Bob St. Clair is the ultimate product of San Francisco. He attended San Francisco Polytechnic High School where he played his home games at Kezar Stadium. From there he moved on to the University of San Francisco where they played their home games at Kezar Stadium. Lastly, he played professionally for the 49ers where they called Kezar Stadium home.
He only left his city when USF disbanded its football team prior to his senior year.
Along the way, he carved a memorable journey on the gridiron as well as the training table. He was known to consume raw meat which disgusted many of his teammates. This disgust usually left him eating alone.
Strange eating habits aside, he was much more respected as a football player. He starred on both sides of the line as an offensive and defensive tackle. He was exceptional on special teams, blocking an incredible 10 kicks in 1956 alone. He towered over the competition, standing 6’9” and weighing 265 lbs.
He was much more than a football player as he was known to stand for social issues when necessary. His college football team decided to boycott the Orange Bowl in 1951 because African Americans were barred from that establishment. The team had two players who were African American and the team could not bear to leave them behind for any reason, let alone segregation.
At the time, USF was undefeated and ranked 13th in the nation. Four players from that team would end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The school disbanded its football team following that season and St. Clair was forced to play for Tulsa his senior year. Later in his NFL career, St. Clair would serve as the mayor of Daly City. Due to his strong connections to Kezar Stadium, after the venue was demolished and reconstructed in 2001 it’s field was named in his honor. He passed away in 2015.
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