Fredd Young, the former Seattle Seahawks linebacker who became one of the league’s most distinctive defensive and special teams players in the 1980s, died Tuesday at 64.
New Mexico State, his alma mater, and the Seahawks announced his death Wednesday. No cause of death was disclosed.
Young’s football path started in Dallas, where he played both football and basketball at Woodrow Wilson High School before heading to New Mexico State. He spent four seasons with the Aggies from 1980-83, developed into a four-year starter and earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 1982.
The next year, Young put together the kind of season that made him impossible to ignore. He was named an honorable mention All-American after finishing with 140 tackles and 12 sacks, and he wrapped up his college career with 393 tackles.
Seattle took him in the third round of the 1984 NFL Draft, 76th overall, and he made an immediate impact. Young earned Pro Bowl recognition as a rookie on special teams and became the first player who was not a return specialist to reach the Pro Bowl in that role.
By his second season, Young had moved into the starting linebacker lineup, and the Pro Bowl nods kept coming through 1987. His best year in Seattle came in that final season, when he posted nine sacks, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and an interception in 13 games. That performance earned him first-team All-Pro honors.
Young spent four seasons with the Seahawks before a 1988 trade sent him to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for two first-round draft picks after a contract dispute. He played three seasons in Indianapolis and retired after the 1990 season.
Across seven NFL seasons, Young appeared in 101 regular-season games, started 79 and finished with 21 sacks and three interceptions.
The Seahawks honored Young as one of the top 50 players in franchise history in 2025 as part of the team’s 50th-season celebration. New Mexico State had already inducted him into its athletics Hall of Fame in 1991, and he was later added to the school’s Football Ring of Honor.
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