 Bono in 2009 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 12, 13, 15 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1962-05-11)May 11, 1962 (age 62) Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Norristown | ||||||||||||||
| College: | UCLA | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1985: 6th round, 142nd pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Steven Christopher Bono (born May 11, 1962) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aquarterback in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theUCLA Bruins and was selected by theMinnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the1985 NFL draft. He played for seven different teams in 15 different seasons, spending the most time with theSan Francisco 49ers andKansas City Chiefs.
Bono attended theUniversity of California at Los Angeles, where he received a degree insociology. As aBruins quarterback, Bono postedcollegiate career numbers of 177completions in 315 attempts. On January 1, 1985, Bono threw for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns on his way to Quarterbacking the Bruins to Victory in the1985 Fiesta Bowl overBernie Kosar and theMiami Hurricanes. Bono also earned avarsity letter in baseball as the team'scatcher.
Bono was selected by theMinnesota Vikings with the 142nd overall pick in the sixth round in the1985 NFL draft.[1]
In his first two seasons with the Vikings (1985 and1986), Bono appeared in two games. He spent both seasons third on thedepth chart behindstarterTommy Kramer and his backupWade Wilson. At the end of the 1986 season, the Vikings placed Bono onwaivers.
Bono then signed as afree agent with thePittsburgh Steelers. Bono appeared in five games over two seasons with the Steelers (1987-1988). He made his first NFL start on October 4, 1987, against theAtlanta Falcons. After the 1988 season, the Steelers allowed Bono to become a free agent.
On June 13, 1989, Bono signed a contract with theSan Francisco 49ers where he remained for five seasons, his longest stay with one team in his career. The 49ers would winSuper Bowl XXIV in his first season with the team, marking the only Super Bowl win of his career. However, he did not play in the game. Bono spent the1989 and1990 seasons as the 49ers' third-string quarterback behindJoe Montana andSteve Young. In1991, with Montana lost for the season, and Steve Young injured mid-season, Bono started six games. He went 5–1 as a starter and finished the season fourth in passer rating. Bono returned to his backup role behind Young in1992 and1993.
Prior to the1994 season, the 49ers traded Bono to theKansas City Chiefs, where once again he served as a backup to his former 49ers teammate Joe Montana. After Montana retired, Bono became the starting quarterback in1995. On October 1, 1995, in a game against theArizona Cardinals, Bono ran 76 yards for a touchdown, the longest scoring run by a quarterback in NFL history up to that time.[2][3] In the same season, he guided the Chiefs to a 13–3 record and a division title. At season's end, he was selected for theAFCPro Bowl team. Bono remained the Chiefs starter throughout the1996 season.
Bono finished his career with several short stints. He signed as a free agent with theGreen Bay Packers in 1997. Bono spent1998 with theSt. Louis Rams. The following year, he signed with theCarolina Panthers.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Lng | Rtg | ||
| 1985 | MIN | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 39.6 |
| 1986 | MIN | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 79.2 |
| 1987 | PIT | 3 | 3 | 2–1 | 34 | 74 | 45.9 | 438 | 5 | 2 | 57 | 76.3 |
| 1988 | PIT | 2 | 0 | – | 10 | 35 | 28.6 | 110 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 25.9 |
| 1989 | SF | 1 | 0 | – | 4 | 5 | 80.0 | 62 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 157.9 |
| 1990 | SF | 0 | 0 | – | did not play | |||||||
| 1991 | SF | 9 | 6 | 5–1 | 141 | 237 | 59.5 | 1,617 | 11 | 4 | 78 | 88.5 |
| 1992 | SF | 16 | 0 | – | 36 | 56 | 64.3 | 463 | 2 | 2 | 36 | 87.1 |
| 1993 | SF | 8 | 0 | – | 39 | 61 | 63.9 | 416 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 76.9 |
| 1994 | KC | 7 | 2 | 0–2 | 66 | 117 | 56.4 | 796 | 4 | 4 | 62 | 74.6 |
| 1995 | KC | 16 | 16 | 13–3 | 293 | 520 | 56.3 | 3,121 | 21 | 10 | 60 | 79.5 |
| 1996 | KC | 14 | 13 | 8–5 | 235 | 438 | 53.7 | 2,572 | 12 | 13 | 69 | 68.0 |
| 1997 | GB | 2 | 0 | – | 5 | 10 | 50.0 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 56.2 |
| 1998 | STL | 6 | 2 | 0–2 | 69 | 136 | 50.7 | 807 | 5 | 4 | 47 | 69.1 |
| 1999 | CAR | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 |
| Career | 88 | 42 | 28–14 | 934 | 1,701 | 54.9 | 10,439 | 62 | 42 | 78 | 75.3 | |
Bono and his wife have two children, and live inPalo Alto, California. His son, Christoph, was the quarterback for thePalo Alto High School's football team and then played baseball for theUCLA Bruins.[4] Christoph played with futureNFL wide receiverDavante Adams in high school.[5] Christoph also played professionally in theSan Francisco Giants andSan Diego Padres minor league systems and with the independentGary SouthShore RailCats.
An avid golfer, Bono held an annualgolf event in theSan Francisco area benefiting theNational Kidney Foundation. Bono also played in the 1993Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament, one of the most prestigious pro-am events in theUnited States.
Bono now works for Constellation Wealth Advisors, an independent firm in Menlo Park, California.
