San Francisco 49ers: 15 most beloved fan favorites in franchise history
By Peter Panacy
(1951-60). Y.A. Tittle. 14. player. 42. . QB
Most beloved San Francisco 49ers in franchise history: 14. Y.A. Tittle
It’s pretty easy to come up with the two most popular quarterbacks in 49ers franchise history.
Finding the third is a little more difficult.
But one of the reasons for putting the late Y.A. Tittle on this list is him becoming a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s not too shabby the Niners can call three of their own signal-callers Hall of Famers.
Granted, a sizable chunk of Tittle’s resume came from his latter days with the New York Giants. But his four Pro Bowl nods and one first-team All-Pro selection during his San Francisco span can’t go unnoticed.
Those accolades, combined with enshrinement in Canton, put Tittle ahead of other second-tier quarterbacking greats, such as Jeff Garcia and John Brodie.
And while Tittle never enjoyed the kind of exposure from the media players receive now, he did wind up being the centerpiece of one of the most iconic photos in NFL history. Even if it was during his tenure with the Giants.
To truly qualify Tittle’s placement on this list, though, ask yourself who might be the three greatest quarterbacks in 49ers history without looking at stats or other rankings.
There’s a good chance Tittle makes that list.