Vincent Paul Young, Jr. (born May 18, 1983 in Houston, Texas), commonly Vince Young, or "VY",is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. Young was the third overall draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at The University of Texas. In his rookie season, Young was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned a roster spot on the AFC Pro Bowl team.

As a junior in college, Young finished second behind Reggie Bush in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. He won the Davey O'Brien Award which is given annually to the best collegiate quarterback in the nation. Following the Heisman voting, Young led his team to a BCS National Championship against the defending BCS national champion, University of Southern California, in the 2006 Rose Bowl. The game was called one of the most-anticipated games in the history of college football.In 2006, ESPN named Young as the 10th best college football player of all time.Texas retired Young's jersey on August 30, 2008.



Early years

Young grew up in a tough neighborhood in Houston, Texas where he was primarily raised by his mother and his grandmother. His father, Vincent Young Sr., missed much of Vince's college career due to a 2003 burglary conviction and prison sentence. Young credits his mother and grandmother for keeping him away from the street gangs. At the age of 7, Young was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle at the corner of Tidewater and Buxley, streets in his Houston neighborhood. The accident nearly killed him, leaving him hospitalized for months after the bicycle's handle bar went into his stomach. Today, he credits this event for making him into a "tougher" individual. Vince Young wears the number 10 to show love and respect for his mother, Felicia Young, whose birthday is June 10.

College career

Young chose to sign with Texas in 2002 for its winning tradition and football prominence there.He was part of a Texas recruiting class, which contained future NFL players Rodrique Wright, Justin Blalock, Brian Robison, Kasey Studdard, Lyle Sendlein, David Thomas, Selvin Young, and Aaron Ross. This class has been cited as one of the strongest college recruiting classes ever. Young redshirted his freshman year; this allowed him to learn the playbook and develop his skills before being asked to play in a game situation.

As a redshirt freshman during the 2003 season, Young was initially 2nd on the depth chart behind Chance Mock. However, Mock was benched halfway through the season (in the game against Oklahoma) in favor of Young. After that game, Young and Mock alternated playing time, with Young's running ability complementing Mock's drop-back passing.

As a redshirt sophomore in the 2004 season, Young started every game and led the Longhorns to an 11-1 season record (losing only to rival Oklahoma), a top 5 final ranking, and the school's first-ever appearance and victory in the Rose Bowl, in which they defeated the University of Michigan. He began to earn his reputation as a dual-threat quarterback by passing for 1,849 and rushing for 1,189 yards. The Texas coaches helped facilitate this performance by changing the team offensive scheme from the more traditional I-formation to a Shotgun formation with 3 wide receivers. This change gave the offense more options in terms of play selection, and consequently made it more difficult to defend against.



Before his junior season, Young appeared on the cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football alongside Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal.

In his All-America 2005 season, Young led the Longhorns to an 11-0 regular season record. The Longhorns held a #2 ranking in the preseason, and held that ranking through the season except for one week when they were ranked #1 in the Bowl Championship Series.Texas then won the Big 12 championship game and still held their #2 BCS ranking, which earned them a berth in the National Championship Rose Bowl game against the USC Trojans. Before the game, the USC Trojans were being discussed on ESPN and other media outlets as possibly the greatest college football team of all time. Riding a 34 game winning streak, including the previous National Championship, USC featured two Heisman Trophy winners in the backfield, including quarterback Matt Leinart (2004 Heisman winner) and running back Reggie Bush (2005 Heisman winner) who was widely discussed as being possibly the best running back in the history of college football.

College career statistics

Year	Passing						Rushing
	Comp	Att	Yards	TDs	Int		Att	Yds	Avg	TD
2003	84	143	1,155	6	7		135	998	7.4	11
2004	148	250	1,849	12	11		167	1,079	6.5	14
2005	212	325	3,036	26	10		155	1,050	6.8	12
Totals	444	718	6,040	44	28		457	3,127	6.8	37

NFL career

Rookie season

On July 27, 2006, Young agreed to terms on his initial contract with the Titans. Terms of the deal were reported to include five years with a sixth year team option and as much as US$58 million overall including $25.7 million in guaranteed money.As a quarterback, Young was able to reach a deal similar to that signed by the draft's #1 overall pick, Texans defensive end Mario Williams.


On August 12, 2006, Vince Young made his preseason debut, and on September 17, he threw for his first career touchdown against the San Diego Chargers. Young made his first career start versus the Dallas Cowboys on October 1, 2006 completing 14 of 29 passes for 155 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He achieved his first NFL victory (against the Washington Redskins, 25-22) on October 15, 2006.

2007 season

For the first exhibition game against the Washington Redskins on August 11, 2007, Titans Coach Jeff Fisher benched Young after he broke one of the team rules. Though Fisher declined to mention the rule Young broke, Young later hesitantly admitted that he left the team hotel the previous night in order to sleep at his home without informing Fisher. Young apologized for his behavior and was allowed to play for the next game.



During the Titans first game, a 13-10 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Young threw for 78 yards with 1 interception and ran for 22 yards, including a TD. In Week 2, the Titans lost 22-20 to the Indianapolis Colts at home. Vince threw for 164 yards and a TD and ran for 53 yards on 5 carries. During Week 3, the Titans played the New Orleans Saints in the first of their 2 appearances on Monday Night Football in the 2007 season. The Titans beat the Saints 31-14 behind Young’s 185 total yards (21 rushing, 164 passing) and 2 TDs with 1 interception. On Sunday October 7, Vince Young and the Titans took to the field in Nashville as they took on the Atlanta Falcons. Despite a lackluster day, the Titans and Young would come away with the victory 20-13. Young was 20-33 with 153 yards and 3 INT's.

Young injured his quadricep during the first half of a matchup against Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6. Young went to the dressing room clutching his leg, but returned after half-time and was shown warming up on the sidelines. However, he would not return to the game as a precautionary measure. The Titans would go on to lose the game 13-10.

Despite an upcoming divisional matchup against the Houston Texans Young missed the following weeks matchup after being listed as a gametime decision. This would be Young's first start missed due to injury. He would return the following week against the Oakland Raiders where he would complete 6 of 14 attempts for 42 yards in a 13-9 win. The following week against Carolina, Young would complete 14 of 23 attempts for 110 yards and 2 interceptions and add 25 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in a 20-7 win.

In Week 10 Young completed 24 of 41 passes for 257 yards 1 TD and 2 INT's in 28-13 loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Young's 257 yards passing in the game would become a new career high passing his previous best of 249 yards in a 24-21 comeback win over the New York Giants in Week 12 of the 2005-2006 season. His 41 attempts would also be a new career high.

The following week Young eclipsed his previous mark for passing yards in a game by throwing for 305 yards with 1 TD and 2 INT's as well as rushing for 74 yards and 1 TD in a 34-20 loss against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. His 379 combined yards would set a new career mark passing his previous best of 318 total yards in a 24-21 comeback win over the New York Giants in Week 12 of the 2005-2006 season. He would also equal his career high in attempts with 41.

2008 season

In the first game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Young injured his knee and was expected to miss 2 to 3 weeks. On September 15, Jeff Fisher made the decision to go with Kerry Collins and for Collins to remain the starter for the rest of the season. Young would be the back up quarterback.

2009 Season

During the 2009 offseason, Coach Jeff Fisher announced that Kerry Collins would remain the Titans' starting quarterback for the 2009 season; Fisher said that if Young wanted to become the starting quarterback, he would have to "earn his job back"

Personal

As a result of his strong on-field performance and his ties to the Houston area, January 10, 2006 was proclaimed "Vince Young Day" in his hometown of Houston, Texas. He is dating his high school sweetheart; Candice Johnson, who also attended UT. Vince has been in a number of television commercials for Madden 2008, Reebok with Allen Iverson, a Vizio television commercial, and Campbell's Chunky Soup with his mother. He also appears in rapper Mike Jones's video, "My 64". Vince was also interviewed by 60 Minutes for an episode that was aired on September 30, 2007. Texas Senate passed resolution on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 to declare the day “Vince Young Day” throughout state.

Disappearance

On September 9, 2008, a distraught Vince Young left his home without his cell phone. The reasons given were that Young was upset over being booed by fans after throwing a second interception against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars the previous day and the sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee suffered four plays after head coach Jeff Fisher prodded him back into the game. Young postponed a doctor's examination till the following day. After speaking to members of Young's family, Fisher called Nashville police. After a four-hour search, they found Young, who agreed to meet with Fisher and police at the team's training facility.


Vince Young's agent, Major Adams, told ESPN reporter George Smith that he didn't know why the story has taken on a life of its own, and stated that the incident was "blown out of proportion" and called any perceived depression or emotional problems suffered by his client "unfounded". However, Young's therapist told Fisher that Young mentioned suicide several times before driving away from his home with a gun, which prompted the Tennessee Titans to call the police.
His mother, Felicia Young, however, has stated that her son is "hurting inside and out".

Lawsuits

In December 2008, Young filed suit against former Major League baseball player Enos Cabell and two others for applying for a trademark to use his initials and "Invinceable" nickname to sell products without his permission in 2006. The suit claims that their use of Young's name has damaged endorsement deals for Young; he is asking the court to give him the exclusive rights to use the initials and nickname.