Young family vacation

In the summer of 1973, the Young family made a two-week trek across the country to visit relatives in Utah. So, when it came time to plan for a vacation the following summer, the family opted for a one-week trip closer to their east coast home in Connecticut. 

Steve Young (second from left) posed on the front steps of the Hall during a family vacation in 1974.  Joining him in the picture were his mother Sherry, father “Grit," and younger brother Tommy.

Like so many fathers and sons, one of the great joys of visiting the Hall of Fame is bridging the generations through the history of football as displayed in the museum. Steve’s boyhood idol was Roger Staubach who at the time was building his Hall of Fame credentials with the Dallas Cowboys.

Grit recently recalled taking Steve up to the bronze bust of Otto Graham. “I explained how he was a great quarterback when I was kid. He was one of my heroes.”

At the time of their 1974 trip, brothers Michael and Tommy, and sister Melissa didn’t quite share the same exuberance as Grit and Steve. Making matters worse for the younger siblings was the fact that they anxiously awaited the next stop on the family vacation which was the “chocolate capital of the world,” – Hershey, Pennsylvania.

It suffices to say that the next trip to the Hall of Fame will be sweeter for the Young family. They return to Canton in August when Steve’s bronze bust is permanently placed near those of Graham and Staubach for all future generations to enjoy.