From Third String to Fourth Amigo : Denver: Michael Young hasn’t put up Flipper-like numbers, but he has been more productive since leaving Rams.

This former UCLA wide receiver was drafted by the Rams, wears No. 83 and led all NFL receivers in yardage on the day he helped his team win an overtime game.

Flipper Anderson?

Not this particular No. 83. He knows Flipper well, but his name is Michael Young.

Young, a Ram castoff now with the Denver Broncos, is having his best year as a pro.

In a 24-21 overtime victory at Seattle on Oct. 22, he caught six passes for 137 yards, 21 more yards than any other NFL receiver had that day.

In a rematch against the Seahawks last Sunday, he caught one of the four touchdown passes John Elway threw in the first half in a 41-14 victory that clinched the AFC West title.

Young will go into Sunday’s game against the Raiders at the Coliseum with 14 catches for 263 yards and a 18.8-yard average.

Now those numbers might not be too impressive when you consider that Anderson, Young’s friend and former Bruin and Ram teammate, had 15 catches for 336 yards in one game, but they’re pretty good for someone who had only two catches for 27 yards last year and finished the season on injured reserve.

And Young’s numbers are better than those by the Rams’ No. 3 and 4 wide receivers. Aaron Cox, who was injured during the early part of the season, has 13 catches for 193 yards; Ron Brown only two for 33.

Young, who was drafted by the Rams in the sixth round in 1985, spent four seasons with them.

In his second year, he had 15 catches for 181 yards and three touchdowns, then disappeared, only to be seen again singing in a talent contest before last January’s Super Bowl in Miami.

Under the NFL’s Plan B free-agent system, Young was among the players the Rams left unprotected after last season.

That meant Young, who serves as his own agent, could offer his services to any other NFL team. The Broncos showed enough interest to give him a two-year, $500,000 contract.

So now he’s making $250,000 a year, which is $75,000 more than the Rams ever paid him. And he’s playing.

After Young made two key receptions to keep drives going in a recent Monday night victory over the Washington Redskins, ABC announcer Dan Dierdorf suggested that the Three Amigos--Vance Johnson, Mark Jackson and Ricky Nattiel--change their name to the Four Amigos, taking in Young.

The idea wasn’t original. A headline in the Rocky Mountain News a week earlier read: “Broncos Blessed With a Fourth Amigo.”

Johnson’s version: “Call us Three Amigos Plus One.”

“It’s good to have a receiving corps like we have right now with the four receivers,” said Johnson, who has 52 catches for 878 yards. “They can’t just double up on one guy. That’s why I’m having such a good year.”

So what happened between Young and the Rams? This is how he analyzes it:

“My first two years with the Rams, back when Dieter Brock was the quarterback, the passing game was struggling.

“I thought as I improved I could help the team. But instead of giving me a chance to play more, to make mistakes and learn, they brought in receivers like Bobby Duckworth and Kevin House who they thought were better than me.

“In my fourth year, they finally got some quality wide receivers in Flipper and Aaron. Then they got rid of me.

“I think Coach (John) Robinson felt, inside, that I was a good player. But he also thought there had to be somebody else out there with more ability and more potential.”

Young spoke matter-of-factly, not bitterly.

“I admire Coach Robinson,” he said. “I’m grateful to him and (offensive coordinator) Ernie Zampese and (receiver coach) Norv Turner. They helped me tremendously.”

Said Robinson: “I think they’ve given him a role to play and he was ready to play it. I think he served an apprenticeship here. We felt last year that he was a good player, he was ready to play, but we just weren’t giving him a chance.

“He wasn’t one of those guys the day we drafted who was the player he is now. Routes to him then meant cross-country.”

Although Young’s playing career has had its ups and downs, his life has been on an even keel.

Mike Young, as he was known until turning pro, was a prep All-American at Mt. Whitney High School in Visalia, Calif., about 40 miles south of Fresno. He played on a San Joaquin Valley championship team that also included the Raiders’ Don Mosebar and former Bruin and Pittsburgh Steeler defensive back Lupe Sanchez.

He was all set to go to USC but at the last minute, with some prodding from his friend Sanchez, changed his mind and signed with UCLA, where he was good enough to make second-team All-Pacific 10 as a senior.

His backup his senior year was a sophomore named Willie (Flipper) Anderson.

“I’m really happy to see Flipper doing so well,” Young said. “He’s going to be one of the premier big-play receivers in the NFL for a number of years.

“I’m glad I’m with the Broncos because I’d be polishing his shoes if I was still with the Rams,” he said of the Rams’ No. 83.

After Young graduated from UCLA in 1985, he married his high school sweetheart, Jill Britten, that summer. They now have a daughter, Christine, who will be 2 in February.

By today’s standards, Young is not a high-paid athlete. But he has, through some astute investing, built up a mini-business empire.

He owns six rental homes--four in Visalia, one in Carlsbad and one in Oceanside--and has sold two other homes. He also has a diverse portfolio of other investments. And he’s only 27.

“When I was at UCLA, I began looking into how to invest money,” he said. “I got hold of all the literature and material I could.

“I knew that’s what I wanted to do eventually. I thought it would take a while because I never thought I’d play pro football.”

Young said he plans to continue to live in the Denver area, where the Broncos are regarded as celebrities.

“Even a player like me is recognized everywhere I go. For me, that’s kind of neat.”

But, there can be problems. Earlier in the season, an imposter tried to get a car stereo and car phone by saying he was Michael Young of the Broncos and promising free tickets and autographed footballs.

But the imposter was caught and arrested.

“He didn’t look anything like me, and I was told he acted real cocky,” Young said. “And he didn’t even do his homework. He said he went to USC.”

The incident didn’t do much to dampen Young’s enthusiasm for Denver, though.

“I think the atmosphere here helps the Broncos win,” he said. “As a player, you never get away from it, and it keeps you focused.”

Young said he hopes to play at least three or four more years, then retire to Visalia. He and Jill have already bought a lot in an exclusive area east of Visalia in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

“That’s where we want to build our dream house,” he said.

“I want to go back to Visalia, be financially set, and run programs for youth. I just hope it all works out.”