 St. Clair in 1961 | |||||||||
| No. 79 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1931-02-18)February 18, 1931 San Francisco, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | April 20, 2015(2015-04-20) (aged 84) Santa Rosa, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 263 lb (119 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | San Francisco Polytechnic | ||||||||
| College | San Francisco (1949–1951) Tulsa (1952) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1953: 3rd round, 32nd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Bob St. Clair | |
|---|---|
| Mayor ofDaly City | |
| In office 1961–1962 | |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Occupation | Politician |
Robert Bruce St. Clair (February 18, 1931 – April 20, 2015) was an American professionalfootballoffensive tackle who played 11 seasons for theSan Francisco 49ers of theNational Football League (NFL). Known for his intelligence and towering size, at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) tall, St. Clair earnedAll-Pro honors nine times and is enshrined in thePro Football Hall of Fame. He playedcollege football for theSan Francisco Dons and theTulsa Golden Hurricane.
A native San Franciscan, Bob St. Clair attendedSan Francisco Polytechnic High School (located across the street fromKezar Stadium) and theUniversity of San Francisco, and was part of USF's undefeated1951 team, which famously refused to play in theOrange Bowl because the team was asked to keep its black players, future NFL hall of famerOllie Matson and future NFL game officialBurl Toler, from playing because they were black.[1] Since USF did not return to field a football team for the 1952 season, St. Clair finished his college career at theUniversity of Tulsa.[2]
St. Clair was drafted by the 49ers in the third round of the1953 NFL draft. He played his entire 11-year professional career in San Francisco, making his year at Tulsa the only season he did not play home games in Kezar Stadium.[2]
He began his career by successfully holding out for a $6,000 rookie salary.[2][3] In his first preseason, he earned his spot on the1953 team by holding his own against defensive tackleLeo Nomellini in practice.[4] Primarily anoffensive tackle, he played alongside theMillion Dollar Backfield, whose halfbackHugh McElhenny considered him a dominant blocker.[5][6] He started every game for the 49ers from 1954 to 1956, when he also received his firstPro Bowl selection.[7]
Due to his size, St. Clair was also an effectivespecial teams player. He blocked 19 field goals over the course of his career,[8] ten of which came in 1956,[4][6] and was instrumental inAbe Woodson's 105-yard kick return touchdown in 1959.[4]
His only postseason game came in1957. After missing eight weeks with a shoulder injury early in the season,[9] St. Clair returned as the 49ers ended the season with an 8–4 record, tying theDetroit Lions to force a one-game playoff, which Detroit won in a 31–27 comeback victory.[10]
St. Clair once again started at least ten games in each of the 1958–1961 seasons, receiving Pro Bowl honors each year.[7] He missed time due to anAchilles injury in 1962, but returned to play the entire 1963 season,[4][7] for which he received the 49ers'Len Eshmont Award.[11] During the 1964 preseason, he injured his other Achilles tendon during punt return practice, requiring career-ending surgery.[12]
A perennialteam captain, St. Clair was nicknamed "the Geek"[a] by his teammates due to his eccentric off-the-field behavior, including a habit of eating raw meat, which he frequently used to intimidate 49ers rookies.[4][5]
St. Clair was elected to thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.[4][7] On January 19, 2001, the city of San Francisco renamed the field at Kezar Stadium in his honor in recognition of his having played all his high school and professional home games and three-quarters of his college home games there, and hisnumber was retired by the 49ers later that year.[2][13]
While still an active player, St. Clair was elected toDaly City's city council in 1958,[14][15] which included a term as mayor from 1961 to 1962;[16] one of his mayoral and council colleagues was his high school coachJoe Verducci.[17] The 49ers made arrangements for him to fly back to Daly City for council business during road trips.[18] He was the county supervisor forSan Mateo County from 1966 to 1974. For many years he owned aliquor store at 24th and Sanchez inNoe Valley, which still bears his name.[2]
St. Clair broke his hip in February 2015; complications led to his death inSanta Rosa, California, on April 20, 2015, at the age of 84.[6]
Media related toBob St. Clair at Wikimedia Commons