Bob St. Clair with what looks like a full mouth of teeth (Courtesy of Pro Football Hall of Fame).
The NFL is full of tough athletes who have played through it all. Something stands out, though, about Bob St. Clair’s ability to play through literally anything.
If you haven’t heard of Robert Bruce St. Clair, let me introduce you. Bob “The Geek” St. Clair was born and raised in San Francisco and played his entire NFL career there as well as being a talented linesman.
Why “The Geek?”
Bob was named “The Geek” after a movie character who was a carnival performer. That’s not what the two had in common, though—both ate raw meat, although St. Clair did it less violently than his namesake. St. Clair says his love for uncooked meat came from his grandmother throwing raw meat on the floor while cooking and him and the family dog fighting over the pieces. How…. quaint.
A gentle giant on the field, “The Geek” had the persona of the trio every defensive man needs: hostility, power, and strength. Bob loved a good blind side, along with his cold raw meat (his preference) and eggs.
No Pain, Still Gain
The thing that stands out most about the late Bob St. Clair is all of the random, painful injuries. Here are some of his most unbelievable ones:
Bob would dislocate his shoulder and play for eight more minutes in a game in 1957.
The linesman would also fracture his back in three places in 1953, but he didn’t miss a game, opting to wear a plastic jacket instead.
St. Clair’s most surprising on-field injury was when he ate another player’s foot with his teeth in 1956. The over-enthusiastic player was teaching the game of football a thing or two about blocking kicks, but it went horribly wrong once when he got there too fast and got kicked in the mouth.
“The Geek” would lose five teeth on the play and would get right back on the field after he had some cotton shoved in his mouth to catch the blood. It hurt Bob just a smidgen too much, so he would get a Novocain shot on the sidelines and never miss a beat.
Off the Field Fun for Bob St. Clair
Bob was a real character and would get into off-field shenanigans as well. One time, on a duck hunting trip, he would slip and fall into quick sand under water. Somehow he managed to avoid both drowning and suffocating by crawling towards the bank, and he woke up with just his head above water.
St. Clair may also have been “The Geek,” but he was not a good candidate for bullying. Three fans heckled the young man in the parking lot after a game. Bob would leave all three fans laid out by a car with a dented hood and go about his business.
“The Geek” couldn’t resist a little fun before a game once, looking at cars at the National Soap Box Derby. Unable to sit inside the cars, he rode on the back of one down a hill. The car would reach a speed of 50 miles per hour, and Bob would hit a wall going that fast.
Bob still played the game, just with many more bruises and significantly less skin on his body.
The End for Bob St. Clair
After two Achilles tendon tears, one in each leg, St. Clair finally gave in and hung up his cleats in 1963.
Post-retirement Bob would run a liquor store and become the town mayor of Daly City in San Mateo County. It doesn’t seem there was much “The Geek” couldn’t do.
Never have I encountered an athlete who was also such a character. Bob St. Clair was an excellent player, but he was also a funny guy who got himself into the most crazy dilemmas.
We lost an incredible man when Bob died in 2015 of complications related to a broken hip. May you rest in peace, Mr. St. Clair!
