- Publish date:
Y.A. TITTLE (1926-2017)
The man known as the Bald Eagle—as much for his steady leadership of three NFL teams over 17 seasons as for his prematurely receding hairline—never won a championship during his Hall of Fame career, but when he retired in 1964, Y.A. Tittle, who died Sunday at 90, was the NFL's alltime leader in passing yards and TDs. The league MVP in 1963, he may be best remembered for a black-and-white photograph from his final season, 1964. In it, a helmetless Tittle—moments after an interception—kneels, blood trickling down his face. Taken at a time when concussions were barely acknowledged and CTE was unheard of, the photo elicits different feelings today. One reaction is the same though: The subject had given his all to the game.
