University of San Francisco Athletics

Robert “Big Bob” Israel Kleckner was born on August 10, 1907 in Michigan, and attended McClymonds High School in Oakland, CA. He attended the then Saint Ignatius College from 1928 to 1932. He is the only athlete in USF history to captain three varsity teams: track, football and basketball, and he earned 13 varsity letter blocks. He was known for being steady, reliable, and competent. In football, he could punt, pass and run. In basketball, he excelled in defense. In track, he was a national level athlete in both shot-put and discus.

Displaying his football talent early on, Kleckner was named All-Coast as a freshman. According to the September 29, 1932 Foghorn, “Kleckner was an amazing football player. He could punt 50 yards with a nonchalance and precision that was beautiful to watch. He had power, could block, and was a team player.” An outstanding ball carrier, he was considered the greatest punter and most accurate passer on the team. He was a recipient of the 1931 Boyle Loyalty Award. Kleckner was a three-time All-Coast selection in football, and played in the East-West Shrine game in 1932.

In 1929, Kleckner captained the basketball team to an undefeated season and to the Pacific Association Championship. As captain his senior year, he displayed smashing tactics as a back guard and led the then Grey Fog to wins over Cal and Saint Mary’s Nevada. He was named All-Coast in basketball in 1931.

A solid pitcher, Kleckner was aggressively recruited by the baseball coach. However, instead of baseball, he devoted his spring sports effort to track, and frequently placed in either first or second in discus and shot-put competition. Kleckner could do the 100 meter in 10 seconds, toss the shot 50 feet, and throw the discus 149 feet.

Kleckner graduated in 1932 with a Bachelor of Science, and began coaching the Freshman Football Team. In 1937, they were the first unbeaten, untied freshman squad in the school history.