Steve Bono


Steven Christopher Bono is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League.

Collegiate career

Bono attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where he received a degree in sociology. As a Bruins quarterback, Bono posted collegiate career numbers of 177 completions in 315 attempts. Bono also earned a varsity letter in baseball as the team's catcher.

Professional career

Bono was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the 1985 NFL Draft.
In his first two seasons with the Vikings, Bono appeared in two games. He spent both seasons third on the depth chart behind starter Tommy Kramer and his backup Wade Wilson. At the end of the 1986 season, the Vikings placed Bono on waivers. He then signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bono appeared in five games over two seasons with the Steelers. He made his first NFL start on October 4, 1987 against the Atlanta Falcons. After the 1988 season, the Steelers allowed Bono to become a free agent.
On June 13, 1989, Bono signed a contract with the San Francisco 49ers where he remained for five seasons, his longest stay with one team in his career. Bono spent the 1989 and 1990 seasons as the 49ers' third-string quarterback behind Joe Montana and Steve Young. In 1991, 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 behind Young, Jim Kelly, and Mark Rypien. Bono returned to his backup role behind Young in 1992 and 1993.
Prior to the 1994 season, the 49ers traded Bono to the Kansas City Chiefs, where once again he served as a backup to Montana. After Montana retired, Bono became the starting quarterback in 1995. On October 1, 1995, in a game against the Arizona Cardinals, Bono ran 76 yards for a touchdown, the longest scoring run by a quarterback in NFL history up to that time. 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 the AFC Pro Bowl team. Bono remained the Chiefs starter throughout the 1996 season.
In 1997, Kansas City opted to hand the starting quarterback role to Elvis Grbac and released Bono. He signed as a free agent with the Green Bay Packers to back up Brett Favre. Bono spent 1998 with the St. Louis Rams, battling with then-starting quarterback Tony Banks for playing time, and 1999 backing up Carolina Panthers starting quarterback Steve Beuerlein.

Personal life

Bono and his wife have two children, and live in Palo Alto, California. His son, Christoph, was the quarterback for the Palo Alto High School's football team and then played baseball for the UCLA Bruins. Christoph also played professionally in the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres minor league systems and with the independent Gary SouthShore RailCats.
An avid golfer, Bono held an annual golf event in the San Francisco area benefiting the National Kidney Foundation. Bono also played in the 1993 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament, one of the most prestigious pro-am events in the United States.
Bono now works for Constellation Wealth Advisors, an independent firm in Menlo Park, California.