Bob St. Clair, the towering tackle who overpowered defensive linemen while springing holes for his fellow Hall of Famers in the San Francisco 49ers’ “million-dollar backfield” of the 1950s, died on Monday in Santa Rosa, Calif. He was 84.
The cause was complications of a broken hip he incurred at his home in Santa Rosa in late February, his daughter Gail St. Clair-Midyett said.
Playing with the 49ers, his hometown team, from 1953 to 1963, St. Clair was a towering presence, even by today’s pro football standards, at 6 feet 9 inches and 265 pounds or so.