American Football Spectacular: Great 49er Mustaches: Roger Craig

This Sunday, the current San Francisco 49ers will be honoring the 49ers of the past by wearing mustaches in their final game of 2008 against Washington. We will honor this honor by honoring Great 49er Mustaches as this game draws nigh.

Roger Craig was one of the most versatile running backs the NFL has ever seen.

A perfect fit for Bill Walsh's short-passing offensive system, in 1985 Craig became the first man to gain 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 receiving in the same season.

Walsh's system was based on gaining yards after initial contact. Yet to open up the short passing game, the defense had to be made to account for the running game. Craig excelled at both -- making defenders miss after a catch or running the ball out of the backfield in the 49ers' nimble rushing playset.

Eyes struck wide-open and high knees thrashing as he ran the ball, Craig was a marvelously unique weapon in the 49ers' offenses of the 80s that defenses were forced to adapt to. He could run with agility, or he could lower the shoulder and run with power. He could take the handoff, or he could catch a pass as ably as the best wide receiver.

His slicing scamper through a interlacing gauntlet of missed Dolphin tacklers became the signature image of Super Bowl XIX; Craig's knees threshing furiously in avoidance, and then bounding high in celebration as he crossed the chalk line into the endzone.

He would score three touchdowns that day, the first ever to do so in a Super Bowl.

Much as he would change the style of his face-mask from time to time, Craig would sometimes rock a mustache, and at times he would not. Another testament to his versatility.

Merry Whatever's-Your-Thing to y'all, and may your mustache be bushy and bright.