In the midst of the current “take a knee” crisis in the NFL and the reaction of fans by lessening their support of pro football, football legend Y.A. Tittle passed away on October 8, 2017. Millions of fans remember his triumphs and gallantry, as player and as coach, especially decades ago when his image had graced a 1964 magazine cover—now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame—showing his courage despite his multiple injuries.
Another American football icon of midcentury was the role whom actor Ronald Reagan immortalized, the injured yet courageous Notre Dame football player George Gipp. Reagan became “The Gipper.” Few know that Y.A. Tittle also demonstrated courage beyond the gridiron in the late 1960s, and the target of his political activism to help better America was Ronald Reagan.
In May 1968, Reagan was in the midst of his first campaign for the presidency and his efforts were concentrating on the Oregon primary, critically important for GOP candidates that spring. Tittle, who had supported Reagan in 1966 when Reagan had won the governorship of California, had a deep interest in politics and arrived in Oregon to once again campaign for Reagan.
During this first of Reagan’s eventual three presidential quests, he had been speaking out about his favorite subjects: how to bring the successful programs he had instituted in California—downsizing state government by bringing business methods to state bureaucracies—to the nation as a whole, and by wanting to win the war in Vietnam.
Tittle wanted to see Reagan in the White House come January 1969 too. Just before the May 1968 primary, Tittle arrived in Portland to campaign in person for Reagan and met the press and the public. This was followed by more press interviews, including a marathon hour-and-a-half interview of Tittle by The Oregonian. The liberal newspaper surprisingly concluded by stating that Tittle’s political arguments for supporting Reagan’s policies were “good.” Tittle then was heard endorsing Reagan on multiple local radio programs and many television news programs. The head of Reagan’s Oregon campaign office concluded that of all the visiting Reagan supporters who had come to Oregon, Tittle was the best.
In the face of steeply declining support from fans today in the autumn of 2017, the NFL is working on solutions to turn the situation around. In May, 1968, Tittle did not object to the faults he saw in America by taking a knee and then going about business as usual. Rather, Tittle took decisive action off the field by supporting Ronald Reagan for president, by campaigning in person and meeting the public—including high school students—to help educate them as to why he believed in the small government solutions of Ronald Reagan. The example of Y.A. Tittle from five decades ago can serve as a role model for players, fans, and owners today: take constructive action off the field.
