October 2017
The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame mourns the loss of Y.A. Tittle, one of the great quarterbacks in the history of the San Francisco 49ers, and a 1988 BASHOF Hall of Fame Inductee.
Y.A. Tittle, the 1971 Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, died on October 10th in Stanford, California. Louisiana State University, where he played college football, announced his death. He was 90 years of age.
He threw for 242 touchdowns and 33,070 yards in his 17 years as a pro, and his 36 touchdown passes in 1963 set a record that stood for 21 years.
He made his pro debut with the Baltimore Colts in 1948 and was named rookie of the year.
Tittle began his career with the San Francisco 49ers in 1951, their first year in the N.F.L. Through ten seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, he was invited to four Pro Bowls, and he led the league in touchdown passes in 1955.
Tittle is the first professional football player featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the November 22, 1954 edition. He was wearing his 49ers uniform and helmet.
While playing with the San Francisco 49ers in 1957, Y.A. is credited with coining “alley-oop” as a sports term.
Just before the 1961 season began, Tittle was traded to the New York Giants. He was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1961 and 1963, when he led the New York Giants to Eastern Conference titles in 1961, 1962, and 1963. While playing for the New York Giants, he was invited to play in the Pro Bowl three more times, 1961-1963.
Tittle was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.
