Roger Craig

Roger Craig played three seasons for the University of Nebraska, where he rushed for 2,446 yards and 26 touchdowns, with an average of 6 yards per carry. He was an integral running back in Tom Osborne’s I-formation option offense. He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

Roger Craig was the 49th overall selection in the 1983 NFL Draft, taken in the second round from Nebraska, where he once held the record for longest run from scrimmage (94 yards, set during a 1981 game against Florida State University). In his rookie year in 1983, he scored a combined 12 touchdowns rushing and receiving, as the 49ers reached the NFC Championship game. Craig became well known in his rookie year for his distinctive high-knee running technique. In Super Bowl XIX in January 1985, Craig rushed for 58 yards, caught seven passes for 77 yards, and became the first player ever to score three touchdowns in a Super Bowl during the 49ers’ 38–16 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

Craig was the first in NFL history to run and receive for at least 1,000 yards in the same season in 1985. He ran for 1,050 yards on 214 carries and led the NFL with 92 catches for 1,016 yards, and scored a team high 15 touchdowns. With fullback Tom Rathman, also from Nebraska, the two formed the 49ers’ “Cornfield Backfield.” In 1988, Craig was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. He ran for a career high 1,502 yards and caught an additional 76 passes for 534 yards. Craig finished his eleven NFL seasons with 8,189 rushing yards, 566 receptions for 4,911 receiving yards, and overall, he amassed 13,143 total yards and scored 73 touchdowns.

Craig played a season with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1991 and his final two with the Minnesota Vikings, retiring after the 1993 season. He appeared in the NFL Playoffs every year of his career, and made the Pro Bowl four times (1985, 1987–1989). He was the first player to make separate Pro Bowls as both a running back and a fullback. On April 21, 2008, Craig was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame (BASHOF).

Roger Craig is married to Vernessia (high school sweetheart) and has five children: Damesha, Rometra, Rogdrick, Alexander, and Nia-Jai. He currently works in marketing at Tibco Software in Palo Alto, California, and is an avid runner, participating in numerous marathons. He was the Grand Marshal for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. Craig also speaks on topics including motivation, sports, teamwork, success, business, and setting and achieving goals, drawing on his extensive experience as a professional athlete.