He was nicknamed
"Geek", but not for a great interest in techie subjects, nor a nose in the
books type personality. No, Bob St. Clair got his nickname for his
preference of raw meat. Not rare, raw. He credits his Yaqui
grandmother for introducing him to raw meat, as well as raw eggs and wheat
germ. Undoubtedly this protein-packed combo helped young Bob St.
Clair shoot up from 5'9" and barely 150 in his sophmore year of high
school to 6'4" and 210 his junior year. That, and an active desire
to make it onto the San Francisco Polytechnic High football
team filled out the frame.
St. Clair can also credit football for keeping him out of
trouble with the rough and tumble street hooligans that were his partners
in crime as a youth. As an athlete, he focused his efforts on hitting guys
on the field, not on the street, was named All-City his senior year and
continued to grow. Literally.
When he started his
college career at University of San Francisco on an athletic scholarship,
Bob was in good company. With nine players who would eventually make
it to the pros, including future Hall of Famers Ollie Matson and Gino
Marchetti, it was a disappointment to see the school drop its football
program in 1951. But, that wasn't going to put a stop to any of
those determined young athletes, especially Bob St. Clair.
He moved over to the University of Tulsa where he claimed
All-Missouri Valley Conference tackle, played in the Gator Bowl and earned
his degree in business administration. Indulging his love for a good
hit, Bob also became a Golden Gloves boxing champ in a bout that lasted
all of 30 seconds. Hitting was just in his blood, and St. Clair did
it exceptionally well. In college it was primarily on the defensive
side, as a pro it was in protection of the offense.
By the time Bob St. Clair went pro, he was up to 6'9"
and 265lbs. Raw meat. He was brought on by the 49ers in
the third round of the '53 draft and had the Million Dollar Backfield
(
Hugh McElhenny,
Y.A. Tittle, Joe Perry and
John Henry Johnson)
to protect from the line. Despite a
fractured transverse process (read: serious back injury) suffered
in his rookie year, St. Clair's toughed it through and did not miss a
game that season.
" The game is built around roughness" says St. Clair,
"There is a personal thrill out of knocking a man down, really hitting
him. It is the only satisfaction that a lineman has." Many
were on the receiving end of his "personal thrill", including 1956 rookie
Sam Huff, who made the mistake of simply watching a mid-field
pileup.
His eccentric style and passionate love of football turned
a few heads, but it was his absolute talent on the OT that kept them
looking. Bob St. Clair was All Pro from 1955-57, selected team
captain from 1957-59, and in the Pro Bowl from 1956-61. Somehow he
also found the time to be elected Mayor of Daly City, CA from
1958-61. 1962 was the first of the torn Achilles tendon injuries
that would eventually lead to his retirement. Unbelievably, St.
Clair recovered from the first injury and was back on the field in
'63. That performance earned him the Len Eshmont Award as Most
Inspirational 49er. A second Achilles injury 1964 signalled a time
for a change from the world of football.
He continued to
pursue politics as San Mateo County Supervisor from 1966-74, and again as
a lobbyist out of Orange County, CA. Currently he and his wife of 54
years, Ann, live in Santa Rosa where Bob is involved in PR and sales for
Clover Stornetta Farms. And no, he is not eating the herd raw.
Not all of them, at least... besides, they're dairy
cows.
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