View source for Bob St. Clair

{{Short description|American football player (1931–2015)}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name          = Bob St. Clair
| image         = StClair-Bob-1961.jpg
| image_size    = 
| caption       = St. Clair in 1961
| number        = 79
| position      = [[Tackle (gridiron football position)|Offensive tackle]]
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1931|2|18}}
| birth_place   = [[San Francisco]], California, U.S.
| death_date    = {{death date and age|2015|4|20|1931|2|18}}
| death_place   = [[Santa Rosa, California]], U.S.
| height_ft     = 6
| height_in     = 9
| weight_lb     = 263
| high_school   = [[San Francisco Polytechnic High School|San Francisco Polytechnic]]
| college       = [[San Francisco Dons football|San Francisco]] (1949–1951) <br> [[Tulsa Golden Hurricane football|Tulsa]] (1952)
| draftyear     = 1953
| draftround    = 3
| draftpick     = 32
| pastteams     = 
* [[San Francisco 49ers]] ({{NFL Year|1953|1963}})
| highlights    = 
* 5× First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1955 All-Pro Team|1955]], [[1956 All-Pro Team|1956]], [[1958 All-Pro Team|1958]], [[1960 All-Pro Team|1960]], [[1961 All-Pro Team|1961]])
* 4× Second-team All-Pro ([[1953 All-Pro Team|1953]], [[1954 All-Pro Team|1954]], [[1962 All-Pro Team|1962]], [[1963 All-Pro Team|1963]])
* 5× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1957 Pro Bowl|1956]], [[1959 Pro Bowl|1958]]–[[1962 Pro Bowl|1961]])
* [[NFL 1950s All-Decade Team]]
* [[San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame]]
* [[List of San Francisco 49ers retired numbers|San Francisco 49ers No. 79]] retired
| statlabel1    = Games played
| statvalue1    = 119
| statlabel2    = [[Starting lineup|Starts]]
| statvalue2    = 117
| statlabel3    = [[Fumble]] recoveries
| statvalue3    = 7
| pfr           = S/St.CBo00
| HOF           = bob-st-clair
}}

{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Bob St. Clair
| caption             = Bob St. Claire in 1961
| office              = Mayor of [[Daly City]]
| term_start          = 1961
| term_end            = 1962
| party               = Democratic
| occupation          = Politician
}}

'''Robert Bruce St. Clair''' (February 18, 1931 – April 20, 2015) was an American professional [[American football|football]] [[Tackle (gridiron football position)|offensive tackle]] who played 11 seasons for the [[San Francisco 49ers]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL). Known for his intelligence and towering size, at {{convert|6|ft|9|in|abbr=on}} tall, St. Clair earned [[All-Pro]] honors nine times and is enshrined in the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]. He played [[college football]] for the [[San Francisco Dons football|San Francisco Dons]] and the [[Tulsa Golden Hurricane football|Tulsa Golden Hurricane]].

== College career ==

A native San Franciscan, Bob St. Clair attended [[San Francisco Polytechnic High School]] (located across the street from [[Kezar Stadium]]) and the [[University of San Francisco]], and was part of USF's undefeated [[1951 San Francisco Dons football team|1951 team]], which famously refused to play in the [[Orange Bowl]] because the team was asked to keep its black players, future NFL hall of famer [[Ollie Matson]] and future NFL game official [[Burl Toler]], from playing because they were black.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1951 USF Dons: The team that stood tall |url=https://www.nfl.com/news/1951-usf-dons-the-team-that-stood-tall-0ap3000000629002 |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=NFL.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Since USF did not return to field a football team for the 1952 season, St. Clair finished his college career at the [[University of Tulsa]].<ref name=Kislingbury>Graham Kislingbury, [https://web.archive.org/web/20150102185152/https://gazettetimes.com/sports/article_082d559c-13b2-11df-ad2c-001cc4c03286.html "Bob St. Clair: The King of Kezar,"] ''Corvallis Gazette-Times,'' Feb. 6, 2010.</ref>

== Professional career ==
St. Clair was drafted by the 49ers in the third round of the [[1953 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.<ref name=Kislingbury />

He began his career by successfully holding out for a $6,000 rookie salary.<ref name=Kislingbury /><ref name="travers09">{{Cite book
|title=The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: San Francisco - Heart-Pounding, Jaw-Dropping, and Gut-Wrenching Moments from San Francisco 49ers History
|last=Travers
|first=Steven
|year=2009
|publisher=Triumph
|page=ix
|isbn=978-1600782794
}}</ref> In his first preseason, he earned his spot on the [[1953 San Francisco 49ers season|1953 team]] by holding his own against defensive tackle [[Leo Nomellini]] in practice.<ref name="presscourier">{{Cite news
|title=Pro Football Hall of Fame to induct 49ers' St. Clair
|last=Smith
|first=Don
|work=The Press-Courier
|date=May 2, 1990
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nTpLAAAAIBAJ
|pages=15, 17
}}</ref> Primarily an [[offensive tackle]], he played alongside the [[Million Dollar Backfield (San Francisco 49ers)|Million Dollar Backfield]], whose halfback [[Hugh McElhenny]] considered him a dominant blocker.<ref name="sfgate">{{Cite web
|title=Bob St. Clair, Hall of Fame 49ers lineman, dies at 84
|last=Branch
|first=Eric
|work=SFGate
|date=April 20, 2015
|url=https://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/Bob-St-Clair-dies-at-84-6212538.php
}}</ref><ref name="latimes">Steve Chawkins, [http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-bob-stclair-20150423-story.html "Bob St. Clair dies at 84, Hall of Fame offensive lineman for 49ers"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', September 21, 2015.</ref> He started every game for the 49ers from 1954 to 1956, when he also received his first [[Pro Bowl]] selection.<ref name="pfr">{{Cite web
|title=Bob St. Clair Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College
|website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]]
|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/St.CBo00.htm
|access-date=September 21, 2023
}}
</ref>

Due to his size, St. Clair was also an effective [[special teams]] player. He blocked 19 field goals over the course of his career,<ref>{{Cite book
|title=San Francisco 49ers
|last=Jacobs
|first=Martin S.
|year=2005
|publisher=Arcadia
|page=55
|isbn=0738529664
}}</ref> ten of which came in 1956,<ref name="presscourier"/><ref name="latimes"/> and was instrumental in [[Abe Woodson]]'s 105-yard kick return touchdown in 1959.<ref name="presscourier"/>

His only postseason game came in [[1957 San Francisco 49ers season|1957]]. After missing eight weeks with a shoulder injury early in the season,<ref>{{Cite news
|title=Browns Meet Chicago Cards At Cleveland
|last=Chandler
|first=John
|work=St. Petersburg Times
|date=December 1, 1967
|agency=[[Associated Press]]
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hStSAAAAIBAJ
|page=6-C
}}</ref> St. Clair returned as the 49ers ended the season with an 8–4 record, tying the [[1957 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]] to force a one-game playoff, which Detroit won in a 31–27 comeback victory.<ref>{{Cite news
|title=Lions' Thrilling Rally Wins Playoff, 31–27
|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
|date=December 22, 1957
|page=20
|agency=[[Associated Press]]
|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=d8VRAAAAIBAJ
}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

St. Clair once again started at least ten games in each of the 1958–1961 seasons, receiving Pro Bowl honors each year.<ref name="pfr"/> He missed time due to an [[Achilles tendon|Achilles]] injury in 1962, but returned to play the entire 1963 season,<ref name="presscourier"/><ref name="pfr"/> for which he received the 49ers' [[Len Eshmont Award]].<ref>{{Cite web
|title=49ers Team Awards
|url=https://www.49ers.com/history/team-awards
|access-date=September 21, 2023
}}</ref> During the 1964 preseason, he injured his other Achilles tendon during punt return practice, requiring career-ending surgery.<ref>{{Cite news
|title=Freak Injury Threatens Pro Career Of St. Clair
|author=<!-- Not stated -->
|work=St. Petersburg Times
|date=September 15, 1964
|location=San Francisco
|agency=[[Associated Press]]
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CVBSAAAAIBAJ
|page=3-C
}}</ref>

A perennial [[National Football League team captains|team captain]], St. Clair was nicknamed "the Geek"{{efn|In reference to [[Tyrone Power]]'s character in the 1947 film ''[[Nightmare Alley (1947 film)|Nightmare Alley]]''.}} 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.<ref name="presscourier"/><ref name="sfgate"/>

St. Clair was elected to the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 1990.<ref name="presscourier"/><ref name="pfr"/> 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 his [[Retired number|number was retired]] by the 49ers later that year.<ref name=Kislingbury /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43087064/the_san_francisco_examiner/|title=Flooded Parking Lots Keep Fans Out of 3Com Park|newspaper=The San Francisco Examiner|location=San Francisco, California|date=December 3, 2001|via=Newspapers.com|last1=Graham|first1=Ricci|page=B8}}</ref>

== Personal life ==

While still an active player, St. Clair was elected to [[Daly City, California|Daly City]]'s city council in 1958,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74273170/|title=For 49ers' St. Clair, Football And Politics Add Up to Success|agency=[[Associated Press|AP]]|newspaper=[[The Miami Herald]]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=August 7, 1958|access-date=March 24, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74273709/|title=St. Clair Elected Daly City Official|agency=[[Associated Press|AP]]|newspaper=[[Oakland Tribune]]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=April 10, 1958|access-date=March 24, 2021}}</ref> which included a term as mayor from 1961 to 1962;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74273854/|title=Daly City Elects Bob St. Clair Mayor|agency=[[Associated Press|AP]]|newspaper=[[The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus]]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=April 22, 1961|access-date=March 24, 2021}}</ref> one of his mayoral and council colleagues was his high school coach [[Joe Verducci]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74274028/|title=49er Tackle St. Clair Seeks Council Post|agency=[[Associated Press|AP]]|newspaper=[[The Sacramento Bee]]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=February 11, 1958|access-date=March 24, 2021}}</ref> The 49ers made arrangements for him to fly back to Daly City for council business during road trips.<ref>{{Cite news
|title=St. Clair's Success Formula; Pro Football, Politics, Beer
|work=St. Joseph News-Press
|date=August 6, 1958
|location=[[Daly City, California]]
|agency=[[Associated Press]]
|page=14
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ritUAAAAIBAJ
}}</ref> He was the county supervisor for [[San Mateo County]] from 1966 to 1974. For many years he owned a [[liquor store]] at 24th and Sanchez in [[Noe Valley]], which still bears his name.<ref name=Kislingbury />

St. Clair broke his hip in February 2015; complications led to his death in [[Santa Rosa, California]], on April 20, 2015, at the age of 84.<ref name="latimes"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==External links==
* {{Profootballhof|186}}
*{{commonscatinline}}

{{49ers1953DraftPicks}}
{{NFL1950s}}
{{49ers Retired Numbers}}
{{San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame}}
{{1990 Football HOF}}
{{Pro Football Hall of Fame members}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:St. Clair, Bob}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:Alcohol distribution retailers]]
[[Category:County supervisors in California]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:American football offensive tackles]]
[[Category:San Francisco 49ers players]]
[[Category:Western Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:San Francisco Dons football players]]
[[Category:Tulsa Golden Hurricane football players]]
[[Category:Mayors of places in California]]
[[Category:NFL players with retired numbers]]
[[Category:American athlete-politicians]]
[[Category:People from Daly City, California]]
[[Category:Players of American football from San Mateo County, California]]
[[Category:Players of American football from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Democratic Party mayors in California]]