Craig is the first player to score three touchdowns in a Super Bowl. He made four Pro Bowl appearances and rushed for 13,143 yards and 73 career touchdowns. Craig was a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the first time, but he did not advance to the final round.
The others who will participate in the ceremony are the Steelers' Lynn Swann and the Broncos' John Elway. A star from 40 years ago, Joe Namath, will participate in the Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation following the game.
The Super Bowl was viewed by more than 148 million people in the
Last year, the memory of Bill Walsh was honored during the coin-toss ceremony. Walsh's son, Craig, was joined by Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice and Steve Young at midfield.
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If you have interest in keeping on top of what's going on at the Senior Bowl practices, check out the blog from NFL Draft Pros.
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I'll still never forgive him for fumbling against the Giants. That was completely inexcusable.
Craig/Wrathman best tandem in football. Can't wait to see that magic smile running wild "3-peat" connotation Roger Craig at midfield.
Was it as inexcusable as the linemen allowing the defense in, allowing the Giants to drive down the field and get the field goal, giving up a first down on a fake punt when everybody knew it would be a fake, and I guess you better give him a big thank you for the 1988 season. The 49ers wouldn't even have made the playoffs without him that year.
Hey Matt,
Great blogging as always. I just wanted to point out that Roger Craig had 13,143 TOTAL yards. He amassed 8,189 rushing yards and 4,911 receiving yards in his career.
Keep up the awesome work!
13,143 yards, and many of those were when he played fullback. He didn't become the starting halfback until the end of the 1987 season.
Craig has probably gotten over with that fateful fumbling. However, for 49ers hardcore fans, it's still painful when remember that. His fumbling in last minutes allowed the Giants to start up their dynasty and ended the 49ers from making history (3 peats). The rest is history!!!!
Matt Just and FYI your link to the NFL draft pros doesn't work.
hey brent...i loved your reply to the idiotic comment from johnny lawrence.
don't forget that key 4th down play that the giants converted on a naked bootleg by jeff hostetler on the giants' final drive...
also, roger was playing hurt for most of the season...he injured his knee on the astroturf of the houston astrodome when they played the oilers in the 4th game of the season.
i remember he wanted to beat the great jim brown's consecutive games played record...he was only a few games shy of the record.
their next game was against atlanta (the famous rice 5 TD game)...seifert offered to put him in for a few plays to keep his streak alive but he refused because he said he didn't want to cheapen brown's record (that is PURE class!)...he missed the following game and returned as a part-time player the rest of the season playing on a bum knee the rest of the season...the niners were forced to have him split time with the AWFUL dexter carter who would fumble if anyone just breathed on him...so any niner fan who wants to insult roger craig needs to know their history and realize he is one of the all-time greats...he deserves to be in the HoF too!...LAST but not least, the ignorant niner fans who think the niners would've beaten the bills the following week in the super bowl need to realize that the giants won that game with a STRONG running game and ball-control offense...the niners struggled to run ALL YEAR cuz of their carter/(injured) craig tandem....the '90 niners were ALL joe montana that year...if they had gone to the super bowl, they would've had to start steve young, who didn't have any significant playing time all year!
their defense was great but it obviously wasn't enuff to compensate for their lack of a solid running game.
Nice post, Archie.
I don't see how it is "idiotic" for me to still be bitter about him fumbling. I was at that game and I can tell you that it was probably the worst experience I've ever personally witnessed in my nearly 30 years as a sports/49ers fan. It was a great play by LT to break through the line and knock the ball loose, I just find more fault in Craig since his #1 priority at the time should have been ball security. BTW, for all of you who think Craig was arguably a HOF-worthy back, you might want to check out his stats. With the exception of 1985 and 1988 (both great years), he was an average NFL back at best: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CraiRo00.htm
it's idiotic since you obviously blame him for losing the game...it's just as stupid as raider fans bitching about the tuck rule (which is a stupid rule but was properly called, btw).
regardless, it was NOT the end of the game!
the niners defense had a chance to stop the giants on that 4th down play that you fail to acknowledge and they DIDN'T...
i saw the game on tv and i was just as heartbroken as any niners fan...but it's a freakin' TEAM game!
you just ain't a real niners fan if all you remember of craig is the fumble...they would've been LUCKY if they went on to the super bowl and beat the bills.
hell, the giants barely won (hello scott norwood?)...
Say hi to "Catfish" for us...Roger was a great, great back.
Lighten up Francis. Most 9er fans were fighting mad about that fumble. Not to say Roger wasn't a great RB who helped win many games, BUT he still fumbled which directly resulted in the 9ers losing the NFC Championship game. Can you even think of another championship game where 1 crucial mistake proved to be the difference? Roger himself said that fumble cost the 9ers another trip the Superbowl. To say the 9ers wouldn't have beaten the Bills is ridiculous. How in the world could you know the outcome of a game that was never played. Perhaps the 9ers would have been underdogs but who knows how that would have turned out. I am a huge Roger Craig fan but that fumble was hard to get over.
"lighten up francis"...nice Stripes reference...houston 9er, you're ignoring the fact that it STILL was NOT the end of the game.
find me a quote where craig blamed himself for the loss...regardless, he is the kind of player that would take the blame.
i didn't say the niners wouldn't have beaten the bills...i said they'd be LUCKY if they beat them...to say it is "ridiculous"?
it's called a prediction...who doesn't make predictions? i suppose it would be "ridiculous" to say the steelers will lose in the super bowl?...to answer your question as to if i can find another championship game where "1 crucial mistake proved to be the difference"...just look at the infamous "fumble" game with earnest byner.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fumble
Enough with the "not the endo of the game" crap. According to that logic, Dwight Clark shouldn't get any credit for making The Catch since it wasn't the end of the game, all the credit should go to the guy who sacked Danny White and caused him to fumble (not sure if it was Stuckey, Board or Pillers). I know the Giants drove into FG range at the end of the game, but can you honestly say that you don't think the 49ers would have won if Craig didn't fumble? That you really place more blame on the 49ers defense than that fumble and/or the inability to run the ball the entire game?
You are correct. It wasn't the end of the game. There were a little over 2 minutes left in the game but Craig turned the ball over near midfield, I think, which is farther than the Giants would have gotten without the turnover. His fumble directly lead to the go ahead score.
I did find a quote from Roger. He said something like, if i hold onto the ball, we're there, we win...
Also, you had to go to an Ernest Byner reference to find another game where 1 mistake cost so much.
I didnt realize you were making a prediction when you said, "the ignorant niner fans who think the niners would've beaten the bills the following week..." Sounded more like a statement of fact.
At any rate, we're all 9er fans and Roger Craig fans. That fumble really hurt but the man is a class act and someone I'm happy to hold up as an example to my kids.
I think we can all agree Roger's a fine man and a fine player. It's a game and even the greats don't always play perfect. I'm only checking in to point out Snipe throwing an interception in the end zone to put the Raiders into the SB and the poor Brownies out. And that tight end for the Cowboys whose very fine career was ruined by dropping a wide open pass in the end zone to deny the Cowboys an SB. I'm sure there are more. Norwood's missed 47 yarder wasn't a turnover, but it sure changed the Bills entire history. The grand stage of history is not always kind.
I remember when Jerry Jones was trying to build the Cowboys back up to the top when he bought the franchise, he came to the 49ers pre season workouts and spent time inquiring from the top and coaching staff what it takes to build a winning organization and team.
He was most impressed with the 49er running game and especially with the tandem of Craig and Rathman. He also saw the importance of how the 49ers used the QB position and how the duo of Rathman and Craig worked in tadem, not only the blocking of Rathman, but the use of Craig on runs and both widening the field by being important in the passing game. He also learned the importance of the tight end being a passing threat.
He learned well. Out of that visit came draft picks Aikman, Smith and the "Moose." Also Novacek became an important part of their passing game, as well as blocking, like the 49er tight ends Walsh brought to the team.
Unfortunately, he learned too well. I HATE the Cowboys! But I 've got to give it to Jones! He built a winner that mirrored the 49ers!
Roger Graig was one of the greatest 49er and the hardest working player when he was with the team. He showed Jerry Rice how to condition himself to the great athlete that he become. Craig is also one of the classiest person you will ever meet.
The fumble against the Giants was very painful to remember, but we should also remember that Montana got injured a few minutes earlier. With a unexperienced Young back then, there was no guarantee that the 49ers would have won. Young did win the Superbowl, but after he became a polished starter.
We need to remember Craig prior to his last game with the 49ers. Remember the great games he had in '88 against the Rams and Broncos. Of course, the three TD's against the Dolphins will be a better memory than the fumble. Last, I can still see him cheering Rice and running along the sideline as Rice caught a last minute TD in a Monday night game against the Giants.