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Roger Craig, an offensive dynamo during the 49ers’ Super Bowl-winning dynasty in the 1980s, revealed in Saturday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement that he’s battling vascular dementia
Craig, 66, waited decades for his election as a Seniors candidate into football’s hallowed ground in Canton, Ohio
“There’s another chapter I want to share,” Craig said in a pre-recorded video that he watched while sitting on stage with fellow HOF members and his presenter Jamie Williams, a classmate and teammate since childhood in Davenport Iowa, including with the 49ers. “I’ve been diagnosed with vascular dementia that my doctors believe may be related, at least in part, to the concussions I experienced during my career. The changes were gradual. At first, they were easy to dismiss as normal aging. Over time, my family noticed it, too, and ultimately led us to seek answers from my doctor. ”
Craig added, “I hope sharing my story encourages people to pay attention to their health and seek help when something doesn’t feel right. I want people to know this diagnosis doesn’t define me
“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.”
Although he attended a 49ers’ game last November and February’s NFL Honors ceremony that unveiled his five-man Pro Football Hall of Fame class, Craig has mostly refrained from public comment the last several years for a suspected medical condition that he outlined Saturday. Symptoms of vascular dementia involve a “decline in thinking skills caused by conditions that block or reduce blood flow to various regions of the brain, depriving them of oxygen and nutrients,” according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Craig was integral to the 49ers’ dynasty during his 1983-90 tenure, winning the Super Bowl three times and becoming the first player to score three touchdowns in a Super Bowl. That feat came in the 1984 team’s Lombardi Trophy win over Miami at Stanford Stadium, with him appropriately scored twice on receiving touchdowns and once rushing
“You spend your whole life trying to prove if you belong and then one day you’re told you’re one of the all-time greats,” Craig said in the video. “Man, it’s overwhelming. I think about that kid from Davenport who loved football. I think about the journey more than anything. … To all the Hall of Famers here today, thank you for building this game, elevating it, and setting the standard for generation that follows. It’s an honor to join you.”
He left the 49ers’ dynasty at the onset of free agency, spending 1991 with the Los Angeles Raiders before concluding his career with two seasons on the Minnesota Vikings
Craig called those “different experiences, different culture” to playing with the 49ers
“When I was drafted by the 49ers, I remember thinking this was my shot,” he said in the video. “When I learned that Bill Wash wanted me, that meant something because he saw something in me that others didn’t, he didn’t just want a running back. He wanted a complete football player. He trusted me to do whatever the team needed. That’s why the thousand yards rushing, the thousand yards receiving season means so much to me. We weren’t chasing numbers. We were chasing W’s, wins
“I didn’t realize I was making history. It just felt like we were doing something special as a team.”
Friday night, former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo fitted a wildly enthusiastic Craig with the Hall’s iconic gold jacket; Joe Montana did the same for Drew Brees. Other inductees this year are Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri
It’s been 33 years since Craig debuted in No. 33 for the 49ers. He was a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist in both 2010 and 2020
Craig’s most famous feat was becoming the first player to produce 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving in a season, in 1985 as a third-year weapon in coach Bill Walsh’s revolutionary West Coast offense. Only 2011 Hall of Fame inductee Marshall Faulk (1999 Rams) and Christian McCaffrey (2019 Panthers) have matched that feat, and McCaffrey nearly did so again this season on the 49ers (1,202 rushing yards, 924 receiving)
“To rush for 1,000 yards and catch for 1,000 yards in that era is different from now,” McCaffrey said at the start of training camp. “I have the utmost respect for him. … I’m so happy he got a gold jacket because he absolutely deserves it.”
