The retirement of jersey numbers has become a right of passage for the game's greats. If you look at the numbers that the San Francisco 49ers have retired over the years, one missing number stands out: 14. In his heyday, Y.A. Title led some fine offenses for the 49ers and possessed the arm that drove the famed "Million Dollar Backfield". Why has his number not been retired? Perhaps if we put a microscope to his time in San Francisco we can find the reason.
The Backup
Upon the demise of the Baltimore Colts, Y.A. Tittle went to San Francisco, certain that his best days were in front of him. When he arrived in the City by the Bay, the 49ers were already led by an experienced quarterback. Ever since its birth in 1946, the Niners had followed his swashbuckling ways to numerous victories and had grown used to his wobbly throws and authority-challenging demeanor.
1951 was a trying year for Y.A. Tittle. Up until then, he had been his team's starting quarterback wherever he had gone. Now he was relegated to watch from the bench. He did have one start though, a 13-7 loss at Chicago on October 21st. He showed promise in the loss, completing 10 of his 17 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.
In 1952, he started five times, winning thrice with deflating losses against the Giants and Rams. By the following year, he was deemed worthy to take over for Frankie Albert.
Prove It
Yelberton Abraham Tittle's first year as the 49ers' starter was one to remember. Early in the year, he came back to beat the Rams 31-27 in Los Angeles. Down by three in the first quarter, Tittle completed touchdown passes of seven and 60 yards to Billy Wilson and Joe Perry, respectively, to give his teammates a 17-13 lead going into the half.
The Rams came back with a touchdown drive of their own to start the second half, but Tittle quickly brought his team back, plunging into the end zone to complete the drive and retake the lead. After Rams running back Tank Younger dashed into the end zone for a 39-yard scamper, Tittle zipped a 17-yard touchdown pass to Gordie Saltou to finish off the Niners' nemesis. At the end of the day, Y.A. Tittle had completed 56.25% of his passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns.
Things weren't all rosy for him and his team, but in defeat they persevered. While he left Cleveland with a loss, it was by just two points to the eventual NFL champions while he passed for 214 yards and a touchdown. He earned his first Pro Bowl invitation that year, having completed 57.5% of his passes for 2,121 yards and 20 touchdowns against 16 interceptions. Having completed more touchdowns than interceptions, it was indeed a rarity for that era.
He was even better in 1954, completing more than 57% of his passes for 2,205 yards while earning another Pro Bowl invitation. He was even fifth in the league's MVP vote that year. A year later, he led the league in both touchdown passes (17) and interceptions (28).
As the young quarterback was finding his way in the NFL, the 49ers were building a contender. By the end of 1955, they had surrounded him with a historic backfield. Affectionately dubbed "the Million Dollar Backfield", all four of its 'backs w0uld eventually find their way to Canton. Halfbacks Joe Perry and Hugh McElhenney as well as fullback John Henry Johnson complimented Tittle's passing prowess. Like a canon long awaiting its moment to fire away, the 49ers set out to show themselves to the NFL world in 1957.
One Memorable Season
The team was down in more ways than one. Facing a 17-7 deficit against the Bears at the half, the 49ers then learned that their beloved owner Tony Morabito had succumbed to a heart attack at the game. Grief stricken, the 49ers set out to honor their fallen founder.
The 49ers fought back, dominating all aspects of the game. Yet late in the fourth quarter, they were still down by three when Y.A. let his teammates down the field one last time. Tittle polished off the comeback with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Billy Wilson. From then on the 49ers fed off of each other.
The week after their memorable comeback win, the 49ers faced one of the preeminent teams of that era: the Detroit Lions. At the time, the Lions were transitioning from Hall of Fame quarterback Bobby Layne to Tobin Rote, a reliable passer who lacked the guile and machismo that earned Layne a place in Canton.
The game was a shootout from the start. Rote hit Jim Doran for a 34-yard touchdown int he first and Layne kicked a nine yard field goal early in the second to give Detroit an early ten-point lead. San Francisco answered right back with Tittle completing a nine-yard touchdown pass to Clyde Conner and finishing off the half with a a one-yard plunge to give the 49er a narrow four-point lead.
Hugh McElhenny extended that lead in the third quarter with a five-yard dash into the end zone and after Gene Babbe plunged in from the one-yard line, at the start of the fourth the 49ers had a surprising 18-point lead against one of the best teams in the NFL. That's when the Lions came back to life.
For much of the fourth quarter, Tobin Rote put on a clinic at Kezar Stadium, throwing touchdown passes to Doran (31 yards), Steve Junker (13 yards). When he completed his third touchdown pass to Doran, the Lions had roared back to take a 31-28 lead late in game.
All looked bleak for the 49ers, but they still had one trick left up their sleeves. All offseason, Y.A. Tittle had practiced throwing the ball high into the air, where only his young promising receiver R.C. Owens could catch it. There was an extra bounce in the old basketball player's leap and the 49ers figured that he could showcase that ability far away from just the College of Idaho.
While the rumor spread through various NFL camps that summer, both Y.A. and R.C. perfected the route, waiting for the day when they could show the alley-oop to the world. The moment came against the mighty Lions on a late October day. With the clock winding down tittle dropped back, drew back his mighty arm and unleashed the 41-yard bomb to R.C Owens. The crowd was in an instant frenzy and the 49ers came away triumphant, 35-31.
The 49ers fed off of that great game, but so did the Lions. By the end of the regular season, the two teams were tied for first in their division, forcing a tie-breaking game to decide who would face the Browns in the NFL Championship Game. the fact that this was merely a tie-breaker didn't matter. For the first time since they entered the league, the 49ers were going to the playoffs.
Y.A. Tittle was magnificent in the first half of the Western Division Championship Game at Kezar Stadium, throwing three touchdown passes and helping give the 49ers a 24-7 halftime lead. The second half was a different story as the Lions had had time to regroup at halftime. Staring at a 27-7 deficit, the Lions roared back to win the game 31-27.
Y.A. wasn't completely innocent in the loss. In addition to his three touchdown passes, he had also coughed up three interceptions and could only listen on the radion as the Lions won the NFL Championship the following week. Statistically, 1957 was not Y.A. Tittle's finest in the Red and Gold. However, he did throw 13 touchdown passes (against 15 interceptions) and completed 63.1% of his passes for 2,157 yards, earning another Pro Bowl invitation, was named first-team All Pro was named the UPI's MVP and came in second in the AP MVP race, losing to the Browns' sensational rookie Jim Brown.
A Golden Sunset
Y.A. Tittle's last three years in San Francisco were filled with transition. With backup quarterback John Brodie waiting in the back, it was only a matter of time before the franchise would turn to the young gunslinger and turn its back on the aging signal-caller.
Tittle's demise in the Red and Gold began in 1958, having started just six times. He made the Pro Bowl the following year after completing more than 51% of his passes for 1,331 yards and 10 touchdowns. By 1960, the writing began to appear on the wall as he started just four times, throwing four touchdowns against three interceptions. His last start as a 49er was on October 30, 1960, a 25-7 win over the Bears at Kezar Stadium. Titlte was pulled early in the game and watched from the sidelines as Brodie threw a touchdown pass to R.C. Owens.
In 1961, the 49ers wanted to try a new offensive innovation: the shotgun formation. Seeing his advanced age of 35 years and knowing that he lacked the elusiveness that he may have possessed at one time, the 49ers traded Y.A. Tittle to the New York Giants for second-year guard Lou Cordileone. Tittle would go on to lead the Giants to the next three NFL Championship Games and earn the league MVP in 1963. Today, his number 14 jersey has been retired in New York since his retirement in 1964. The 49ers have yet to do the same.
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