Roger Craig

The 49ers were 14–2 in the following regular season on their quest to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls. In the NFC Championship Game (his last as a 49er), a hit by Giants Nose Tackle Erik Howard caused Craig to fumble the football that was recovered by Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor late in the fourth quarter while the 49ers were trying to hold on to a 13–12 lead over the New York Giants. Subsequent to the fumble recovery the Giants scored on a last-second field goal to win 15–13, and went on to win Super Bowl XXV.

In his final season, Craig split time with Barry Word, Scottie Graham and Robert Smith, as the Vikings finished 9-7, losing to the New York Giants in the playoffs. Craig rushed for 119 yards and 1 touchdown, catching 19 passes for 169 yards and 1 touchdown. Craig announced his retirement after the 1993 season, signing a one day contract with the 49ers so he could retire as a 49er.

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.

Craig played his final two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. Playing behind Terry Allen in 1992, Craig rushed for 416 yards and four touchdowns and caught 22 passes for 161 yards. The Vikings finished 11-5, winning the NFC Central Division and were defeated by the Washington Redskins in the playoffs.

Craig left San Francisco and signed with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1991. Sharing time with Marcus Allen and Nick Bell, Craig led the Raiders in rushing as he rushed for 590 yards and had 17 receptions for 136 yards. The Raiders finished 9–7 under head coach Art Shell and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs.

In the 1989 season, the 49ers advanced to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row, aided by Craig's 1,527 combined rushing/receiving yards and seven touchdowns in the season, along with his 240 combined rushing/receiving yards and two touchdowns in their two playoff games. In San Francisco's 55-10 win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV, Craig rushed for 69 yards, caught five passes for 34 yards, and scored a touchdown.

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. A memorable game occurred in week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams. He scored three rushing touchdowns and ran a career-high 191 yards. He went on to assist the 49ers to Super Bowl XXIII by amassing 262 combined rushing and receiving yards and two touchdowns in their two playoff games. In the 49ers' 20-16 win over Cincinnati in that Super Bowl, he rushed for 71 yards and caught eight passes for 101 yards.

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 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.

In the dominant Nebraska Offense with Craig during his tenure were: 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); WR Irving Fryar (#1 overall pick in 1984 NFL Draft) and his hometown friend, TE Jamie Williams. Craig also ran one season of indoor track at Nebraska, finishing 4th in the 60 Meter hurdles at the Big 8 Indoor Championships.

Craig was the 49th overall selection in the 1983 NFL Draft, taken by the San Francisco 49ers 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 playing under Bill Walsh and alongside Quarterback Joe Montana, Craig scored a combined 12 touchdowns rushing and receiving, as the 49ers reached the NFC Championship game. Montana, Craig and Walsh would remain together until the 1988 season. Craig First became well known in his rookie year for his distinctive high-knee running technique.

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. The 1976 team, with Roger Craig and Williams, won the Iowa State Championship under Coach Jim Fox. 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. Craig was an all-around athlete, also competing in wrestling and track. In wrestling, he was an Iowa State Championships qualifier. 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. Craig credited 10-time State Champion Coach Ira Dunsworth with helping develop his distinctive high knee running form. 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.

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.

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. Williams went on to an NFL career as well and Curtis Craig was an All-Big 8 Player in 1977.

Roger Timothy Craig (born July 10, 1960) is an American former football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders and Minnesota Vikings. Craig went to four Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls with the 49ers. Craig was the first NFL player to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. Marshall Faulk and Christian McCaffrey are the only other players to have accomplished that feat. He currently works as the VP of Business Development at TIBCO Software.