Sunday, in part, filled a promise made by Steve Young more than 22 years ago.
On April 23, 1983, a day that changed their lives forever, Steve Young, Eric Hunn and Jill Simmons learned about death on I-80 in Nebraska. In broad daylight on a dry road under sunny skies, all three could have died. Only two survived, when the car in which they were riding rolled over.
Friday, April 22, marked the end of the semester and year in the wet and rainy spring of 1983. Simmons, 19, made plans to drive home to Scarsdale, New York, and asked a friend, Hunn, from Shelley, Idaho, to accompany her and help with the driving chores. Members of Jill's family were longtime friends with the LeGrand Young family of nearby Greenwich. Steve Young had dated Jill's older sister Torri, so there was little question or debate when Jill's father, Ted, concerned about the safety of the long trip, requested that Steve join the 23-year-old Hunn and Jill for the trip home. Ted Simmons, an LDS stake president, was one of those who had called BYU to encourage LaVell Edwards to recruit Steve.
Steve, 21, had just completed his junior year at BYU. Spring football practice was over and the young athlete was earning recognition as a possible all-American candidate. Hunn and Jill had just finished their freshman year. They had planned a trip to Scarsdale and intended to explore New York City for Hunn's benefit. Hunn and Simmons were close friends, nothing more. They were just two students, ready to escape for the summer and put final exams behind them.
On Friday night, Hunn and Simmons attended a wedding reception in Salt Lake City for mutual friends. The plan called for Steve to meet them at the reception. It was 10 p.m. before they piled into Simmons' Chevrolet Citation and headed up Parley's Canyon through Park City toward Wyoming on I-80. Young started driving, with Hunn in the front and Jill taking the back seat.
The trio drove into the night and stopped at a gas station in Wyoming, filling up the gas tank and changing drivers. Hunn took the wheel, with Simmons coming up front. Young quickly fell asleep. The game plan called for one person to stay awake with the driver while the third slept in the back. Said Hunn: "I tried to get Jill to sleep when she was in the back, but she wouldn't. She wanted to stay up. When she got in the front seat with me, she didn't sleep but tried to keep me awake by talking."
Hunn drove the eastern portion of Wyoming, through Laramie and Cheyenne. The car was set on cruise control at 70 miles per hour.
The traveling party pulled into North Platte, Neb., the following morning, having traveled almost to the halfway point of the state. Hunn was exhausted after eating breakfast but wanted to continue driving. Simmons had not slept all night. Young made the executive decision that he would drive some more and Hunn crawled into the back seat and fell asleep.
Hunn woke up to the sound of Young and Simmons laughing. The car was on cruise control. There was no traffic, but the car was slightly swaying down the freeway as Young and Simmons were exchanging places. She took control of the vehicle, pointing it toward Kearny, some 75 miles from North Platte.
Once settled into the driver's seat, Simmons turned around and apologized to the dreary-looking Hunn in the back seat. "I'm sorry for dragging you along."
"No, you guys are going to have a tremendous time in New York," said Young. "Just tremendous."
Hunn slumped back into his back seat roost and quickly fell asleep. The next thing he knew, he was lying in a wheat field, groggy and slipping in and out of consciousness, confused over what was reality and what was dream.
Moments earlier, Young had snapped out of a daze, looked over at Simmons and discovered that she had fallen asleep. Young lunged for the wheel, attempting to take control of the car, which was careening toward the shoulder of the freeway. It was too late.
One report indicated that the vehicle turned over six times, During one of those revolutions, Simmons fell halfway out of the car, her head trapped between the ground and the outside top of the car. None of the three wore seat belts. In the ensuing hour, Young encountered one of the most frustrating experiences of his life. He tried reviving Simmons by giving her CPR. He also tried with futility to flag down passing motorists. It was nearly noon. Nobody would stop. Not one car pulled over and offered any help to the three survivors. Simmons was critically injured. Motorists on I-80 kept passing by. Nearly 45 minutes passed before an ambulance arrived at the scene.
Hunn woke up in the emergency room of Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Neb., and aides told him Jill Simmons was dead. "I didn't know how to feel," he said. "I was numb. It didn't seem real."
A few minutes later, Young entered the room, his eyes glazed over. He looked wrung out, tired and distant.
"Jill is gone," Young mumbled. "She's gone."
Neither Young nor Hunn were seriously injured. Young hurt his wrist. Hunn needed some stitches in his head.
Two weeks later, after Jill Simmons' funeral, Hunn got a call from Young. "I just had to call. You were there," said the quarterback, who had barely known Hunn before the accident. With his voice breaking and tears beginning to flow, he continued. "I just had to call. I know you understand."
Young and Hunn talked about what happened that day. Hunn remembered only a little. "I didn't know where you were," Young told Hunn of the scene. " I didn't think about you. All I wanted to do is help Jill."
In the months that followed, there were other phone calls between the two men. There were a lot of tears. "We were grieving. We were going through a process we needed," Hunn said.
"Whenever I turn on the TV and see Steve Young, I remember that day and I remember Jill," Hunn said. "Perhaps we survived for a purpose. We were given a second chance here. We could have been dead, too. I remember that we are alive for a reason. Steve says we have some things to do and we are alive for a reason."
"I've gained a lot of respect for Steve over the years. You never know when it is your time to go or when you will be taken. Steve has been a gentleman and a great human being. There is no air of superiority about him. He was just trying to enjoy life then, and he's just trying to make something of his life now. Jill Simmons was an example for both of us, both in life and death. Steve and I are trying to be more like Jill."
A promise.
Hunn and Young went on to earn law degrees, and Hunn is a judge in Preston, Idaho.
Sunday, Steve Young was enshrined into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
They're making the most of it, Jill.
E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com
Dick Harmon is author of the book "Steve Young: Staying in the Pocket."