Forrest Blue ,
9/7/1944 - 7/16/2011,
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Forrest Blue, a four-time Pro Bowl center who helped the San Francisco 49ers win three straight division titles in the early 1970s, has died. He was 65.

The 49ers announced Tuesday that Blue died Saturday at an assisted living facility in Carmichael, Calif. No cause of death was given.

Blue was selected in the first round of the 1967 draft by the 49ers, 15th overall. He played on both the football and baseball teams at Auburn after going to high school in Marfa, Texas.

He didn't miss a game for the 49ers from 1969-74 and finished his career with four seasons with the Baltimore Colts.

Following his NFL career,
Blue moved back to California, founding Forrest Blue Properties Inc., a development company in Penryn, Calif.