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The Football Diner Big Interview:
Roger Craig
interviewed by Brian Davis
24/12/2009
In our first interview with Roger Craig, we learnt about his time with the San Francisco 49ers, winning 3 Super Bowls, scoring 3 TDs in his first Super Bowl, becoming the first man to get 1000 yards receiving and rushing in the same season, as well as what it was like to work under Bill Walsh, we now take a look at what made Roger the kind of guy that made Bill Walsh draft him in the second round of the draft in 1983, his experiences of playing for Nebraska, the hype around Bowl game week, scouting combines and the draft:
Football Diner:
You went to school at Davenport Central, Iowa. Was Nebraska always your top choice of college and could you have gone somewhere else?
 Roger Craig:
Yeah, always top of the list, my older brother and a teammate and good friend Jamie Williams who played Tight End at Nebraska had success in the programme which is great and full of tradition, when I went there they already had 2 National Championships which is basically the college equivalent of the Super Bowl.
In my Four years there I only lost 5 total games and we got lots of national exposure going to 2 Orange Bowls which were big bowls and also the Cotton Bowl and Sun Bowl.
The fans at Nebraska are the best fans on the planet, as a kid I was captivated by how much the fans love Nebraska and I wanted to be a part of it and theyre just a sea of red on game-day, everybody wears red to games, even in other stadiums, our fans would take over, wed see the sea of red in Kansas, Colorado, it was awesome.
Tom Osborne was also a great guy and a great Coach and we had lots of belief in him.
Football Diner:
How was the recruiting process in general? I read The Blind Side recently and was quite amazed at the relentlessness of coaches and scouts to get their man
Roger Craig:
Well my Brother and Jamie (Williams) went through it, so I was fully prepared, basically I made a list of 10 things I liked and 10 things I didnt like about each College, but deep down, I knew it was Nebraska.
I actually came over to (your team) Cal Berkeley and had a look around, but I was a little intimidated by the big city and as a Mid-West guy I wanted to remain true to my values, I visited most of the BIG10 teams as well as the (then) Big 8 (now BIG12) teams, but as I said, I always knew it was going to be Nebraska.
Nebraskas weight room and conditioning programme was incredible, it was the best bar none. Strengthening Coach Boyd Epley was also incredible, he changed Coaching in College Football with his training techniques and this was where I learnt my conditioning programme that I took with me into the NFL.
Football Diner:
Whats it like as a young freshman straight out of High School heading onto a College team?
Roger Craig:
I was surrounded by All Americans, All State players, just a lot of Great players, I had to distinguish myself from the rest and show them why I was different. There were 10 Running Backs when I was there, I had to stand out and be different and make a difference. You have to believe in yourself and not be intimidated, but you have to be accountable, its such a big business, theres no room for error, you make two errors and youre on the bench because theres another guy waiting to take you place.
Football Diner:
Do you recall your first touchdown in College?
Roger Craig:
Yeah! That was against Utah State, that was really exciting and the fans were cheering loud, it was fun.
Football Diner:
In 1980, your sophomore season, you started off as 3rd choice running back, but still amassed 769 yards on 108 carries (avg 7.1) scoring 15 TDs (6th Nationally) including 2 games rushing over 175 yards, that must have been a pretty nice feeling? And you went on to win the Sun Bowl that season..
Roger Craig:
The starter then, Jarvis Redwine was a Heisman candidate and Craig Johnson was the second string guy and I was behind them both, yet I got just as many yards, but scored more Touchdowns than them, it was crazy. I remember one game where I had to be ready though, this is where you grow up quick in College, in the first quarter Jarvis went down with a shoulder injury and shortly after, Craig went down with a bruised thigh, Im the last man up, because you can only take so many players in each position away with you and the Coach looked at me and said Are you ready?
I said Yeah! Im ready, lets Rock and Roll !
Colorado thought they had us then, down to the 3rd choice Running back, in the 1st Quarter, they thought were gonna win, but I ran for 180 yards and scored 3 Touchdowns and I got the Big 8 Player of the Week award, that was a Great, Great feeling. We won 45-7!
Football Diner:
Your Junior Year (1981) was your first and only 1000 yard college season, the Florida State game must have been the standout game that year? 234 yards and a 94 yard TD run. Ultimately though, the season ended badly, despite a 26 yard scoring run, you lost to Clemson in the Orange Bowl
 Roger Craig:
I split time with Mike Rozier that season, the Florida State game was probably my best performance at Nebraska, we were back and forth though that year with the starting role, the starter was based on performance, whoever performed got the start which by the end, was a little frustrating.
Football Diner:
In your Senior year, injuries and a move to Full back hampered you to only 586 yards rushing and 5TDs, that must have been tough for you? But you went out on a high, beating Louisiana Tech 21-20 in the Orange Bowl
Roger Craig:
I was a candidate for the Heisman going into my Senior year, but the team asked me if Id play at Full Back, and because I was a team player, and not in it for myself, I played there. Bill Walsh recognized this in me early on.
My attitude was, Im gonna show the NFL what I can do regardless of position, I got invited to the All Star games, including the Hula Bowl where all the top prospects go and then onto the Senior Bowl, I did really well at the Hula Bowl and had made my mark on the scouts.
Football Diner:
How were your combine performances and how do they compare then, to what we see now?
Roger Craig:
The Combine hasnt changed at all really. It was still all your vertical leaps, weights, 40 yard dash back then, the same as what we still see now.
I attended one Combine in Tampa where I was put into the top 10 Running back group and finished 3rd overall, we then all went to another in Detroit and we were all together again and that time I finished 2nd to Eric Dickerson. At that point, I knew I didnt have to do any more really.
Football Diner:
Nebraska played in 4 Bowl games in your time there, winning 2 and losing 2, Can you try to explain for us the atmosphere around campus and the city during the lead up to the game, and the aftermath of Bowl week win or lose.
Roger Craig:
It was fine and dandy playing in those Bowls which is a big business, but the pressure is nothing compared to the NFL Playoffs and Super Bowl, there is a huge pressure difference in the two! Nebraska was a good winning team and in my whole career I have never been on a losing team, even now in my company Tibco, were a winning company in the Software and Corporate World.
Football Diner:
Any chance of dusting off the cleats and turning around the 49ers fortunes then?
Roger Craig:
Oh, theyd definitely win then! But theyd need some bigger linemen to make the holes for me! They need some beasts up front. There are many things Id change there if I was in charge.
Football Diner:
Ok, well talk about that at another time! See what the draft and Free Agency brings!
Football Diner:
You were seen as possibly being the 3rd Running back taken after Eric Dickerson and Curt Warner, but James Jones and Gary Anderson were then also taken in the first round, you were the 5th RB taken overall, near the bottom of Round 2, did that make you more determined to prove wrong those who didnt draft you higher?
 Roger Craig:
I was never worried, my main objective was that when I was drafted, I was ready to go, Ill show them all up, and in my first season I was only 2nd to Eric Dickerson, I never really cared about how the others were doing, just trying to get myself fitted into the 49ers system and getting it all together and we actually nearly got to the Super Bowl in my rookie year and then won it in the 2nd year, but in some ways, Im kind of glad we didnt win it in my first year as it gave me further time to grow up and it wouldnt have felt right winning it as a Rookie, going from a winning programme in College straight into a dominant force immediately in the NFL, it gave me and us all something extra to work for and it was good to work for!
Football Diner:
When the phone rang and its Bill Walsh or a 49ers advisor on the phone, whats your first thought?
Roger Craig:
Two weeks before the draft I knew Bill Walsh was interested in me and I was the 49ers first draft pick that year as they didnt have a First Round pick. He wanted me to be his prototype Running Back, the glue for his system to run, to Block, catch, be the team player that he saw at Nebraska and not one of these Running Backs that cries when hes not carrying the ball, I just cared about winning.
Football Diner:
Did you have the family around waiting for the call like we see on the TV now?
Roger Craig:
Yeah, they were all around, that was another fun day, when the phone rang everybody jumped up with excitement and I got off the phone and said right guys, I got to catch a flight to San Francisco, there was lots of cheering and that was a really cool feeling
Football Diner:
Looking back now, that was a pretty star-studded draft, one of the best of the 80s including: John Elway, Eric Dickerson, Curt Warner, Bruce Matthews, Jim Kelly, Joey Browner, Willy Gault, Dan Marino, Darrell Green, Henry Ellard, yourself, Richard Dent, Mark Clayton, Karl Mecklenberg and one of your lead blockers at San Francisco Jesse Sapolu.
Roger Craig:
That draft was the real cream of the crop, I mean look at the names there, Marino, Matthews, Kelly, Elway, Dickerson and Anthony Carter and also my previously mentioned good friend Jamie Williams who I grew up with, who was drafted by the St Louis Cardinals and later played for the 49ers. That was an amazing draft and again, fun to be part of.
Football Diner:
Bringing it to the present time: Ndamukong Suh has rightly had a lot of publicity this year, being such a dominant force on the Huskers Defensive line, do you think he has what it takes to be the #1 overall pick and where would be a good fit for him from those picking near the top of this draft?
Roger Craig:
Suh is a Beast! I love him! He has the attitude, perseverance, nothing rattles him, he should have won the Heisman, hes clearly the best at his position and in College ( Brian Davis: I agree see )
Football Diner:
I think Ingrams SEC championship game really propelled him up the charts and thrust him further onto the scene.
Roger Craig:
Yeah! Suhs fast, strong, is not afraid of hard work. Hes an old school Husker.
Football Diner:
Where do you see Suh fitting in best?
Roger Craig:
I hope somebody can trade up for him, I dont really want to see him at a St Louis or Detroit, he really deserves to be on a winning team, although, if he goes number 1 overall, that could be an expensive price for somebody to pay for.
Football Diner:
And finally, we cant let you go without a prediction for Wednesdays Holiday Bowl game; Nebraska v Arizona without a prediction, so what do you think?
 Roger Craig:
Nebraskas D will bring the pressure and with Suh on that D, youre in trouble! Arizona has a nice passing game and if Nebraska can stop that and get its own running game established then theres no reason why Nebraska cant get this game won comfortably and have a good day and win it. Im real happy for Bo Pelini though, whos a real good guy and a great Coach.
Football Diner:
Many Thanks for chatting to us again Roger
Roger Craig:
No problem at all, well speak again in the new year and Ill tell you whats going to happen in the playoffs!
Football Diner:
Ok, sounds great, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Roger Craig:
Same to you .
Roger Craig is an advisory on the board for www.huskerpedia.com which is a must read for any Husker fan.
You can also check out Rogers Fantasy Football blogs at: http://rogercraigfflrush.blogspot.com
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