Dameyune Craig

Sir Dameyune is quite simply the best quarterback ever to wear the Claymores Silver and Blue, and is one of the best overall athletes we've ever had the pleasure to see first hand. Even though his Claymores team only finished 4-6 (due to a porous defense), his legacy means that his successor in 2000 will have big shoes to fill.

Dameyune's talent was well known, when the Carolina Panthers decided to allocate him to Scotland, as he had already established a reputation as one of the best collegiate quarterbacks of the 90's. It was with the Auburn Tigers of the SEC that Craig made his name, as he enjoyed a stellar career, culminating in a serious push for the Heisman Trophy in 1997.

Craig first saw regular action as a sophomore in 1995, when the Tigers would use him in goal line situations to utilize his running skills. In the 13 goal-line situations he came in for - all 13 resulted in touchdowns. In his junior year he was the starting quarterback for all 12 games, and was voted team MVP for his efforts

As a senior though he really blossomed. He passed for an Auburn record 3,277 yards, completing 216 of 403 passes for 17 TD's and 13 INT's. He also ran for 312 yards, accounting for 78% of his team's offense. His performance earned him second team all-SEC honours behind Peyton Manning. With 9 wins, the Tigers had earned a berth in the SEC Championship Game against Tennessee and … Peyton Manning. Craig played a great first half in staking the Tigers to a 20-10 halftime lead. (The Cheddars turned up on their San Francisco hotel just in time to catch the 2^nd half), but could only watch as Peyton lead a great 2^nd half comeback to seal a 30-29 win. Despite the disappointment, Craig would end his Auburn career on a high note, engineering three 4^th quarter scoring drives to pull out a 21-17 come from behind win over Clemson in the Parch Bowl.

Despite all Dameyune's collegiate achievements, there were no takers on NFL Draft day. The Carolina Panthers however signed Craig as a free agent, viewing him as a long-term project, hoping to mold him one day into their version of Kordell Stewart. After staying on the practice squad in 98, the Panthers and Craig agreed that the only way forward was a spell in NFL Europe to get him much needed playing time. Thankfully the Claymores managed to convince Carolina to send him to Scotland and the rest is history …

Despite the Claymores 4-6 season, Craig shined from start to finish. The high hopes of a 4-2 start, disappeared with the porous defense (it gave up a staggering 29 TD passes to beat the previous record by nine). Craig tore up the Claymores record book - with 339 attempts, 198 completions, 2932 yards and 21 TD's. He also ran for 276 yards and 3TD's. Some of his greatest plays were Houdini like escapes from sacks for a 3 yard completion. However he will always be symonous with the number - 611, after his magical night in Frankfurt (see great Dameyune moments below).

Dameyune the Panther

Unfortunately on his return to Carolina he still found himself buried on the depth chart. New coach George Seifert had signed Steve Bono and traded for Jeff Lewis and Craig never rose past 4^th string all year, as Steve Beuerlein enjoyed a Pro Bowl season in Charlotte. However he wowed fans and the media during the pre-season, and had to rank as the most talked about 4^th stringer in NFL history. With Bono not returning in 2000, and Lewis yet to impress, Dameyune may yet see the field in 2000 and when he does - he'll be there to stay for a long and successful NFL career!

• Week 1 vs. Fire, 99 season - A miracle last minute 4^th down 5 yard run into the end zone sends the Murrayfield crowd into a frenzy capping a 21-20 comeback win over the defending champs.
• Week 2 at Berlin, 99 season - 4 TD passes. 48 points. We’d never seen anything like this in Claymores colours!
• Week 6 at Frankfurt, 99 season - After being humiliated 37-6 the week before in Dusseldorf, we needed a good showing. Boy did we get that. By the time Dameyune tossed his 5^th TD pass, he had clocked up a professional record 611 yards. The Claymores would hang on to win 42-35 and Dameyune’s performance would send shock waves through the football world. So much so, that the Hall of Fame in Canton would take his jersey and helmet from that night and create a mini shrine for him (see below)!
• Week 9 vs. Admirals, 99 season - Another tough home loss. Another game with no breaks from the officiating. Dameyune speaks his mind with the fans and media after the game - "It’s tough to play against 12 guys …" Well said Sir!
• Week 10 in Amsterdam, 99 season - With the game and season over on Saturday night, Sunday promised to be a quiet day in the Dutch capital. The Cheddars were just enjoying a peaceful stroll through the centre of the city, and the next thing you know, we run into Dameyune and a few other guys, and we’re enjoying some live theatre! Dameyune volunteered his leather belt, which resulted in the poor Japanese backup quarterback being tied up on stage. It was the most action he’d seen all year - and showed that #2 was the ultimate team player!

Dameyune and that belt, Amsterdam 99

Canton, baby!

Career Passing Statistics

Year

Att

Com

%

Yards

AG

TD

%

Int

%

Rating

1999

339

198

58.4%

2932

8.65

21

6.2%

12

3.5%

92.7

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