SAN FRANCISCO – Roger Craig blew kisses to the hometown crowd Thursday night as he finally got introduced with a Pro Football Hall of Fame class, nearly four decades after his dual-threat talents bolstered the 49ers’ Super Bowl-winning dynasty.
Rather than just being known as the first 1,000/1,000 rusher/receiver, Craig is now Pro Football Hall of Famer No. 384
Craig will not be sharing a backfield with Frank Gore in this summer’s Canton-bound class. Gore, a first-ballot finalist and the NFL’s third all-time leading rusher, nonetheless found comfort in Craig’s entry.
“I’d rather him get all the shine than both of us go in at the same time,” Gore, the 49ers’ all-time leading rusher, told this news organization in an exclusive interview.
“Of course I want to be in. I’m a competitor,” Gore added. “But what can I do? Everyone respects what I did. It’s all good. I had two ACLs (repaired in college) and was a first-ballot finalist. That’s a blessing. It’s all good. “
Thursday’s HOF class reveal clawed back a spotlight that, over the past week, was cast on two finalists who got snubbed from his same voting pool: former New England Patriots power couple Bill Belichick (coach) and Robert Kraft (owner).
Craig was the fourth of five players introduced at Thursday night’s NFL Honors show at the Palace of Fine Arts. Joining the 49ers’ legend and 1,000/1,000 pioneer are Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri and Drew Brees.
Craig’s drawn-out candidacy spanned nearly 30 years, and he was a finalist in both 2010 and 2020. He retired 32 years ago after an 11-year career, which started with eight seasons as a dual-threat catalyst to the 49ers’ dynasty.
“Roger Craig was a player who revolutionized the running back position, delivering one of the most historic individual seasons in NFL history to date,” 49ers ownership said in a statement. “Over the entirety of his career, Roger not only amassed high-level production and statistics as both a runner and pass catcher, but he helped the 49ers reach the ultimate goal of Super Bowl Championships with iconic performances.
“We applaud Roger for his induction and rightful place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”
Craig is the first player to produce 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving in a season, in 1985. Only 2011 Hall of Fame inductee Marshall Faulk (1999 Rams) and Christian McCaffrey (2019 Panthers) have matched that feat, and McCaffrey nearly did so again this season on the 49ers (1,202 rushing yards, 924 receiving).
This was finally Craig’s year, after years of saying: Will it be his year?
“We’ve been saying that for too long,” former 49ers coach Steve Mariucci said on Thursday’s NFL Honors red carpet. “You’ve got Christian McCaffrey now as the poster boy for the dual-threat running back. A guy I used to work with at (NFL) Network and had to try to stop when I was with the Niners, that darn Marshall Faulk guy, he was a dual-threat runner. But the guy who did it first was Roger Craig. He set the standard.”
Craig played on their 1984, ’88 and ’89 Super Bowl-winning teams. He became a Sports Illustrated cover boy when he scored one of his three touchdowns in that 1984 team’s 38-16 Lombardi Trophy win over the Miami Dolphins at Stanford Stadium, twice scoring on receptions of Joe Montana passes.
“He meant everything to that offense,” Montana said last week at a San Francisco premier for the AMC docuseries “Rise of the 49ers.”
A decade ago, on the eve of Levi’s Stadium’s first Super Bowl, former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo was announced as part of that year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
“That made a great difference to the team. They felt vindicated,” former 49ers executive Carmen Policy said last week of DeBartolo’s inclusion. “If Roger gets in, this team and this organization and the community is going to feel vindicated. He’s the last piece of Bill Walsh’s offense that needs vindication and acclaim.”
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