Bob St. Clair

Robert Bruce St. Clair, nicknamed "The Geek" (February 18, 1931 – April 20, 2015) was a professional American football player. Because of his eccentricities, his teammates nicknamed him "The Geek".^[1][2]

St. Clair held the distinction of having been one of the few players in history to have spent almost his entire playing career in the same city, playing in the same stadium. St. Clair attended San Francisco's Polytechnic High School (located across the street from the stadium) and the University of San Francisco, and was part of USF's undefeated 1951 team. After USF dropped football, St. Clair finished his college career at the University of Tulsa. He was then drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1953 and played his entire professional career in San Francisco until his retirement prior to the 1964 season.

In 2001, as a tribute for playing a total of 17 seasons and 189 home games at Kezar Stadium, the city of San Francisco renamed the stadium's field in honor of St. Clair. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

St. Clair also served as mayor of Daly City, California from 1958 to 1964 (while still an active player) and a 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.^[1]

During St. Clair's tenure as mayor, the Philadelphia Warriors of the National Basketball Association moved to the Cow Palace in Daly City and became the San Francisco Warriors. The team moved to the Oakland Coliseum Arena in 1971 and took its current name, the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors won games 2 and 3 of the 1975 NBA World Championship Series at the Cow Palace en route to a four-game sweep of the Washington Bullets.

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.^[3]

References

External links

• Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile