Y.A. Title - # 168

NFL Legend Y.A. Tittle Dies at Age 90

He was number 168 on the list.

Hall of Fame quarterback Y.A. Tittle died Sunday at age 90, LSU announced.

Before making the jump to pro football, Tittle played two seasons in Baton Rouge. After his time with the Tigers, Tittle played for the Baltimore Colts to start his 17-year pro career.

Tittle played in Baltimore for three years, before going to San Francisco for 10 seasons. While with the 49ers, Tittle had his first of three All-Pro seasons. He also earned his first of seven Pro Bowl nods.

When Tittle left San Francisco, he went to New York to play for the Giants for the last four seasons of his career. He won the 1963 MVP in the second to last year of his career, at age 37. It was the second time in his career he threw for more than 3,000 yards and he tossed a career-high 36 touchdown passes that season. Tittle's 36 touchdown passes tied George Blanda's single season record, which was not broken until Dan Marino threw 48 touchdowns in 1984.

 

Tittle is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, and played a key role in the progression of more forward passing in football. He is one of eight quarterbacks to throw seven touchdowns in one game, thanks to a 27-for-39, 505-yard performance against Washington on Oct. 28, 1962.

During the 1962 and 1963 season Tittle threw for 6,369 yards and 69 touchdowns, becoming the second quarterback to ever have back-to-back 3,000-yard seasons and the first quarterback to have consecutive seasons with at least 30 touchdown passes.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971.

He is one of eight players -- a list that includes Peyton Manning, Sid Luckman, Joe Kapp, Nick Foles, Adrian Burk and Drew Brees -- to throw for seven touchdowns in a game. When he retired in 1964, Tittle was the NFL career leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

For three seasons, he was part of the 49ers' "Million Dollar Backfield" with Hugh McElhenny, Joe "The Jet" Perry and John Henry Johnson -- the only full backfield in NFL history with every member in the Hall of Fame.

The group was broken up in 1957, and Tittle lost his job to John Brodie for most of his final three seasons in San Francisco. Tittle still teamed up with receiver R.C. Owens to create another piece of football history with the "alley-oop" pass -- a high-arching downfield throw with Owens' exploiting his superior jumping ability against smaller defensive backs.

Tittle's career appeared nearly finished when San Francisco traded him to New York, but the quarterback was an improbable hit in the Big Apple. He became the Giants' starter in 1961, winning over fans and teammates who had favored 40-year-old Charlie Conerly.

He established Y.A. Tittle & Associates Insurance Services during his playing days and ran the business in Palo Alto, California, well past the standard retirement age. He appeared briefly in the 1999 movie "Any Given Sunday," playing a coach, and was a favorite presence at memorabilia shows and NFL alumni functions.

Tittle never won a championship but came to personify the competitive spirit of football, thanks to an iconic photo taken by Dozier Mobley during Tittle's final season in 1964.

The frame caught the then-37-year-old quarterback, who looked older than his years, after throwing an interception returned for a touchdown by Pittsburgh’s Chuck Hinton. Tittle is seen kneeling in exhaustion and pain from an injured rib, blood dripping down his face from a head gash.

He is listed at 40th all time in passing yards in NFL history and the only the third in the top 50 who has died. The others are Steve McNair and Johnny Unitas. The top 50 list is:

1              Drew Brees         80,358   2001-2020            2TM

2              Tom Brady          79,204   2000-2020            2TM

3              Peyton Manning               71,940   1998-2015            2TM

4              Brett Favre         71,838   1991-2010            4TM

5              Philip Rivers       63,440   2004-2020            2TM

6              Dan Marino        61,361   1983-1999            mia

7              Ben Roethlisberger         60,348   2004-2020            pit

8              Eli Manning        57,023   2004-2019            nyg

9              Matt Ryan           55,767   2008-2020            atl

10           John Elway          51,475   1983-1998            den

11           Aaron Rodgers  51,245   2005-2020            gnb

12           Warren Moon    49,325   1984-2000            4TM

13           Fran Tarkenton 47,003   1961-1978            2TM

14           Carson Palmer   46,247   2004-2017            3TM

15           Vinny Testaverde             46,233   1987-2007            7TM

16           Matthew Stafford            45,109   2009-2020            det

17           Drew Bledsoe    44,611   1993-2006            3TM

18           Dan Fouts            43,040   1973-1987            sdg

19           Joe Flacco            40,931   2008-2020            3TM

20           Kerry Collins       40,922   1995-2011            6TM

21           Joe Montana      40,551   1979-1994            2TM

22           Johnny Unitas    40,239   1956-1973            2TM

23           Dave Krieg           38,147   1980-1998            6TM

24           Boomer Esiason                37,920   1984-1997            3TM

25           Donovan McNabb            37,276   1999-2011            3TM

26           Matt Hasselbeck              36,638   1999-2015            4TM

27           Alex Smith           35,650   2005-2020            3TM

28           Jim Kelly               35,467   1986-1996            buf

29           Jay Cutler            35,133   2006-2017            3TM

30           Ryan Fitzpatrick    34,977   2005-2020            8TM

31           Jim Everett         34,837   1986-1997            3TM

32           Jim Hart                34,665   1966-1984            2TM

33           Steve DeBerg     34,241   1978-1998            6TM

34           Tony Romo         34,183   2004-2016            dal

35           Russell Wilson   33,946   2012-2020            sea

36           Andy Dalton       33,764   2011-2020            2TM

37           John Hadl             33,503   1962-1977            4TM

38           Phil Simms          33,462   1979-1993            nyg

39           Steve Young       33,124   1985-1999            2TM

40           Y.A. Tittle             33,070   1948-1964            3TM

41           Troy Aikman       32,942   1989-2000            dal

42           Ken Anderson   32,838   1971-1986            cin

43           Kurt Warner       32,344   1998-2009            3TM

44           Sonny Jurgensen              32,224   1957-1974            2TM

45           Mark Brunell      32,072   1994-2011            5TM

46           Cam Newton     31,698   2011-2020            2TM

47           John Brodie        31,548   1957-1973            sfo

48           Steve McNair     31,304   1995-2007            2TM

49           Norm Snead       30,797   1961-1976            5TM

50           Randall Cunningham      29,979   1985-2001            4TM