touchdown passes in the win over San Diego. He became a seven-time Pro Bowler, a two-time league MVP and later joined Montana in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The 49ers could have been defined by the end of Montana’s time. Instead, Young helped extend the franchise’s championship window and gave San Francisco another quarterback era that could stand on its own.

More Faithful Flashbacks from Sactown Sports

Upcoming San Francisco 49ers Schedule

Late July 2026 – NFL Training Camps open
Thursday, September 10th – vs. Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia (Season Opener) – 5:35 pm PT
Sunday, September 20th – vs. Miami Dolphins – 1:25 pm PT
Sunday, September 27th – vs. Arizona Cardinals – 1:05 pm PT
Sunday, October 4th – vs. Denver Broncos – 1:25 pm PT

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