LAS CRUCES, N.M. — New Mexico State football Ring of Honor member and NM State Hall of Fame inductee Fredd Young has passed away at the age of 64.
Young attended NMSU from 1980-83, where he played defensive end, linebacker and return specialist for the football team and started all four years. Throughout the community, Young was considered one of the greatest players to ever play for the Aggies.
During his tenure at NMSU, Young earned first team All-Missouri Valley Conference in 1982. He followed that season by earning All-American honorable mentions from both the Associated Press and The Sporting News in 1983. Young led the Aggies in tackles in both the 1982 (134) and 1983 (140) seasons.
Young’s career total of 393 tackles ranks fourth all-time in program history. In 1983, Young also recorded a 12-sack season which ranks him fourth all-time in in that single-season record. During that year, he also set a record that still stands today: recording six sacks in one game. He was not only a defensive machine, the Aggies used Young on the special teams side of the ball as well.
He returned 28 punts and ranks 10th in program history in total return yardage. During the same dominant defensive 1983 season, Young returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, both of which covered more than 90 yards.
After his time with the Aggies ended, Young was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1984 NFL draft. Young was selected in the third round with the 76th overall pick. Young began his career as a special teams player for the Seahawks, where he earned a Pro Bowl selection in each of his first four seasons.
As a rookie, Young became the first AFC player selected to the Pro Bowl strictly as a special teams player who did not return kicks. His impressive 1984 rookie season also earned him one of his two first-team All-Pro selections. He became the Seahawks’ starting linebacker in his second year. In 1987, arguably Young’s best year, he earned himself another first-team All-Pro selection. He finished the year with 76 total tackles, nine sacks and one interception.
After the 1987 season, Young entered contract disputes with the Seahawks, leading the team to trade him to the Indianapolis Colts, where he would play three more seasons before officially retiring from football in 1990. He appeared in 101 regular-season games, starting 79. In his career, Young recorded 601 tackles, 21 sacks and three interceptions with one being a 50-yard pick-six.
Following his retirement, Young was inducted into the NM State Hall of Fame in 1991. Young later became a member of the NM State Football Ring of Honor in 2007 and was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame in 2024. In 2025, Young was named among the 50 greatest players in Seahawks franchise history as the organization celebrated 50 seasons.
Young is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.
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