Bryant Young believes the 49ers are set up to succeed

A strong championship culture is one element that all successful sports franchises have in common.

Bryant Young, the newest inductee to the Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. 49ers Hall of Fame, believes that the 49ers' culture played a significant role in his career and also sets the current roster up for continued success.

On a video call with local Bay Area media, Bryant spoke about his time with the franchise that spanned 14 seasons. He registered 774 total tackles, 27 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries. His 89.5 sacks ranks first in franchise history since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.

“They embody a lot in terms of the family environment top down leadership, really treating people with respect and dignity and that’s where it starts,” Bryant said. “It starts with the ownership and they’ve done an excellent job just making all of the players and coaches and people on staff feel like they are a part of a family.”

Prior to being inducted into the 49ers Hall of Fame, Bryant was named a member of the NFL’s All-Decade team of the 1990s as well as being a first team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler. He credited the 49ers organization for allowing him to focus on his gamesmanship.

“[It’s] unique and special,” Bryant said. “When you’re in that type of environment you can really dig your teeth in and go out there and play and do your job knowing you’re appreciated for what you do, take it to another level.”

Bryant was also a leader in the locker room. He was voted the Len Eshmont award recipient by his teammates eight times, the most in franchise history. It is the most prestigious of the team awards for the player who best exemplifies the inspirational and courageous play of Len Eshmont a member of the original 1946 team.

Bryant believes the same championship culture exists today in Santa Clara allowing players the opportunity focus on their craft and potentially break his career sack record of 89.5.

At one point, Bryant believed that former 49ers defensive end Aldon Smith was on the right path to break the sack record but unfortunately didn’t end up finishing his career with the team. Defensive rookie of the year Nick Bosa is now on Bryant’s radar of who could be up for the task.

“In this day and age anyone is capable of passing and breaking records,” Bryant said. “I think records are there as a benchmark to achieve more and accomplish more. It’s great. Definitely there are guys there that have the potential to exceed that.

“We’ll just sit back, eat our popcorn and watch and see what happens.”