Roger Craig
- Thread starter Baxter48
- Start date
He was extremely good and sometimes great for a 5 year span. You can say that about quite a few RBs though. I could be wrong, but I don’t see guys like Jamal Lewis and Chris Johnson getting in either.
As a key piece of a team that many called a dynasty, I would argue that Craig had a far bigger impact on the sport than RBs like Lewis and Johnson. Yes I am a biased Husker fan, but Craig belongs in The Hall.
I would think it benefits them greatly. Probably get more endorsements and speaking engagements etc,,
That’s a bad comparison for a short span . In his career he was a MVP . Won 2 Offensive player of year .NFL leader in Rushing 1 year . 3 first team All pro selections.
Thought it was interesting so I looked it up
Here’s a side‑by‑side comparison of Roger Craig vs. Terrell Davis, highlighting their career production and legacies as NFL running backs:
Career Totals & Style
Roger Craig
- Rushing Yards: 8,189
- Rushing TDs: 56
- Receiving Yards: 4,911 (566 receptions)
- Receiving TDs: 17
- Yards from Scrimmage: ~13,100
- Average Yards per Carry: ~4.1 (ESPN.com, Wikipedia, Pro Football History)
- Pro Bowls: 4× (1985, 1987–1989); NFL Offensive Player of the Year: 1988 (Wikipedia)
- Era: Played 11 NFL seasons (1983–1993), mostly with the 49ers; won 3 Super Bowls (XIX, XXIII, XXIV) (Wikipedia)
- Notable Achievement: First RB ever to surpass 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season (1985) (Wikipedia)
Terrell Davis
- Rushing Yards: 7,607
- Rushing TDs: 60
- Receiving Yards: 1,280 (169 receptions)
- Receiving TDs: 5
- Yards from Scrimmage: ~8,900 (approx.)
- Average Yards per Carry: ~4.6 (Wikipedia, es.wikipedia.org, Reddit)
- Pro Bowls: 3× (1996–1998); NFL Offensive Player of the Year: 1996 & 1998; NFL MVP: 1998 (Wikipedia)
- Era: Seven seasons (1995–2001), all with the Broncos; won 2 Super Bowls (XXXII, XXXIII) and was Super Bowl MVP in XXXII (Wikipedia)
- Notable Achievement: Rushed for 2,000+ yards in a season (1998, 2,008 yards); holds NFL postseason rushing TD record in 1997 (8 TDs) (Wikipedia)
Quick Comparison Table
| Metric | Roger Craig | Terrell Davis |
|---|---|---|
| Career Seasons | 11 | 7 |
| Rushing Yards | ~8,189 | ~7,607 |
| Receiving Yards | ~4,911 | ~1,280 |
| Total Yds from Scrim. | ~13,100 | ~8,900 |
| Rushing TDs | 56 | 60 |
| Avg Yds/Carry | 4.1 | 4.6 |
| Pro Bowls | 4 | 3 |
| MVP / OPOY Titles | 1988 Offensive Player Yr | 1996 & 1998 OPOY + 1998 MVP |
| Super Bowl Wins | 3 | 2 |
| Hall of Fame Status | Not inducted | Inducted (2017) |
Key Insights
- Roger Craig was the ultimate dual-threat back—a pioneer in the receiving backfield. His career yards from scrimmage (~13,100) outpaces Davis’s by a large margin, thanks to his exceptional receiving tally (4,911 yards, most ever by an RB until recently) (Everything Explained Today, Pro Football History, StatMuse, Reddit, Reddit, Spotfire).
- Terrell Davis, on the other hand, had a shorter but explosive career, marked by elite rushing efficiency (4.6 ypc) and legendary playoff performances, including his record 8 rushing TDs in one postseason and over 2,400 total yards in 1998 (including playoffs) (Reddit).
- While Davis’s career was more decorated—with two Offensive Player of the Year awards, an MVP title, and a Hall of Fame induction—Craig’s consistency, longevity, and versatility made him a key component of multiple championship teams, though he remains outside the Hall of Fame as of now (Wikipedia, Reddit, Reddit).
Final Takeaway
- If you prioritize total production over a longer career and elite receiving skills, Roger Craig edges ahead.
- If you value peak dominance, postseason excellence, and efficiency, Terrell Davis holds the advantage.
Both were outstanding backs with different career narratives—Craig as a revolutionary dual-threat over a long career, Davis as a high-impact, short-span MVP-caliber back.
Let me know if you'd like game-by-game breakdowns or playoff stats comparisons!
Being inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame is definitely a huge financial boost for players. I'll give you a 2nd hand account based on the fact my son is best friends with Ben Watson, former New England Patriot tight end who retired after 16 NFL seasons and is now 44 years old.
The typical NFL pension is actually not that great. At 16 years of service in the NFL the pension is only 20K per year. The thing is you can't receive that till you reach age 55, and if taken earlier, it is scaled down similar to retiring at age 62 in Social Security versus waiting till 65 or 67 or age 70.
The huge thing about being inducted into the Hall of Fame is you get a one time bonus of 300K, then you get an annual pension of 100K, but that takes away the normal 20K ish pension. But there are health insurance and travel benefits also.
As for Ben, he works for the SEC Football Network and is an active partner in his wifes' non-profit organization. He is a devout Christian and could not be a nicer guy.
In his NFL career, he signed contracts worth $ 33 Million and he is also a smart dude who scored a 48 on the Wonderlic test, which I think is somewhere in the top 3 high scores ever recorded. He also gets a lot of speaking engagements and is considered to be worth about $ 10 million at present time. Which is a good thing because he and his wife have 7 children.
Ben is not in the Hall of Fame, but does understand how financially meaningful that inclusion is.
All this may not be 100% accurate, but it answers your question about finances of Hall of Fame entry.
To your HOF numbers I can’t find anything that backs up the 300k and 100 k pension . I think your son is getting a line .
First of all, those NFL Hall of Fame numbers were not numbers I got from my son.
I did a simple Google search and got an article from Dominic Townsend who writes for Huffington Post, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. He has the pension benefits for NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL.
Since none of us actually know the parameters of professional athletic pensions, I relied on this guy knowing his stuff. May he does, maybe he doesn't.
How accurate or inaccurate Hall of Fame pensions, etc are should be attributed to Dominic Townsend.
The information from my son about Ben is accurate.
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Ok got ya . My google shows Player do not receive extra compensation for being inducted. I am no questioning Ben’s pension. I am questioning the Extra HOF stuff.
I know what you mean. Maybe if I would have tried several sources other than Townsend I would have drawn a different conclusion....
Why does anyone not make it? It's supposed to be very hard to make it in. So ideally, there should be a lot of very good players on the outside looking in. That's why Craig isn't in yet. But he would make a good candidate. How many backs can have 1000 yard seasons in rushing and receiving in 16 games? And Roger did it back in a different era. That was the era of huge shoulder pads and neck rolls.
Craig might actually be hurt by being on the teams with Rice and Montana. Those guys got all the press all the time.
Also, I don't know if I have ever really heard Joe Montana talk about Craig. I feel like he could have or should have jocked him up a bit more.
ROGER CRAIG - BEST RUNNING BACK NOT IN PRO FOOTBALL HOF (VOL. 2)
He makes other teams looks like they are bad tackers - John Madden
Great productivity, unique skills, unparallelled work ethic.
Should be in the HOF.
He makes other teams looks like they are bad tackers - John Madden
Great productivity, unique skills, unparallelled work ethic.
Should be in the HOF.