In a mostly happy conversation with Roger Craig on Tuesday, the former 49ers running back broke down just once.
His voice caught when he tried to recount the day Dwight Clark revealed his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Craig didn’t get far.
“When Dwight called and told me. It hurt me. It hurt so much,” Craig said, fighting through sobs.
The line went silent for a while.
“I loved him so much,” Craig finally said. “He’s so real. He’s the realest person I’ve ever known.”
Clark was a real person who lived a football fairy tale.