Charle Young, who helped 49ers win 1st Super Bowl, dies at 75

SAN FRANCISCO -- Charle Young, an All-Pro tight end who helped the San Francisco 49ers win their first Super Bowl title, has died.

He was 75.

The 49ers said Tuesday they were told of Young's death by his wife. No cause of death was disclosed.

Young played 13 seasons in the NFL for the Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, with his greatest individual success coming with Philadelphia before he later joined San Francisco and helped launch the dynasty started by Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh.

Young was picked sixth overall out of USC by Philadelphia in 1973 and made the Pro Bowl his first three seasons with the Eagles. He was a first-team All-Pro as a rookie when he had 55 catches for 854 yards and six touchdowns and was a second-team All-Pro the following two seasons.

He then played for the Rams from 1977 to 79, helping Los Angeles reach the Super Bowl his final season there when he had three catches for 39 yards in the NFC title game win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He then joined the 49ers the following season when Joe Montana took over as starting quarterback in Walsh's second season as coach. Young had 37 catches for 400 yards and five TDs in 1981 when San Francisco won its first of five Super Bowls in 14 seasons.

Young scored the first playoff touchdown of that dynasty when he caught a TD pass from Montana in a divisional round win against the New York Giants. He added four more catches in the NFC Championship Game against the Dallas Cowboys and had another in the Super Bowl against the Cincinnati.

He spent one more year in San Francisco before finishing his career with three seasons in Seattle.

Young finished his career with 418 catches for 5,106 yards and 27 touchdowns in 187 games. He ranked seventh among all tight ends in receptions and 11th in yards receiving at the time he retired following the 1985 season.

Young also had a stellar college career, helping USC win a national title in 1972 when he was selected an AP All-American. Young had 62 catches for 998 yards and 10 TDs in three seasons for the Trojans and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.