Gordie Soltau Gordon Leroy Soltau ( born January 25 , 1925 in Duluth , Minnesota ) was a wide receiver who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers . His all around athletic versatility was developed as a youth growing up in Duluth , Minnesota , where he excelled in many sports : football , baseball , track , even hockey and skiing . Being inspired by University of Minnesota All - American halfback George Frank , Gordy gravitated towards football . During the middle of World War II when Gordy graduated from high school he enlisted in the United States Navy and was part of the Navy ’ s first class of frogmen ( The Navy Seals today ) specializing in underwater demolition . He saw action in Europe and behind the lines in the Pacific . Coming out of the Navy in 1945 Gordy enrolled in University of Minnesota . Under his role model football coach , Bernie Bierman , Gordy developed into a talented receiver , place kicker and learned the skills to also be a threat on defense . Gordy Soltau became one of the school ’ s legendary football figures . He was named to the “ All Big Ten ” team . He played in the Hula Bowl , the East - West Shrine game and on the college all stars team that beat the champion Philadelphia Eagles in 1950 . He made the Minnesota Hall of Fame and the Duluth Hall of Fame . It was 1950 , and the San Francisco 49ers were starting their first year in the NFL when Gordy Soltau was hired by Coach Buck Shaw as a wide receiver and place kicker . The prior season the 49ers had played in the All - American Conference . Shaw ’ s job was to field a team that could compete with the longer and well established teams in the NFL , like the Los Angeles Rams . Gordy filled the bill in two areas as he was both a place kicker and wide receiver as well as could play offense and defense . Gordy was the 27th draft pick out of the University of Minnesota , chosen by the Green Bay Packers who traded him right away to the Cleveland Browns , who in turn dealt him to the 49ers . In 1952 and 1953 he led the NFL in scoring . During his nine seasons as a 49er he led the team in scoring with 644 points , 25 touchdowns , and 70 field goals . He was All - Pro in 1952 , 1953 , and 1954 . Additionally during this time in professional football most players had to have an outside job to survive the off - season . Gordy , in 1954 , went to work as a sales rep . for Schwabacher / Frey , a San Francisco printing , stationery and office supply company . The firm was bought out by Diamond International , makers of Diamond matches , packaging material , folding cartons and corrugated . Their other interests included saw mills , lumber , and building supplies . Gordy rose to vice president in charge of sales for the West Coast and was executive vice president when he retired . Off the field Gordy was a pioneer in advancing benefits for NFL football players . He was the first player representative for the 49ers . There were only 12 teams in the league in 1954 . Many players had some issues with the owners and wanted to start a “ Players Association ” . The owners objected , particularly the ones from the oldest teams in the league , even threatening to cut players who participated . However , in 1954 a representative from each of the six younger teams in the league had their first meeting in Philadelphia . The teams were the Detroit Lions , Chicago Bears , Washington Redskins , New York Giants , and the 49ers , represented by Gordy . Bert Bell , commissioner of the league , was invited but didn ’ t come . There were three major issues on the table . 1 . The league should establish a pension plan . 2 . Players should be paid for exhibition games during training . 3 . Team owners should provide playing shoes . In 1954 players had to furnish their own shoes . Word got around that players were meeting and wanted to establish a dialogue with the owners . This was the beginning of a Players Association . Dues were $ 25 . 00 a year per player . Gordy persuaded 49er ’ s owner , Tony Moribato , to deduct it from the players ’ checks . The rest of the teams refused and the reps had to chase players who hadn ’ t paid around the locker room , in their favorite bar or in the parking lot to collect the $ 25 . 00 . Gordy for his work as a players ’ rep got the nickname “ The Senator ” . ( He did become a member of “ Athletes for Reagan ” during Ronnie ’ s first run for governor in 1966 . ) It took 4 years to get the owners to talk about the issues . It wasn ’ t until 1962 that the owners put money in a pension plan . The Players Association gradually disintegrated . Then in the early sixties Vic Matland , a close friend to Art Rooney ( owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers ) came up with a plan and the philosophy “ Caring For Kids ” that owners could live with . The Players Association changed this to “ The NFL Alumni Association . Gordy played a major role along with Alyn Beals , Eddie Forest , Bruce Bosley and Norm Standee in establishing The Northern California Chapter of the NFL Alumni Association . He was the chapter ’ s first president and has been golf chairman of the chapter ’ s main fund raising event since 1981 . The golf tournament is played each year at the prestigious Olympic Club in San Francisco . Gordy retired from the 49er ’ s in 1959 and soon was inducted into The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame . He then spent ten years as a color commentator with Bob Fouts at CBS television . His next gig was five years at KSFO with Lon Simmons . He is an avid golfer and played in ten of Bing Crosby ’ s Celebrity Pro - Ams at Pebble Beach . He was a friend of Bing ’ s and has some great Crosby stories like the following . During the 1960 winter Olympic Winter Games in Squaw Valley , Gordy along with Lon Simmons , Russ Hodges and Marty Martin were broadcasting the games over the Olympic Radio Special created by Franklin Mieuli , a producer as well as owner of the Warriors ’ basketball team . Here Gordy ran into Bing Crosby ; and after partying most of the night at the Squaw Valley Lodge with Bing singing to the patrons , Gordy talked him into coming the next day to help Gordy and Lon Simmons broadcast the final hockey game . ( Crosby was supposed to be in Stockton , CA . , filming “ High Time ” ) . Today Gordy lives with his wife , Nancy , in Menlo Park , California . His daughter , Jill , worked twenty - five years for Hewlett Packard and is now retired . His son , John , is a packaging designer and his other son , Mark , is a journalist for Golf Digest . Mark from his days at Stanford University knows Tiger Woods and created Tiger ’ s website when he turned professional . More in - depth information can be read about Gordy in Dennis Georgatos ’ new book “ Game of My Life , San Francisco 49ers , Memorable Stories of 49er Football ” . Career highlights : scored 26 points in victory over the Rams in 1951 , which was the 49er single game scoring record that stood for 39 years until broken by Jerry Rice ; caught 10 passes for 190 yards against the Giants in 1952 ; kicked four field goals against the Rams to win 33 - 30 in 1956 . Served as a color commentator on 49ers TV broadcasts in the 1960s . Enshrined in the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 . The NFL Alumni Northern California Chapter added a special award to their 27th Annual Charity Golf Classic , giving Gordy Soltau , Tournament Chairman , a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work over the past 27 years . In addition , San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom sent a proclamation form the City of San Francisco declaring Monday June 16 , 2008 , Gordy Soltau Day .