No. 14
LSU
"Y.A. has been a member of the Colts since 1948 when he was named AAFC Rookie of the Year. In one streak he threw 115 passes with 68 completions and no interceptions. He had only nine interceptions during the season, and only one in his final seven games.
As a quarterback for Louisiana State University, Y.A. was the LSU leader in most minutes played in 1945, '46 and '47. He played in the Blue-Gray games in 1944 and '45."
-1950 Bowman No. 5
"With the Baltimore Colts from 1948-50, Y.A. is now with the 49ers. In 1950, he had an average gain per pass of 5.98. He threw 315 and completed 161 for 1,884 yards.
Y.A. played quarterback for Louisiana State University. He led LSU in minutes played in 1945, 1946 and 1947. He was in the Blue-Gray Games in 1944 and 1945.
Y.A. was AAFC Rookie of the Year in 1948. In one stretch he threw 115 passes with 68 completions and no interceptions."
-1951 Bowman No. 32 (Bowman Gum, Inc.)
"Y.A. led Louisiana State in minutes played in 1945, 1946 and 1947. He was in the Blue-Gray Games of 1944 and 1945.
With the Baltimore Colts from 1948-50, Y.A. was AAFC Rookie of the Year in 1948. In one streak he threw 115 passes with 68 completions.
Y.A. joined the 49ers in 1951 and was in the 10th spot among NFL passers."
-1952 Bowman No. 17
"San Francisco visions of a title team in 1953 rest mainly on Tittle's right arm, which is considered one of the finest in the game. Joining the 49ers in 1951, he has been noted as a 'clutch' player, saving many games that appeared to be lost. Last year he was responsible for more than 60 per cent of the 49ers' scoring."
-1953 Bowman No. 56
"Tittle's whiplike right arm carried the 49ers to their 'best ever' season in the NFL in 1953- nine wins against three losses. He missed two games last season because of a serious facial injury but came back wearing a mask to finish third among the league's passers.
Tittle played in the North-South Game twice during his college career. He started with the Baltimore Colts in 1948 and was voted Rookie of the Year.
He's married and has a family."
-1954 Bowman No. 42
"Injuries have plagued this outstanding passer for two straight years. He suffered a fractured cheekbone in 1953 and a broken left hand last year. Yet he was among the leading T-formation aerialists in the league last year. He had the lowest rate of passes intercepted (3.1%) of any passer in the League.
Y.A. was the All-America Conference's Rookie of the Year in 1948. He became a 49er in 1951 and has been instrumental in keeping the San Francisco club in the thick of every championship race."
-1955 Bowman No. 72
"Yat shared the top spot among N.F.L. passers in 1955 for tossing the most touchdown aerials. One of the most courageous players, he has given great performances despite injuries that would have sidelined other men and compiled the third highest completion record in the league."
-1956 Topps No. 86
"One of the truly rugged quarterbacks in football, Yat is the fighting leader of the 49ers. Not only is he a top flinger but he's a brainy field general and calls the right play at the right time.
Yat played most of 1954 with a broken hand. He has the highest completion percentage of active quarterbacks."
-1957 Topps No. 30
"For sheer courage and desire, no player in the NFL excels Yelberton Abraham Tittle. A triple cheekbone fracture in 1953 and a broken hand in '54 couldn't keep him out of the lineup for more than a few games.
Y.A. had a fine year in '56 with 124 completions in 218 attempts for 1,641 yards and seven touchdowns. His completion average of 56.9 was second best in the league. He has a 54 per cent completion average to rank among the all-time aerial greats.
A native of Marshall, Texas, where he won All-State honors in football and also starred in basketball, Y.A. was a 17-year-old varsity tailback at Lousiana State in 1944. When the T came in, he became LSU's passing star. He was All-Southeastern Conference in 1946 and '47 and played twice in the North-South classic.
Y.A. was Rookie of the Year for Baltimore of the All-America Conference in 1948 and played three years for the Colts. He came to the 49ers in 1951.
He has a full-time insurance brokerage in Palo Alto and San Francisco. He resides in Atherton, California, with his wife, Minette, and their three children."
-1957 Chicago Bears Official Program
"Tittle, a perennially top passer, ranked sixth last season, but he led the league in number of completions and in percentage. He teamed with Billy Wilson to make one of the deadliest passing combinations in the league."
-1958 Topps No. 86
Tittle started as a pro with the Colts in 1948 and came to the 49ers in '51, so he begins his 12th season. He lives in Atherton, California."
-Pro Football Handbook 1959
"The Bald Eagle holds the best efficiency record among active passers. He joined the 49ers in 1951 after three years with Baltimore in the All-America Conference. Tittle has been among the slickest of ball handlers, adept at running wide and gaining yardage when his receivers are covered. He completed 51.3 per cent of 159 forwards and gained 1,331 yards in 1959.
Yelberton Abraham was a sensation at 17 as an LSU tailback. Born in Marshall, Texas, he conducts an insurance brokerage."
-1960 Pro Football Handbook
"Don't give up on Y.A. Tittle too quickly. Bald and admitting to 34 years of age, the ex-LSU gunner has had two difficult years, injuries and health problems taking him out of action. Few passers are as accurate- he completed 54.3% of his bombs in 1960.
Yelberton Abraham has been pitching pro footballs since starting with Baltimore in 1948 and has the highest passing efficiency mark among active quarterbacks- proof that he's usually on target."
-Don Schiffer, 1961 Pro Football Handbook
"Supplying most of the punch in San Francisco's attack this year is playmaker Y.A. (for Yelberton Abraham) Tittle, undisputedly one of the all-time great quarterbacks in the pro game. Tittle is always sensible, often shrewd and occasionally a downright genius as a football tactician. His passing acumen compares respectably with that as such an immortal as Otto Graham.
Though bald at 34, Tittle's get-up-and-go belies his advanced age. Admittedly, however, he's not the speedy, limber-muscled college kid he was at Louisiana State back in the 1940's, when he earned four letters and played in two Blue-Grey Games. An All-Southwest Conference selection in 1946 and 1947, Tittle played the most minutes for LSU for three consecutive years.
Exactly six feet tall, weighing a trim 195 pounds, Tittle was initiated into pro competition by the Baltimore Colts of the old All-America Conference in 1948 and played with them through 1950. The Colts folded in 1951 and Tittle readily found employment with the 49ers- the beginning of a long-lived association between the player and the club. Tittle, many times an all-leaguer, was Pro Player of the Year in 1957.
Born in Marshall, Texas, he now lives with his wife and three children in Atherton, California."
-Who's Who in Pro Football (1961 Edition)
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