49ers great Roger Craig named finalist for 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class

Roger Craig, who developed his unique high-knee running style as a prep track star in Iowa, now has only one significant hurdle to clear to reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame.The legendary 49ers running back was named Wednesday morning as one of five finalists for the Class of 2026, joining fellow senior finalists Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood, as well as coach finalist Bill Belichick and contributor finalist Robert Kraft.But this is where it gets even more difficult.The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors in 2024 approved a change to the voting process, which allowed for only one of the five finalists from these categories to be enshrined.“The revision to the process helps ensure the exclusivity of inclusion in the game’s most elite fraternity,” the Hall of Fame stated in a release announcing the five finalists. Those five finalists are now up against each other.Each member of the 50-member selection committee may vote for only three of these five finalists. Only the individuals who receive 80 percent of the vote will be elected into the Class of 2026. Last year, only one individual — seniors finalist Sterling Sharpe — received...