Y.A. Tittle, a pioneering 49ers star who soared to even greater heights after his lopsided trade to the New York Giants, died Monday. He was 90. The Hall of Fame quarterback played in San Francisco from 1951-60 and for three seasons was part of the “Million Dollar Backfield” that featured fellow Hall of Fame enshrinees Joe Perry, Hugh McElhenny and John Henry Johnson. Tittle will also be remembered as the subject of one of the most indelible photographs in sports history: a shot of the helmetless quarterback on his knees and his head trickling with blood after a vicious blow. Read more http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/...quarterback-and-nfl-hall-of-famer-dies-at-90/
I played in a charity golf tournament in Hawaii about 20 years ago. It was a Heisman Trophy themed event, and many of the players who won the trophy participated. We played 3 holes, and on the 3rd one of the ex NFL guys would join our foursome when we reached the green. 6 times we did that, 18 holes. The first guy to join our foursome was Y.A. Tittle, of all people. We had this really hard 25' put that went up two hills with a couple of twists in there for good measure. He calmly walked up to the ball and sank that putt. He was an old man, then, but he was obviously a good golfer. Kevin Butler, the '85 Chicago Bears kicker, looked really big next to me. He was the biggest hitter I've ever seen, to this day. There was a par 4 on the back 9 that had this really tall hill at the end with the green on top. Even my buddy, a PGA pro who shot in the 60s often when I played with him, would only drive to the base of the hill, or short of it. He wasn't laying up for a better 2nd/3rd shot, either. Butler's tee shot landed up near the top of that hill. RIP Y.A. Tittle. Thanks for the memory.
