All the Hall of Fame discourse this week has been over whether Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft deserved to be snubbed in the NFL Hall of Fame voting. However, Nebraska legend Roger Craigh might finally get the news he's been waiting years for as reports surfaced on Wednesday afternoon that he made the cut and is part of the 2026 HoF class.
The news of Roger Craig getting the votes to get in might have accidentally been broken by Up & Adams show host Kay Adams. On Wednesday morning, she was talking about former San Francisco 49ers greats Craig and Frank Gore with current Niner George Kittle and team owner Jed York.
Adams first listed Gore's accomplishments before noting that he didn't get the tally needed to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio. She then stated, "but Roger Craig did finally, well-deserved, get into the Hall of Fame. What are your thoughts?"
Roger Craig’s Nebraska and NFL legacy finally gets its moment
York didn't confirm that the Nebraska alum made the cut, but he did sing his praises in response to the question.
"Roger’s been waiting for so, so long," York said. "I can’t think of anybody who changed the game more than Roger. Roger is the kindest, sweetest person that you would ever meet. He’s somebody that I’ve always loved — I mean, since I was a little kid, he was always one of my favorite people in the world."
On Wednesday afternoon, NBC Bay Area's Raj Mathai confirmed that multiple sources told him that Craig did indeed get voted into the NFL Hall of Fame. He added that an official announcement is expected to come on Thursday at the NFL Honors show in San Francisco.
Craig was a big part of San Francisco's dynasty in the 1980s with his ability as a physical runner and as a receiver out of the backfield. He was the first player ever to have 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season in 1985. He led the NFL with 2,036 yards from scrimmage in 1988 when he helped the 49ers win the Super Bowl.
Craig was also part of the title-winning teams in San Francisco in the 1984 and 1989 seasons. His 410 yards from scrimmage in those Super Bowl wins are the third-most ever behind Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Franco Harris.
In all, he played 11 years in the league, spending his final three years with the Los Angeles Raiders and Minnesota Vikings. In all, he amassed 8,189 yards rushing and 56 rushing touchdowns. He added 566 receptions for 4,911 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns.
Before becoming a San Francisco legend, he was one of Nebraska football's all-time greats, using a signature high-knee style run that made him nearly impossible to tackle.
From 1979 to 1982, he was part of the rise of Tom Osborne's rushing attack that nearly got the Huskers their first National Title under the legendary head coach. He spent his freshman year on the separate freshman squad, as was the case for most NU players of that era.
However, in 1980, he ran for 769 yards and a 7.1 yards per carry average while scoring 15 touchdowns. In 1981, he became Nebraska's seventh-ever 1,000-yard rusher, gaining 1,060 yards on 173 carries and six touchdowns. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry and 96.5 per game. In his final year in Lincoln, he suffered an early-season injury that saw his Nebraska career cut short.