Roger Craig
First NFL player with 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in a season; three-time Super Bowl champion with the 49ers.
Roger Timothy Craig (born July 10, 1960) is a former NFL running back who played for the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders, and Minnesota Vikings. A four-time Pro Bowler, he won three Super Bowls with the 49ers. Craig made history as the first NFL player to rush and receive for 1,000 yards in a single season—a feat later matched only by Marshall Faulk and Christian McCaffrey. Today, he serves as Vice President of Business Development at TIBCO Software. Craig was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026.
Born in Preston, Mississippi, Craig grew up in Davenport, Iowa, where he attended J.B. Young Intermediate and later Central High School. At Central, he played alongside future NFL tight end Jamie Williams, and his older brother Curtis had also been a standout running back there. The 1976 team, featuring Craig and Williams, won the Iowa state championship. As a senior in 1978, Craig rushed for 1,565 yards and 27 touchdowns, earning prep All-America honors. In his final high school playoff loss, he ran for 353 yards and four touchdowns. He also wrestled and ran track, placing second in the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles at the state championships. His 14.43-second time in the 110 hurdles remains among the all-time best at the Iowa state meet. Craig credits coach Ira Dunsworth for developing his signature high-knee running style.
Craig followed his brother and Williams to the University of Nebraska, playing for coach Tom Osborne. Over three seasons, he rushed for 2,446 yards and 26 touchdowns, averaging six yards per carry. As a sophomore in 1980, he gained 769 yards and 15 touchdowns. As a junior in 1981, he ran for 1,060 yards and six touchdowns, earning All-Big 8 honors. In 1982, he shared the backfield with Mike Rozier but missed time due to injury, returning for 127 rushing yards in the final regular-season game. His Nebraska teammates included quarterbacks Jeff Quinn and Turner Gill, running backs Jarvis Redwine, I.M. Hipp, Andra Franklin, Craig Johnson, Jeff Smith, and Heisman winner Rozier, as well as tackle Dean Steinkuhler, wide receiver Irving Fryar, and friend Jamie Williams. Craig also competed in indoor track, finishing fourth in the 60-meter hurdles at the Big 8 Indoor Championships.
The San Francisco 49ers selected Craig in the second round of the 1983 NFL draft. As a rookie under coach Bill Walsh and alongside quarterback Joe Montana, he scored 12 combined touchdowns, and the team reached the NFC Championship Game. His high-knee running style quickly drew attention. In Super Bowl XIX, he rushed for 58 yards, caught seven passes for 77 yards, and became the first player to score three touchdowns in a Super Bowl.
The next season, he achieved his historic 1,000/1,000 rushing and receiving season, with 1,050 rushing yards and an NFL-leading 92 catches for 1,016 yards, plus 15 total touchdowns. He and fullback Tom Rathman, also a Nebraska alum, formed the "Cornfield Backfield." In 1988, Craig was named AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, rushing for a career-high 1,502 yards and catching 76 passes for 534 yards. In a week 7 game against the Rams, he ran for 191 yards and three touchdowns.
He helped the 49ers reach Super Bowl XXIII, totaling 262 combined yards and two touchdowns in the playoffs, and in the 20–16 win over Cincinnati, he rushed for 71 yards and caught eight passes for 101 yards—becoming the first running back with 100 receiving yards in a Super Bowl. The following season, he contributed 1,527 combined yards and seven touchdowns, plus 240 combined yards and two touchdowns in the playoffs, as the 49ers routed Denver 55–10 in Super Bowl XXIV, where he rushed for 69 yards and caught five passes for 34 yards.
Quick Facts
- Number
- 33, 22
- Position
- Running back, fullback
- Born
- 10 July 1960
- Birthplace
- Preston, Mississippi, U.S.
- High school
- Davenport Central (Davenport, Iowa)
- College
- Nebraska (1979–1982)
- Draft year
- 1983
- Draft round
- 2
Facts from the source article.
Background
Born in Preston, Mississippi, Craig's parents relocated to Davenport, Iowa, where he attended Davenport Community Schools. For Middle School, Craig attended J.B. Young Intermediate in Davenport, where he played on the school's football team. He later attended Central High School in Davenport, Iowa, graduating in 1979. There, he was teammates with future NFL tight end 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 running back Jim Jensen. The 1976 team, with Roger Craig and Williams, won the Iowa State Championship under Coach Jim Fox. As a senior in 1978, 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 four 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 second 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. 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 Craig played three full seasons for the University of Nebraska. In his Nebraska career, Craig rushed for 2,446 yards and 26 touchdowns, with an average of six yards per carry. He was an integral running back in Osborne's I-formation option offense.
After playing mainly for the freshman squad in 1979, Craig rushed for 769 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore in 1980. As a junior in 1981, he had 173 carries for 1,060 yards and six touchdowns. Craig was also fourth on the team with 12 receptions for 87 yards and was named to the All-Big 8 Team.
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