Former 49ers running back Roger Craig on Thursday advanced to the next phase for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Craig, the inaugural member of the 1,000-1,000 club, was named among the final 12 senior candidates for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024. Senior candidates are players whose careers ended at least 25 years ago.
The others chosen by the seniors committee to advance are Ken Anderson, Maxie Baughan, Randy Gradishar, Joe Jacoby, Albert Lewis, Steve McMichael, Eddie Meador, Art Powell, Sterling Sharpe, Otis Taylor and Al Wistert.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The seniors committee will meet Aug. 22 and may select up to three seniors for final consideration as members of the Class of 2024. Expansion of the seniors pool for election to the Hall was approved in 2022 for the Classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Craig, a four-time Pro Bowl player and three-time Super Bowl champion, made NFL history in 1985 when he rushed for 1,050 yards in the regular season and caught 92 passes for 1,016 yards. He was the first member of the 1,000-1,000 club, joined later by Marshall Faulk (1999) and Christian McCaffrey (2019).
Also, 12 individuals in the coach/contributor category were announced as advancing to the next round of voting.
Those semifinalists are Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Frank “Bucko” Kilroy, Robert Kraft, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Art Rooney Jr., Marty Schottenheimer, Mike Shanahan, Clark Shaughnessy, Lloyd Wells and John Wooten.
San Francisco 49ers
Coach/contributor committee members will meet Aug. 15 to select one coach or contributor for final consideration for the Class of 2024.
Holmgren and Shanahan both served as 49ers assistant coaches before becoming Super Bowl-winning head coaches with Green Bay and Denver, respectively.
Former 49ers coach George Seifert and former 49ers executive John McVay did not advance to the next round.