One of the NFL's first big stars, Minnesota native Gordy Soltau, died Sunday. He was 89.
Soltau, born in Duluth, played offense, defense and special teams for the Gophers after serving in World War II. He was teammates with Bud Grant, Jim Malosky, Clayton Tonnemaker and Verne Gagne. The Duluth Central graduate was drafted by the Green Bay Packers but played nine seasons for the San Francisco 49ers. He retired as the team's all-time leading scorer with 644 points. That's still fifth in team history.
Soltau, (No. 51 behind the runner) in 1951 against New York (AP photo)
You can read much more about Soltau's football career from the Sacramento Bee and the San Francisco Chronicle.
There's also a statement from the 49ers
