Sports
Former Viking Enters Hall of Fame
He wasn’t a game-wrecker for the Minnesota Vikings, but running back Roger Craig indeed played 29 games for the franchise in the early 1990s and is indeed a Hall of Famer. The NFL announced the 2026 class on Thursday night, and Craig broke through.
Craig’s long wait ends, and the Vikings’ Hall conversation shifts from celebration to who could realistically follow him into Canton.
Depending on next year’s votes, Minnesota could send back-to-back Vikings tailbacks to the Hall: Craig and Adrian Peterson.
Roger Craig’s Road to Canton
You better believe Craig finished his career in Minnesota.
Craig Gets the HOF Nod
Craig is in. 49ers.com’s Briana Jeannel wrote Thursday, “The Pro Football Hall of Fame revealed its Class of 2026 during NFL Honors on Thursday night, with former 49ers running back Roger Craig adding his name to the list of NFL greats.”
“Craig was selected by the 49ers in the second round of the 1983 NFL Draft out of the University of Nebraska and became a key figure in San Francisco’s dynasty of the 1980s. A versatile offensive weapon, Craig was a superstar on 49ers head coach Bill Walsh’s West Coast offense, contributing as both a rusher and receiver.”
He became eligible for the Hall in 1999. The man has waited nearly three decades for this moment.
His Stop with the Vikings
In the final two seasons of his career, Craig joined a couple of Vikings RB rooms that included Terry Allen, Barry Word, Scottie Graham, and Robert Smith — basically the aftermath of the failed Herschel Walker trade era.
He logged 868 yards from scrimmage and 6 touchdowns, and primarily served as the RB3. Think Cam Akers in the last couple of seasons with the current Vikings or Zavier Scott in 2025. It was the dawn of the Dennis Green era.
Minnesota reached the postseason in both Craig campaigns but obviously lost before the Super Bowl. It’s a familiar MIN theme since 1976.
Overall Production
Craig logged 8,189 rushing yards in 11 seasons, ranking 47th in NFL history. But he also banked 4,911 receiving yards on 566 career receptions, solidifying his case for the Hall. It had to be the receiving threat because the rushing numbers alone were not enough. For example, the aforementioned Terry Allen rushed for more yards than Craig in his career, and Allen is absolutely nowhere near Hall of Fame consideration.
The deal-sealer for Craig? Three Super Bowls with the 49ers. Those markedly increased his visibility — rightfully so — rubbing shoulders with Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, two HOF automatics.
All told, Craig won Offensive Player of the Year in 1988, was a four-time Pro Bowler, and a two-time All-Pro.
The Other Inductees
Aside from Craig, who got the nod from voters for lifetime achievement and patience, the other inductees were no-brainers:
- Drew Brees (QB)
- Larry Fitzgerald (WR)
- Luke Kuechly (LB)
- Adam Vinatieri (K)
Not a single soul had major beef with the Hall’s choices from that list.
And the voters needed that after the Bill Belichick debacle last week. Mind-bogglingly, the voting committee did not grant Belichick entry on his first attempt.
Fitzgerald fulfilled his Hall of Fame destiny, a notable moment from a Minnesota standpoint because he was a ballboy for the Vikings in the late 1990s.
Arizona Sports‘ Tyler Drake on Fitzgerald’s induction: “Fitzgerald amassed 17,492 receiving yards on 1,432 receptions throughout 17 NFL seasons. There’s only one pass catcher in NFL history who can truly say they did more in those departments: Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who sits atop the leaderboard for the most receiving yards (22,895) and catches (1,549).”
“Fitzgerald, however, has a leg up on Rice in another aspect — one that Cardinals fans truly appreciate. He stayed put! In a world where athletes change teams on the regular looking for that next big pay day, Fitzgerald was among the anomalies. Seventeen seasons, 263 games played, all with the Cardinals.”
Down the stretch of Fitzgerald’s illustrious career, Vikings fans hoped he’d sign in Minnesota to make the story full circle. No luck.
Drake added, “And although he trails Rice in the categories mentioned above, it’s Fitzgerald holding the top spot when it comes to getting it done with one team. Rice really made a name for himself during his 49ers tenure, but it was Fitzgerald who strung together a better statistical career in the place he was drafted.”
“Fitzgerald also did it with 17 different starting quarterbacks! Despite that many cooks in the kitchen, he still found a way to consistently impact games.”
The aforementioned Adrian Peterson will be eligible for induction in 2027.
