Quarterback, New York
Age: 37 (Oct. 24)
16th
season in pro football, 14th in NFL and 3rd with Giants
College: LSU
Height: 6’0” Weight: 195
Prelude:
While drafted
by the NFL’s Detroit Lions in 1948, Tittle instead signed with the Baltimore
Colts of the AAFC. He had an immediate impact, leading the league in yards per
attempt (8.7) and throwing for 16 TDs against 9 interceptions. After another
year in the AAFC, Tittle and the Colts joined the NFL in 1950, and he led the
league in pass completions (161) although the team went a dismal 1-11 and
folded. Picked up by the 49ers in ’51, he gradually took over from Frankie
Albert as the starting quarterback and was selected to the Pro Bowl following
the 1953, ’54, and ‘57 seasons. In 1957 the 49ers tied for first in the Western
Conference and Tittle also received MVP consideration. He suffered through an
injury-plagued season in 1958 and, and while he bounced back with a Pro Bowl
year in ’59, by ’60 found himself in competition with the up-and-coming John
Brodie. With Head Coach Red Hickey committing to a shotgun offense for 1961,
Tittle was dealt to the New York Giants in the preseason and revived his career
as he threw for 2272 yards and 17 TDs. The Giants topped the Eastern Conference
and Tittle was selected for the Pro Bowl and received MVP recognition from the
Newspaper Enterprise Association. He followed up with a bigger year in 1962,
throwing for 3224 yards and a league-leading 33 touchdowns and receiving
consensus first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl honors, plus being selected league
MVP by UPI. The Giants again finished first in the Eastern Conference, although
they fell short in the NFL title game.
1963 Season Summary
Appeared in 13
of 14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Passing
Attempts – 367
[3]
Most
attempts, game – 38 vs. St. Louis 11/24
Completions –
221 [3]
Most
completions, game – 22 vs. St. Louis 11/24
Yards – 3145 [3]
Most yards,
game – 324 at Washington 10/6
Completion
percentage – 60.2 [1]
Yards per attempt
– 8.6 [1]
TD passes – 36
[1]
Most TD
passes, game – 4 vs. Dallas 10/20, at St. Louis 11/3, vs. San Francisco 11/17
Interceptions
– 14 [7, tied with Earl Morrall]
Most
interceptions, game – 4 vs. Washington 12/8
Passer rating
– 104.8 [1]
300-yard passing
games – 2
200-yard
passing games – 10
Rushing
Attempts – 18
Most
attempts, game – 5 (for 24 yds.) at Baltimore 9/15
Yards – 99
Most yards,
game – 45 (on 4 att.) vs. St. Louis 11/24
Yards per
attempt – 5.5
TDs – 2
Scoring
TDs - 2
Points – 12
Postseason: 1
G (NFL Championship at Chicago)
Pass attempts
– 29
Pass
completions – 11
Passing yards
– 147
TD passes – 1
Interceptions
– 5
Rushing
attempts – 1
Rushing yards
– 2
Rushing TDs –
0
Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP,
NEA, Sporting News
1st
team All-NFL: AP, UPI, NEA, NY Daily News
1st
team All-Eastern Conference: Sporting News
Pro Bowl
Giants went 11-3
to finish first in the Eastern Conference while leading the NFL in total yards
(5024), scoring (448 points), and touchdowns (57). Lost NFL Championship to
Chicago Bears (14-10).
Aftermath:
The team
collapsed in 1964, Tittle’s last season, and he threw for just 1798 yards with
10 TDs and 22 interceptions while splitting time with rookie Gary Wood. He
retired as NFL career leader in pass attempts (3817), completions (2118), and
yards (28,339). The Giants retired his #14, and Tittle was inducted into the
Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1971.
--
MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or
Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or
USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football
Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press
International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league
itself).
