SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds could read the nerves all over Roger Craig.
So the veteran linebacker pulled the young running back aside in the Stanford Stadium locker room a couple of hours before Super Bowl kickoff 31 years ago.
"Hacksaw just said, 'Hey, don't be afraid, play every play like it's going to be your last,'" Craig recalled. "He got in my ear. Coming from him, that was huge. Hacksaw saw something special in me."
A few hours later, so did the world. Craig ran for a touchdown and caught two more from Joe Montana in a 38-16 thrashing of Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins.