Football player Y.A. Tittle died at age 90 on Sunday night in Stanford, Calif., Louisiana State University announced, according to The New York Times.
Born Yelberton Abraham Tittle, the former quarterback played college football for LSU before spending 17 years in the NFL.
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He first played for the Baltimore Colts before the team temporarily disbanded, moving to the San Francisco ’49ers before playing with the New York Giants, who he led to three consecutive National Football League championship games in the early 1960s. Sports Illustrated reports that Tittle became one of the Giants’ most popular players, and became the first NFL player to cover Sports Illustrated in the Nov. 22, 1954 issue.
In 1963, Tittle set a record that held for 21 years with 36 touchdown passes thrown, and was selected the NFL’s Most Valuable Player that same year He attended seven Pro Bowls, and was later elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
Along with his accomplishments in the sport, Tittle became immortalized in NFL lore after photographer Morris Berman snapped a photo of Tittle kneeling on the field, his helmet knocked off and blood on his face after taking a brutal hit from a Pittsburgh Steelers player during a 1964 game.
The forever photo of HOFer Y.A. Tittle. RIP, sir. #Respect pic.twitter.com/PBWROHro9a
— Walking With Tigers (@LSUTigersBook) October 9, 2017
Photo Credit: Getty / New York Daily News Archive
