Roger Craig (American football)

Craig attended Central High School in Davenport, Iowa, graduating in 1979. There, he was teammates with future NFL TE Jamie Williams. His older brother, Curtis Craig, had also played running back, graduating from Central in 1974. The Craig brothers were preceded at running back for Central by future Denver Broncos RB Jim Jensen.[1] The 1976 team, with Roger Craig and Williams, won the Iowa State Championship under Coach Jim Fox.[2] In 1978, his Senior year, Craig rushed for 1,565 yards and 27 touchdowns, earning prep All-America honors. In his final high school game, a playoff loss, Craig rushed for 353 yards and 4 touchdowns.[3][4] Craig was an all-around athlete, also competing in wrestling and track. In wrestling, he was an Iowa State Championships qualifier.[5][6][7] On the track, Craig finished 2nd in the Iowa State Track and Field Championships in both the 110 hurdles and the 400 hurdles as a Senior in 1979. Craig broke the school record in the 110 hurdles that had been set by Jim Jensen.[1] Craig credited 10-time State Champion Coach Ira Dunsworth with helping develop his distinctive high knee running form.[8][9] Craig's time of 14.43 in the 110 hurdles is still listed among the All-Time Bests at the Iowa State Track and Field Championships.[10]

Craig followed in the footsteps of Curtis Craig and Jamie Williams to graduate from Davenport Central and then attend Nebraska to play for Coach Tom Osborne.[4] Williams went on to an NFL career as well and Curtis Craig was an All-Big 8 Player in 1977.

Roger Craig played three full seasons for the University of Nebraska. In his Nebraska career, he rushed for 2,446 yards and 26 touchdowns, with an average of 6 yards per carry. He was an integral running back in Osborne's I-formation option offense.

After playing mainly for the Freshman squad in 1979, Craig rushed for 769 yards (7.1) and 15 TDs as a Sophomore in 1980. As a Junior in 1981, Craig gained 1,060 yards on 173 carries (6.1) and six TDs. Craig was also fourth on the team with 12 receptions for 87 yards and was named to the All-Big 8 Team. In 1982, teaming with Mike Rozier in the backfield, Craig was injured early in the season and lost playing time while injured, but came back with 127-yards rushing in the regular-season final game.[11]

Teammates of Craig during his tenure at Nebraska include QBs Jeff Quinn and Turner Gill; RBs Jarvis Redwine, I.M. Hipp, Andra Franklin, Craig Johnson, Jeff Smith and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier; T Dean Steinkuhler (#2 overall pick in 1984 NFL Draft);[12] WR Irving Fryar (#1 overall pick in 1984 NFL Draft)[13] and his hometown friend, TE Jamie Williams.[14][4] Craig also ran one season of indoor track at Nebraska, finishing 4th in the 60 Meter hurdles at the Big 8 Indoor Championships.[8][15]

Craig appeared in the NFL Playoffs every year of his career, and made the Pro Bowl four times (1985, 1987–1989). Craig finished his eleven NFL seasons with 8,189 rushing yards, 566 receptions for 4,911 receiving yards, and three kickoff returns for 43 yards. Overall, he amassed 13,143 total yards and scored 73 touchdowns (56 rushing and 17 receiving).

Craig was the first running back to gain more than 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season (1985). Since then, only two other running backs have achieved the same feat (Marshall Faulk in 1999, and Christian McCaffrey in 2019). Craig also caught a then-record 92 passes in the 1985 campaign. In 1988, Craig set a then-franchise record 1,502 yards rushing (Garrison Hearst broke the record with 1,570 yards in 1998. Frank Gore holds the current record with 1,695 yards in 2006). The 1988 season was the second time Craig broke the 2,000 combined yardage mark in his career.

Craig, Lydell Mitchell and Chuck Foreman are the only running backs to lead the NFL in receptions for a single season.

Craig is one of three running backs to ever record 100 receiving yards or more in a Super Bowl (James White, New England Patriots, Super Bowl 51; Corey Clement, Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl 52). His prowess as a receiver out of the backfield is a contrast to his college career, where he caught only 16 passes during his three seasons at Nebraska.

In 1993, Peter King (in Inside the Helmet) reported that Craig was the only running back to be elected to the Pro Bowl at both fullback and halfback.

Despite his accomplishments as a football player, as of 2023, Craig has not been inaugurated into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His inclusion (or lack thereof) has become a topic of controversy; while some cite Craig's impressive statistics and records, others argue that his success was bolstered by the production of Hall of Fame teammates Joe Montana and Jerry Rice.

• In 1987, Craig was inducted into the Quad City Sports Hall of Fame.[22]
• Craig was Inducted into the Davenport Central High School Hall of Honor in 1989.[23]
• In 1989, Craig was inducted into the Des Moines Register's Sunday Register Hall of Fame.[7]
• Craig was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 1989.[11]
• In 2002, Craig was inducted into the Iowa's IHSAA Football Players’ Hall-of-Fame. (His brother, Curtis Craig, was subsequently inducted in 2003).[24]
• Craig was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame (BASHOF) in 2008.
• Craig is a member of the San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame.
• Craig was selected as a running back on the National Football League 1980s All-Decade Team, alongside Walter Payton, Eric Dickerson and John Riggins.
• Craig was named one of 25 semifinalists considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2009 and one of the 15 modern-era finalists for the Class of 2010.[25]
• In 2019, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Craig to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2019.[26]

Craig spent several years studying Tae Kwon Do under Chris Jensen and Debbie Pederson at Golden State Tae Kwon Do in Foster City (now in San Carlos).[27]

He is an avid runner and has participated in over 38 marathons and half-marathons.[28]

Craig was the Grand Marshal for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway.[27]

Craig is the cousin of New York Jets running back Breece Hall.[29]

Craig married boxer Michael Nunn's sister.[30]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roger Craig.

• Official website
• Nebraska profile
• Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
• Roger Craig at IMDb