By Harrison Smith, The Washington Post
Y.A. Tittle, a Hall of Fame quarterback who became a master of the long pass in 17 rugged, occasionally bloody seasons of pro football, winning nearly every honor and title save a championship, died Oct. 8 at a hospital in Stanford, California. He was 90.
The cause was congestive heart failure, said his son John Tittle. He had been diagnosed with dementia, ESPN magazine reported in 2014.
Tittle, who spent his childhood in East Texas targeting the bushes with high-velocity throws, achieved near-total victory in high school, at Louisiana State University and with the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants, whom he led to three straight title games in the early 1960s.