SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- To those who played against him, Bryant Young was a man of few words. Despite his reputation as one of the NFL's best three-technique defensive tackles, Young never felt the need to tell the world about himself.
His performance said it all.
After 14 NFL seasons -- all with the San Francisco 49ers -- Young had earned a first-team All-Pro nod, three second-team All-Pro honors, four Pro Bowl selections, was part of the Super Bowl XXIX champions and landed a spot on the NFL's 1990s All-Decade team.
But for as loud as his game was, his quiet demeanor seemed to work against him in pursuit of the sport's crowning achievement: the Pro Football Hall of Fame.