Charle Young

For other people with similar names, see Charlie Young (disambiguation).

Charles Edward Young (February 5, 1951 – May 12, 2026) was an American professional football player who was a tight end for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 1973 NFL draft. He played in the NFL for the Eagles (1973–1976), the Los Angeles Rams (1977–1979), the San Francisco 49ers (1980–1982), and the Seattle Seahawks (1983–1985).

Charle Young

Young at USC
No. 86, 87
Position	Tight end
Personal information
Born	(1951-02-05)February 5, 1951 Fresno, California, U.S.
Died	May 12, 2026(2026-05-12) (aged 75)
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school	Edison (Fresno)
College	USC (1970–1972)
NFL draft	1973: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Career history
Philadelphia Eagles (1973–1976) Los Angeles Rams (1977–1979) San Francisco 49ers (1980–1982) Seattle Seahawks (1983–1985)
Awards and highlights
Super Bowl champion (XVI) First-team All-Pro (1973) 2× Second-team All-Pro (1974, 1975) 3× Pro Bowl (1973–1975) National champion (1972) Unanimous All-American (1972) Second-team All-American (1971) First-team All-Pac-8 (1972)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions 418 Receiving yards 5,106 Receiving touchdowns 27 Stats at Pro Football Reference
College Football Hall of Fame

Early life

Young attended Edison High School in Fresno, California, where he led his high school basketball team to the valley playoffs. Following high school, he went on to a college and professional career playing football.

College career

A unanimous first-team All-American in 1972, Young appeared in the Hula Bowl and College All-Star Game. A First-team All-Conference selection, he led USC to a Pacific-8 Conference title and a national championship in 1972. Named USC's Lineman of the Year in 1972, Young set a school record for receptions by a tight end with 62. In three seasons, he amassed 1,008 receiving yards and ten touchdowns. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Professional career

Following graduation, Young earned Rookie of the Year honors with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973 and went on to play for 13 seasons in the NFL with four teams. He played in the Pro Bowl in 1973, 1974, and 1975. He was traded from the Eagles to the Los Angeles Rams for Ron Jaworski on 9 March 1977. He played in Super Bowl XIV with the Rams. He was acquired along with third- (77th overall–Craig Puki) and fourth-round (98th overall–Houston linebacker David Hodge) selections in 1980 by the San Francisco 49ers from the Rams for third-round picks in 1980 (58th overall–Jewerl Thomas) and 1983 (63rd overall–traded to the New York Giants) on 28 April 1980. He won Super Bowl XVI with the 49ers in 1981. The following year, he changed his name to Charle, explaining "People had a problem. They thought they had better call me Charlie or Chuck. But Chuck doesn't fit me, and they didn't know if they should spell the other one Charlie or Charley. So I decided to find a shorter name that would make it easier for them, and I decided on Charle. Call me Charlie if you want but spell it Charle." He was a key contributor on the final 89-yard drive that led to the play that has been immortalized as "The Catch" in the 1981 NFC Playoffs versus the Dallas Cowboys. He also played with the Seattle Seahawks.

Personal life and death

Young volunteered with the United Way of America, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Society, and the Pacific Northwest Athletic Congress. A volunteer for the 1990 Goodwill Games, he participated in the Black Men Professional Breakfast and was a board member of the Wee Care Childcare Center.

Young died on May 12, 2026, at the age of 75.

NFL career statistics

Legend
	Won the Super Bowl
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Receiving
		GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
1973	PHI	14	14	55	854	15.5	80	6
1974	PHI	14	14	63	696	11.0	29	3
1975	PHI	14	14	49	659	13.4	47	3
1976	PHI	14	14	30	374	12.5	29	0
1977	RAM	14	0	5	35	7.0	17	1
1978	RAM	16	3	18	213	11.8	19	0
1979	RAM	15	0	13	144	11.1	23	2
1980	SFO	16	15	29	325	11.2	41	2
1981	SFO	16	16	37	400	10.8	29	5
1982	SFO	9	9	22	189	8.6	30	0
1983	SEA	16	16	36	529	14.7	47	2
1984	SEA	15	13	33	337	10.2	31	1
1985	SEA	14	14	28	351	12.5	32	2
		187	142	418	5,106	12.2	80	27

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Receiving
		GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
1977	RAM	1	0	0	0	0.0	0	0
1978	RAM	2	0	2	30	15.0	15	0
1979	RAM	2	0	3	39	13.0	22	0
1981	SFO	3	3	7	81	11.6	17	1
1983	SEA	3	3	3	47	15.7	28	1
1984	SEA	2	2	1	5	5.0	5	0
		13	8	16	202	12.6	28	2

External links

• Charles Young at the College Football Hall of Fame
• Career statistics from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference · 
• Charle Young at IMDb