'Be vulnerable' and own up to mistakes, NFL star quarterback Steve Young tells U of Manitoba students

CBC News

· Posted: May 21, 2025 3:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Students and shot fans astatine the University of Manitoba got to stock laughs with and larn from an NFL great Wednesday. 

Hall of Fame backmost Steve Young spoke astatine the Winnipeg assemblage arsenic portion of its International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award pupil presentation. Young worked the country during a code and Q&A league with assemblage members, telling stories from his playing days and besides offering advice successful beingness and successful concern to the crowd.

Asked what helium hoped younger radical successful the assemblage would instrumentality distant from his presentation, Young said helium hoped they learned "to beryllium accountable, to person the vulnerability to admit erstwhile you've made a mistake."

"When I yet realized that each the mistakes connected the tract were rooted successful my error, not idiosyncratic else's, was the astir almighty happening I could bash to lead, and I conscionable promote them to beryllium vulnerable," helium said.

Young  played 15 seasons successful the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers, wherever helium threw for much than 30,000 yards and implicit 200 touchdowns. He won 3 Super Bowls — 2 arsenic a backup and 1 arsenic a starter successful 1995, wherever helium was besides named the game's MVP. 

His play connected the tract helped him onshore in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, wherever helium became the first left-handed backmost inducted backmost successful 2005. 

Young has besides recovered occurrence disconnected the field, wherever helium is co-founder, president and managing spouse of an concern steadfast called Huntsman Gay Global Capital, which has implicit $8 cardinal nether its management, according to a University of Manitoba quality release.

Young has raised millions for philanthropic endeavours, including the Forever Young Foundation, which helium founded, the U of M said.

The instauration chiefly focuses connected intelligence wellness awareness — a cause Young said is close to him. 

"I suffered with separation anxiousness arsenic a kid and I didn't cognize it," helium said. "I recovered retired done immoderate truly pugnacious times erstwhile I was 33 years aged and playing successful the NFL."

'Don't conscionable pursuit the dollars' 

A spokesperson for the assemblage said successful an email 475 radical attended Wednesday's event, including 185 high schoolhouse students from Manitoba communities that see Arborg, Morris and Portage la Prairie.  

Other attendees included diehard 49ers fans, similar Clint Kehler. 

Kehler, who besides works arsenic an accountant, got his jersey signed by Young. He said helium hoped Young's messages astir enactment ethic and property stuck with the students successful the crowd.

"The information that helium was not each astir capitalism — beryllium a bully idiosyncratic and bash thing for humanity" resonated with him, Kehler said.

"Don't conscionable pursuit the dollars — I'm hoping that's what sits with the students." 

That was something Matthew Esguerra, a pupil astatine the Asper School of Business astatine the University of Manitoba, echoed.

"Overall it conscionable benignant of shows successful his quality that he's a radical person, and that's thing we request much successful business," helium said. "That's thing we request successful our regular lives — we request much radical who bash things for the enactment of the relationship, alternatively than transactional relationships."

Meanwhile, Young said Wednesday contempt all he's accomplished, there's 1 happening helium wishes helium would've done successful his career.

"I ever dreamed that playing successful Canada would person been cleanable for me, due to the fact that I could run, I could determination around, and the [CFL] crippled is benignant of built for maine successful galore ways," he said.

"Two regrets: Not playing successful Canada successful the CFL, and not playing hockey," said Young. "I deliberation [with] my size and velocity … I would've been a beauteous bully hockey player."