"When you're the first to do something, that in and of itself is Hall of Fame material." That was the response former San Francisco 49ers and Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott gave me when I asked why his former teammate, RB Roger Craig, deserved to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Lott was talking about Craig being the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards and have 1,000 yards receiving in the same season.

For a few years, I joined other media members, former teammates of Craig, and even players who played against him in making the case to voters that Craig belonged in Canton. And each year, there was disappointment when we'd learn that Craig didn't make the final cut. But that changed this year.


Craig was finally enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, joining the sport's greatest players after a wait that his fans and supporters will tell you was far too long. The Class of 2026 induction ceremony included legends Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, and Adam Vinatieri.

Former 49ers tight end Jamie Williams was Craig's presenter. The two grew up together and played high school football on the same team. After high school, they both attended the University of Nebraska and eventually became teammates in the NFL. This is not the first time Williams has honored his longtime friend. In 2011, Williams also served as the presenter when Craig was inducted into the 49ers Hall of Fame.

Craig helped transform Bill Walsh's West Coast offense and created a blueprint that many of today's dual-threat running backs still follow, including current 49ers star RB Christian McCaffrey. The numbers alone are impressive: over 13,000 yards from scrimmage, 73 total touchdowns, four Pro Bowl selections, an Offensive Player of the Year award, and three Super Bowl championships.

But Craig's impact stretched beyond statistics. He was the engine of one of the NFL's greatest dynasties. Hall of Fame QB Steve Young said, "Roger was a thermostat player. His talent and spirit raised us all up when we lagged." When I asked Young how Craig raised the temperature of the 49ers locker room, he answered, "Roger was high knees and high spirits. The high knees are a metaphor for how he lived his life."

Lott added, "Knowing him and being around him and being a person who appreciates the game, even when I see him now, you know that everything that he put into the game, he meant every moment. I have this saying, 'Exhaust life.' Roger Craig exhausted life.


"He exhausted every moment that he played on the football field. And he was intentional about doing that in a way that made all of us better for so many reasons. And the reason I say, for so many reasons, is the guy who was sitting in the corner who is not necessarily ready to go. And here's Roger, right there, pumping him up, getting him ready to go."

The Hall of Fame announcement in February sparked an outpouring of celebration from former teammates, coaches, and fans who had spent years campaigning for Craig's induction. Lott, who surprised Craig with the news of his selection alongside Charles Haley, told him what many around football had believed for years: "You deserve this."

When Craig donned that gold jacket, unveiled his bronze bust and delivered his induction speech via pre-recorded video, he became the latest member of a remarkable 49ers Hall of Fame lineage that includes Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Lott, Young, Haley, Fred Dean, Terrell Owens, Bryant Young, Patrick Willis, and others.

During his speech, Craig said, "[I'm] grateful I can stand before you today, and call this journey a blessing." The speech wasn't long, but it was filled with class, just like the man who delivered it.

Toward the end of his speech, Craig announced that he's been diagnosed with vascular dementia, an incurable decline in thinking skills caused by conditions that block or reduce blood flow and oxygen to the brain, damaging brain tissue. It is the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer's disease and affects planning, focus, judgment, and memory. Craig said his doctors believe his condition may be a result, partly, of concussions he experienced as a player.


"I want people to know this diagnosis doesn't define me," he said. "I am still Roger Craig. I am still a father, a husband, a teammate, a friend, and someone who loves this game, and the people who brought it to my life. If sharing my story helps even one family or one former player, then it's worth it. Football gave me everything: Opportunity, discipline, lifelong friends, and the platform to grow as a man."

As I've researched, interviewed people, studied, and written about Craig as a player and as a man, I've learned that the person he became is even greater than the player he was. And I have no doubt that despite this new chapter of his life, this diagnosis won't define him, and he will continue to be Roger Craig, exhausting every moment of his life as a father, husband, teammate, friend...and now as a Hall of Famer.

Written By:

Marc Adams


Speaker. Writer. Covering the San Francisco 49ers. Host of the 49ers Camelot show.
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