DAVENPORT, Iowa — The wait is over. More than three decades after he hung up his cleats, San Francisco 49ers legend Roger Craig is headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The long-overdue induction ceremony hits Canton, Ohio, on August 8th, ending years of debate and firmly cementing Craig among the immortals. Before the three Super Bowl rings, the 1,000-1,000 yard season, and the punishing high-knee running style that terrorized NFL defenses, Craig was just a kid in Davenport with an unlimited ceiling.
Long before he carved up defenses on the muddy grass of Candlestick Park, Craig’s raw potential turned heads at Davenport Central. In 1973, as a seventh-grader at J.B. Young Intermediate, he filled out a school form declaring his ultimate goal: to become a professional football player. He chased that dream with a ruthless work ethic.
Former Davenport Central assistant football coach Paul Flynn saw the fire early. Craig idolized his older brother Curtis and absorbed every lesson the older Craig passed down. When Roger finally hit the varsity field, he brought a level of intensity the coaching staff had never seen.
“He reminded me a lot of his older brother Curtis. You could never work him hard enough. He just was a go-getter from the minute he stepped on the field.”
— Paul Flynn, Former Davenport Central Assistant Coach
Don Fisher, the principal at J.B. Young and later Central High School, remembers Craig’s physical dominance perfectly. The agility, the sheer speed, the explosive burst—it was all there. But Fisher saw something deeper in the young running back. Craig possessed an acute awareness that life extended far beyond the gridiron.
Even as his NFL star exploded in the 1980s, Craig never forgot his Iowa roots. He silently bought and donated brand-new football cleats for the entire Davenport Central football team. No cameras. No press releases. Just a hometown hero making sure the next generation had the gear they needed to compete.
“He was an outstanding person from really a very supportive family. He wanted to be the best in football and he wanted to be a better person individually. He purchased and donated to the Central football team’s football shoes so that everybody had a pair.”
— Don Fisher, Former Davenport Principal
As the August 8th induction approaches, the NFL world prepares to right a historical wrong. Craig revolutionized the running back position, becoming the first player in NFL history to record 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in a single season. Modern offenses built around versatile backs owe their blueprint directly to Craig’s prime years.
For the city of Davenport, this induction validates decades of local pride. The Craig family set a standard of excellence and humility that still resonates in the community today.
The young man who wrote down a dream in 1973 manifested it into a golden reality. Canton, get ready for those high knees.
