FORMER NFL quarterback Vince Young had been on top of the world when he led Texas to the college football national championship in 2006.
Just eight years later, the former NFL star hit rock bottom after blowing his $34million fortune.
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It was a remarkable rise and fall for one of the greatest quarterbacks in NCAA history.
In 2005, Young was named the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, while claiming the Davey O’Brien and Maxwell awards.
The following year, he scored the game-winning touchdown in the Longhorns’ 41-38 victory over USC to win the national championship in the 2006 Rose Bowl.
He has since been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, while Texas has retired his No. 10 jersey.
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After being selected with the No. 3 pick of the 2006 Draft by the Tennessee Titans, Young's NFL career got off to a bright start.
He was the catalyst in Tennessee's rally from 0-5 to 8-8 and he was rewarded with the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Two years later, he graced the cover of the Madden video game.
But after a series of injuries of a loss of form, Young was released by the Titans in 2011 and his NFL career was over by 2014 after a series of failed moves.
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Young's rookie contract included a guaranteed $25.7million but he blew all within eight years and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
In court documents recorded in January 2014, he listed assets between $500,001 and $1million and debt between $1,001,000 and $10million.
Young told Sports Illustrated that he never closely examined his own finances until after his career ended.
He was allegedly defrauded by financial advisers to the tune of millions while his lavish spending doomed him.
Young spent $15,000 on one meal at The Cheesecake Factory, after teammates lavishly drank expensive bottles of cognac.
"Most I ever spent on a meal in my life,” he says.
In 2007, he even paid for every seat on a Southwest Airlines flight to avoid sitting near other passengers.
After hiring a new financial manager and clearing his debts, Young began the process of rebuilding his life.
The 40-year-old took a broadcasting job with the Longhorn Network and was appointed by Texas as a development officer for program alumni relations.
However, he was fired by his alma mater in 2019 due to "poor performance and often being absent from work or not in touch with his supervisors."
In 2021, Young was re-hired by Texas as a special assistant in the athletic department, a role he continues today.
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"I didn’t stop because I wanted to," Young says of his failed NFL career.
"I can’t blame anyone but me.”
