Bob Hantla

Robert Dean Hantla (October 3, 1931 – November 10, 2020) was an American professional football offensive guard who played two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 1954 NFL draft. He played college football at the University of Kansas. Hantla was also a member of the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Bob Hantla

Hantla on a 1954 Bowman football card
No. 69, 52, 54, 68
Position:	Guard Linebacker Defensive end
Personal information
Born:	(1931-10-03)October 3, 1931 St. John, Kansas, U.S.
Died:	November 10, 2020(2020-11-10) (aged 89) Chandler, Arizona, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:	Meade (KS)
College:	Kansas
NFL draft:	1954: 5th round, 55th pick
Career history
San Francisco 49ers (1954–1955) BC Lions (1956–1957) Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1959)
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Big Seven (1952)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 24 Games started: 2 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

Hantla attended Meade High School in Meade, Kansas.^[1]

College career

Hantla lettered for the Kansas Jayhawks from 1951 to 1953, earning First-team All-Big Seven Conference honors in 1952.^[2][3]

Professional career

Hantla was selected by the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL with the 55th pick in the 1954 NFL draft. He played in 24 games for the 49ers from 1954 to 1955.^[4] He played in sixteen games for the BC Lions of the Western Interprovincial Football Union from 1956 to 1957.^[5][6] Hantla played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League in 1959.^[7][8]

Peesonal life

Hantla's son Jeff Hantla went on to play for the Arizona Wildcats.

He died on November 10, 2020, in Chandler, Arizona at age 89.^[9]