“You will see him on TV any given Sunday
Win the Super Bowl…”
Kanye West, “Gold Digger“
I had the pleasure of interviewing football great Steve Young at a Western Association of Venture Capitalists (WAVC) event in Silicon Valley. The former 49er retired from pro football in 1999 but has been far from idle– he’s an active philanthropist, a frequent commentator on sports shows, and a successful private equity investor managing over one billion dollars at HGGC. I’ve always been a fan of Steve Young, but I’m an even bigger fan after our fireside chat. In person, the guy is down-to-earth, affable, and engaging. The WAVC guests loved him.
Take a look below at the videos and live Twitter footage of my interview with Steve Young.
Steve Young on conquering the fear of Joe Montana’s shadow: “I decided this was the opportunity to find out how good I could be.” #VC #49ers
— Phil Sanderson (@SanFranciscoVC) February 27, 2014
— Phil Sanderson (@SanFranciscoVC) February 27, 2014
Steve Young – “a winning team has a ‘self-policing’ locker room – no coach or owner required” #vc #49ers
— Phil Sanderson (@SanFranciscoVC) February 27, 2014
Steve Young calls Deion Sanders one of most strategic marketers in #football. #vc #49ers
— Phil Sanderson (@SanFranciscoVC) February 27, 2014
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: #football, when played at it’s best, is a gentleman’s game.” – Steve Young #vc #49ers
Steve Young on #NFL concussions: “We used to laugh at them but awareness has increased, players now take concussions seriously.” #49ers
— Phil Sanderson (@SanFranciscoVC) February 27, 2014
— Phil Sanderson (@SanFranciscoVC) February 27, 2014
Steve Young on role of #NFL in #football concussions: league is accountable at some level. But science around CTE not solidified.
— Phil Sanderson (@SanFranciscoVC) February 27, 2014
Steve Young’s tips for negotiations: self-awareness & knowing your audience. “Being a quarterback taught me about psychology.” #vc #49ers
— Phil Sanderson (@SanFranciscoVC) February 27, 2014
7 is the magic number…for team efficiency Steve Young #49ers #vc
— Phil Sanderson (@SanFranciscoVC) February 27, 2014
Steve Young: “Jim Harbaugh is amazing w/ strong personality that doesn’t gel with some. It would be a mistake for #49ers to replace him.”
— Phil Sanderson (@SanFranciscoVC) February 27, 2014
“The balls of today are like butter!” Steve Young talking about the nice footballs of today. #vc #49ers pic.twitter.com/tBjeTeaJxk
— Phil Sanderson (@SanFranciscoVC) February 27, 2014
It’s a wrap! Thanks, Steve Young! pic.twitter.com/GBu9869cKu
— Phil Sanderson (@SanFranciscoVC) February 27, 2014
SanFranciscoVC 
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Great interview! The take away line for me was when Steve mentioned, “Do you want a successful career or a championship career?” That really landed on me.
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