The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Vince Young's number 10 jersey to be officially retired at UT's season opener
08.14.2008 | Football
Aug. 14, 2008
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Vince Young Foundation to host benefit dinner on Friday, Aug. 29
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Tickets available for Vince Young jersey retirement game
AUSTIN, Texas -- Vince Young will be in attendance at No. 10 Texas' season-opening game versus Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Aug. 30 (6 p.m./Central/FSN Pay-Per-View). The quarterback who led Texas to the 2005 National Championship, its fourth national title, and the 2006 NFL Rookie of the Year will be on hand for a ceremony that officially retires his Longhorn No. 10 jersey. Earlier this year, he and UT legends Tommy Nobis (#60) and Bobby Layne (#22) joined Heisman Trophy winners Earl Campbell (#20) and Ricky Williams (#34) as the lone Longhorns to have their numbers retired.
"I'm really looking forward to getting back to Austin again, seeing everyone, reaching out to the community with my foundation event and cheering on my team," Young said. "I was speechless when they told me about the jersey retirement earlier this summer and I still don't think it's sunk in. It's such a great honor to be remembered in such a special way. Man, when I see that number and my name on the stadium ... I don't know what I'm going to do. It's just going to be such an unbelievable feeling for me and my family."
Less than 1,000 tickets remain for sale to the general public for the game. Seats are $65 and fans interested in purchasing tickets can order online at TexasBoxOffice.com or by calling 512-471-3333 or 800-982-BEVO. Tickets for Longhorns home games are going fast as the Arkansas, Missouri and Texas A&M games are already sold out. Less than 1,000 seats remain for the Oklahoma State game ($80) and less than 2,000 are left for the Baylor ($75) and Rice ($65) contests.
Young and The Vince Young Foundation will also host a benefit in conjunction with his jersey retirement ceremony on Friday (Aug. 29) night in Austin. The event, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel, will benefit Young's foundation and three local Austin charities - The Rise School of Austin, Wonders & Worries and Peace of Mind Foundation. Corporate and patron tables are still available starting at $2,500. The Vince Young Foundation has awarded more than $200,000 to 30 Texas, Tennessee and national charitable organizations. For more information, contact Barbara Weiss at 512-891-1680 or bweiss@riseschoolaustin.org.
"What a thrill for our team and all of our fans for us to unveil the new north end of the stadium while recognizing one of the greatest players in our program's history," said Mack Brown. "When you think about Vince, all he's done for The University, our football program and the community, it's going to be a really special day for all of us and a great opportunity to say thank you. Thank you for what he does as a football player, how he represents our football program, athletic department and university, for sending such a great message about education by coming back to finish up school, but most importantly, for always giving back. Vince is a terrific football player but an even more special young man. That's what I'll think about when I see his number on that stadium."
Young led Texas to a 41-38 victory over No. 1 USC in the Rose Bowl, a school-best 13-0 record and the 2005 National Championship in what was one of the most memorable seasons in Texas Football history. Just the fourth player in Rose Bowl history to earn two MVP Awards after being tabbed the Offensive MVP in the 2005 and 2006 games following the 2004 and 2005 seasons, Young's star shown brightest in "The Granddaddy of Them All." He passed for 267 yards, ran for 200 yards and scored three TDs as No. 2 Texas knocked off undefeated, defending National Champion and No. 1 USC, 41-38, in the BCS Championship Game. In the previous Rose Bowl against Michigan, Young, a sophomore, rushed for 192 yards to go along with 180 passing yards and accounted for five TDs (one passing/four rushing) to help Texas to a come-from-behind 38-37 victory over the Wolverines.
In addition to the National Championship and two Rose Bowl victories, Young led Texas to its second Big 12 Championship in defeating Colorado 70-3 in 2005. As the quarterback of arguably the most potent offense in NCAA history, Young led the 2005 Longhorns to a NCAA-record 652 points and helped the Horns become one of only four teams in NCAA history to average at least 50 points and 500 yards per game.
Individually, he became the first player in NCAA history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in a single season. As a result, Young was named the recipient of the Maxwell Award (nation's outstanding player), Davey O'Brien Award (nation's top QB) and Manning Award (nation's top QB, voted on after the bowl games). He also was named Cingular/ABC Player of the Year, runner-up for the Heisman Trophy and consensus first-team All-American that year. Young left Texas as the winningest quarterback in school history, compiling a 30-2 record (.938) as a starter, including victories in the final 20 games of his career. His .938 winning percentage is sixth-best in NCAA history.
During his career, Young built a reputation as a clutch performer, leading the Horns to eight second-half and six fourth-quarter comebacks, most notably bringing the Horns back from a 12-point deficit with six minutes to go in the 2005 National Championship Game. After just three seasons, Young became just the third quarterback in NCAA history to rush for better than 3,000 yards while passing for at least 6,000. He completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 6,040 yards (No. 5 on UT's career list) and 44 TDs (No. 4 on UT's career list). He also posted 3,127 rushing yards and 37 TDs, while notching 21 plays of at least 50 yards. Both his rushing yards and TDs are UT quarterback records, and stand fifth and fourth, respectively, among all Longhorn rushers. He is also the Texas career leader in total offense (9,167 yards) and TDs responsible for (81).
Young went on to be drafted third overall by the Tennessee Titans in 2006 and is in his third year as an NFL starter. He claimed NFL Rookie of the Year honors after taking over as the starting quarterback in Week 4 and leading the Titans to an 8-5 record. He earned a spot in the Pro Bowl, becoming the first rookie quarterback ever to play in that game. Young followed up his rookie year by leading the Titans to a playoff berth in 2007.