Former 49ers RB Craig eliminated from 2023 Hall of Fame contention originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Former 49ers running back Roger Craig, the first player in NFL history to total 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season, did not advance as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
Craig was a three-time Super Bowl champion and four-time Pro Bowl player. He played 11 NFL seasons, and his teams advanced to the playoffs in each of those years. He played his final season in 1993.
The Hall of Fame on Wednesday announced 12 finalists in the senior and coach/contributor categories, and Craig was not included. Also, former 49ers executive John McVay did not advance in the coach/contributor category.
Former 49ers offensive assistant coaches Mike Holmgren and Mike Shanahan are among the finalists in the coach/contributor category.
Holmgren went on to win a Super Bowl as head coach of the Green Bay Packers. Mike Shanahan, the father of 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, won two Super Bowls as head coach of the Denver Broncos.
Up to three seniors and one individual from the coach/contributor category can be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the Class of 2023.. To be eligible for the seniors category, a player must have played his last game in professional football no later than the 1996 season.
The committees will meet in August to select three seniors and one coach/contributor for final consideration into the Class of 2023.
The seniors finalists:
Quarterback Ken Anderson, linebacker Maxie Baughan, linebacker Randy Gradishar, linebacker Chuck Howley, halfback Cecil Isbell, defensive lineman Joe Klecko, offensive lineman Bob Kuechenberg, defensive back Eddie Meador, linebacker Tommy Nobis, cornerback Ken Riley, wide receiver Sterling Sharpe and cornerback Everson Walls.
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The coach/contributor finalists are:
Roone Arledge, Don Coryell, Mike Holmgren, Frank “Bucko” Kilroy, Robert Kraft, Art Modell, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Art Rooney,Jr., Mike Shanahan, Clark Shaughnessy, John Wooten.