An injury to Montana's elbow in the 1990 NFC Championship Game forced him to miss the entire 1991 season, giving Young his chance to lead the 49ers.

On the strength of a six-touchdown performance that surpassed the previous Super Bowl record of five, owned by the man Young replaced, Joe Montana, Steve Young was named the MVP of Super Bowl XXIX, as the 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers, 49-26.

He was the first quarterback ever to record a triple-digit passer rating in consecutive seasons. Thanks to the mentoring of the 49ers' new offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, who worked with Young on combining his running skill with on-the-move passing decisions, he eventually extended this streak to four years.

Although he did not become the 49ers' starter until his 8th NFL season and played a full season only three times (all consecutively) during his 15-year career, Young had a significant impact on the NFL. A two-time league MVP, he completed 2,667 of 4,149 passes for 33,124 yards and 232 touchdowns, with 107 interceptions, and 43 rushing touchdowns.

On January 6, 1996, in a Divisional Round loss to the Green Bay Packers, Young attempted 65 passes, with 32 completions for 328 yards.

Young was an extremely efficient passer--leading the league in passer rating a record six times, and completion percentage and yards per attempt five times.

During a Week 3 Monday Night Football game against the Arizona Cardinals in 1999, Young was violently sacked by Cardinals cornerback Aeneas Williams on a blitz. Running back Lawrence Phillips was supposed to pick up Williams, but missed. Young was knocked out of the game with a concussion, and didn't return again for the rest of the season due to symptoms of post-concussion syndrome. The concussion he suffered against the Cardinals was reportedly his second in a season that was only three weeks old, and the seventh (at least) of his career. Following the season, the 49ers told him that he would be released if he did not retire.

In the 23rd episode of Season 1 of Frasier, celebrity voices calling into Frasier's program include Mary Tyler Moore, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Patricia Hearst, Tommy Hilfiger, Garry Trudeau and San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Steve Young.

Young was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 5, 2005. He was the first left-handed quarterback to be so honored.

In 1993, Young founded a charitable foundation known as the Forever Young Foundation, which serves children facing significant physical, emotional, and financial challenges by providing academic, athletic, and therapeutic opportunities otherwise unavailable to them.