Roger Craig has been snubbed once again.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday announced three seniors who have advanced as finalists for the Class of 2025. And, once again, Craig did not make the cut.
In fact, Craig did not even advance to the list of nine semifinalists under consideration for the final three spots.
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The three finalists for the Class of 2025 in the seniors category are Maxie Baughan, Sterling Sharpe and Jim Tyrer.
Mike Holmgren was named a finalist in the coach category. Holmgren advanced over George Seifert and Mike Shanahan, who were among those also under consideration.
Holmgren was an assistant coach on two 49ers teams that won Super Bowls. He won a Super Bowl while head coach of the Green Bay Packers for seven seasons (1992-98). He then coached the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008, which included one Super Bowl appearance.
Ralph Hay was chosen as the finalist among contributors. Hay is credited with organizing the first meeting of football owners in his automobile dealer showroom in Canton, Ohio, in 1920 as the first step toward forming the National Football League.
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For the first time, the finalists from the seniors, coach and contributor categories will compete directly against each other. The Hall of Fame declares that the revision to the process “will help ensure the exclusivity of inclusion in the game’s most elite fraternity.”
Each member of the full selection committee may vote for only three of the five finalists from the seniors, coach and contributor categories. Only those who attain at least 80 percent of the votes will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
If none of the five individuals receives 80 percent approval, the one who receives the most votes from the 49-member committee will be elected to the Class of 2025 under the current bylaws for election.
The Hall of Fame currently is in the process of a reduction of the group of modern-era candidates. Twenty-five semifinalists were recently named. Fifteen of those individuals will advance to become finalists. Those names will be announced Dec. 28 through the Hall of Fame and on the NFL Network. A minimum of three and a maximum of five modern-era players ultimately will be elected into the Class of 2025.
Craig’s career ended following the 1993 season. He has received overwhelming support among the 49ers’ fan base, but his career accomplishments have not swayed the majority of those who vote for the Hall of Fame.
Craig was a finalist only one time while he was a modern-era candidate despite being the first player in NFL history to have 1,000 yards receiving and rushing in the same season.
His exclusion from the Hall of Fame has been a sore spot among 49ers fans for decades.
Craig was a four-time Pro Bowl player and a three-time Super Bowl champion. He rushed for 8,189 yards and 56 touchdowns in his career while also catching 566 passes for 4,911 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Craig’s teams advanced to the playoffs in each of the 11 seasons in which he played in the NFL. He played eight seasons with the 49ers, two with the Minnesota Vikings and one year with the Los Angeles Raiders.
Instead, Baughan, Sharpe and Tyrer were the candidates who advanced to the next stage among the seniors.
Baughan was a nine-time Pro Bowl linebacker with Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Rams. Sharpe was a three-time All-Pro during a seven-year career with the Green Bay Packers.
Tyrer was considered the best offensive tackle of his era. He made nine Pro Bowls, was a six-time All-Pro and was a member of one Super Bowl title and three AFL championships with the Kansas City Chiefs. Tyrer played his final game in 1974.
In 1980, Tyrer shot and killed his wife and then died by suicide by turning the gun on himself. He was a finalist for the Hall of Fame only one time as a modern-era candidate. It is suspected Tyrer suffered from CTE in the years following his retirement.
- Editor's note: Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area is a member of the 49-person Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
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