San Francisco 49ers: Ranking top 10 trades in franchise history
By Peter Panacy
No. 10: Wide Receiver/Kicker Gordie Soltau
49ers traded a fourth-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for wide receiver/kicker Gordie Soltau
We have to go all the way back to the early years of the franchise to find its first best trade.
In 1950, only a few years after their inception in 1946, the Niners made a move to reinforce their scoring efforts by trading away a fourth-round pick to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for a player they already selected, wide receiver and placekicker Gordie Soltau.
Soltau would be a viable special teams ace, yes. But in 1951, his first year as a Pro Bowler, Soltau would record a team-leading 826 yards on 59 receptions and seven touchdowns over the course of 11 games played. The following year, in which he was named a first-team All-Pro, Soltau would back it up with a 55-catch, 774-yard, seven-touchdown campaign again.
He is also enshrined in the San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame and comes in at No. 10 on this list of all-time traded-for greats.