Yelberton Abraham Tittle Jr. (October 24, 1926 – October 8, 2017) was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants; he also played for the original Baltimore Colts of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) until the franchise folded a year after joining the NFL. Known for his competitiveness and leadership, Tittle was the centerpiece of several prolific offenses throughout his 17-year professional career from 1948 to 1964.
Tittle played college football for Louisiana State University, where he was a two-time All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) quarterback for the LSU Tigers football team. As a junior, he was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the infamous 1947 Cotton Bowl Classic—also known as the "Ice Bowl"—a scoreless tie between the Tigers and Arkansas Razorbacks in a snowstorm. After college, he was drafted in the 1947 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions, but he instead chose to play in the AAFC for the Colts.
With the Colts, Tittle was named the AAFC Rookie of the Year in 1948 after leading the team to the AAFC playoffs.