Posted on 04/20/2015 6:51:51 PM PDT by nickcarraway
San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame offensive tackle Bob St. Clair died Monday night following a brief illness, the Pro Football Hall of Fame told NFL Media. He was 84 years old.
A Bay Area legend, St. Clair teamed with fellow NFL Hall of Famers Ollie Matson and Gino Marchetti on Joe Kuharich's fabled University of San Francisco Dons squad that went undefeated in 1951.
Drafted by his hometown 49ers in 1953, St. Clair emerged as one of the decade's top linemen, earning first- or second-team All-NFL honors nine times. He was also selected to five Pro Bowls and served as 49ers' captain from 1957 through 1959.
St. Clair was elected to the Hall of Fame 27 years after his retirement, when voters belatedly realized there must have been somebody blocking for the 49ers' famed "Million Dollar Backfield" of Hugh McElhenny, Joe Perry and John Henry Johnson.
Beyond his impressive blocking ability, the 6-foot-9 St. Clair was perhaps the most effective kick-blocking specialist in NFL history, notching an incredible 10 in 1956 alone.
One of many color characters in pro football's most violent era, St. Clair once lost five teeth when he discarded blockers so quickly that he ended up with a mouthful of Norm Van Brocklin's foot.
"I went over to the sideline," St. Clair told the 49ers' official website, "and they shoved cotton in my mouth until it got so bad I had to take Novocain, but I kept playing."
Guard Bruno Banducci, a rookie-year teammate, christened St. Clair "The Geek," a nickname that reflected the behemoth tackle's unusual eating habits.
"He came up with that name because there was a film where there was a character in a movie called, 'The Geek,'" St. Clair said. "They put him in a cage and fed him live animals."
St. Clair once explained that he developed a taste for raw meat because his Yaqui Indian grandmother fed him blood gravy and bits of raw beef when he was a child.
As St. Clair's career was winding down, his 1961 Pro Bowl selection was overshadowed by his political career. He spent a term as mayor of Daly City, California from 1961-1962 and later served on city council.
He was forced to hang up his spikes in 1964 after suffering a second torn Achilles' tendon in two years.
By the turn of the century, St. Clair was recognized as one of San Francisco's most legendary sports figures.
The field at Golden Gate Park's Kezar Stadium, where the 49ers played from 1946 through 1970, was renamed Bob St. Clair Field in 2001.
Let's clear one thing up first regarding this famous legend: The 'he eats raw meat' story.
My wife worked with his daughter for several years and I met her at a company party, where I asked her if the story was true.
She laughed and confirmed that it was true and she always thought it was gross.
May the angels sing him home.
He was a good and gentle man
He didn’t have any concussions or filed lawsuits?
RIP.
Growing up in Baltimore, my older brothers took me to a lot of Colts games.My first game in 1960 was the Colts hosting the visiting 49ers. In a last minute thriller, the Colts won on a last ditch pass from John Unitas to Jimmy Orr. Two teams stocked with NFL legends in that game.
when I was a kid, we did not have a NFL team in the Northwest, so the 9ers were our team. I used to send away every year for the press kit and one year it included a 5x7 of St Clair leaping out from his 3 point into space.
I thought that was the coolest thing I ever saw and did that for hours in my back yard with my Voit no face mask football helmet. Whic
h make explain why 57 years later, I’m a bit dingy!
Jimmy Orr played for the Steelers during the 1960 season.
ping
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.