ATHERTON — Y.A. Tittle, a pioneering 49ers star who soared to even greater heights after his lopsided trade to the New York Giants, died Monday. He was 90.
The Hall of Fame quarterback played in San Francisco from 1951-60 and for three seasons was part of the “Million Dollar Backfield” that featured fellow Hall of Fame enshrinees Joe Perry, Hugh McElhenny and John Henry Johnson.
Tittle will also be remembered as the subject of one of the most indelible photographs in sports history: a shot of the helmetless quarterback on his knees and his head trickling with blood after a vicious blow.