Most remembered today for the iconic photograph taken of him helmet-less and bleeding after being sacked in the 1964 NFL Championship Game, Y.A. Tittle was one of the most dominant quarterbacks of the 1950’s and 1960’s. From a young age Tittle seemed destined for gridiron glory - his neighbor growing up in Marshall, Texas was none other than “Slinging’ Sammy” Baugh. Tittle was recruited by LSU where he was the MVP of the 1947 Cotton Bowl, an epic grudge match played in sub-zero temperatures and dubbed the “Ice Bowl” that ended in a tie.

      Tittle began his pro career with the Baltimore Colts in 1950, but really came into his own with the San Francisco 49ers in the mid-1950’s. Nicknamed the “Bald Eagle”, the pre-maturely bald Tittle commanded complete respect on the field. Teammate Frank Gifford summed up Tittle’s character by saying "Tittle has the attitude of a high school kid, with the brain of a computer”. In 1954 the 49ers star was the very first football player featured on a Sports Illustrated cover and in 1957 was the league MVP.

      This jersey was worn by Tittle during his final season with Frisco. The quarterback was 34 and the 49ers new management decided to pursue a different offensive strategy that made Tittle irrelevant. After the 1960 season he was traded to the Giants in what has gone down as the worst trade in NFL history. Far from being irrelevant, Tittle led the Football Giants to three consecutive NFL Championship Games. Game used jerseys from the early years of the NFL are few and far between, but to find one from a Football Hall of Famer of Y.A. Tittle’s iconic stature is off the charts.

      The white Dureen road jersey shows moderate game use (Tittle played in only 9 games for the 49ers in 1960). The front has Tittle’s number “14” in 7 5/8” red tackle twill. The size “46” Wilson 1959-66 style tagging is sewn in the lower left tail. Each sleeve has dual red stripes, Tittle’s number “14” in 4 1/4” red tackle twill and elbow patches. The back has “14” in 10 1/8” red tackle twill. The numbers show some puckering from laundering and age along with loose threads and some areas where they were re-stitched. There is light turf stains and contact abrasions throughout the jersey, most noticeably on the back tail and back of the elbows. The collar exhibits the expected perspiration stains. Tittle has signed each side of the jersey above his immortal number “14” in black marker adding the inscription “HOF ’71”. This jersey comes with letters of authenticity from MEARS (304551) for game use, who have given this piece of NFL history a perfect A10 and PSA/DNA (AA07826) for his signature.

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