Craig Allen Long
March 24, 1970 - February 10, 2007
"Craig Long, A Difference Maker"
As quoted by Rich Gannon, 2002 NFL MVP
Speech given at Salinas Funeral by Pete Caracciolo (NY Pete)

were moving out and that I needed to find another place to live. He watched me squirm as I called
they were joking. That was the kind of fun we had.
were moving out and that I needed to find another place to live. He watched me squirm as I called
other people to see if they had room. They dragged it out to the next evening and finally said that
they were joking. That was the kind of fun we had.

Not only did Craig and I live together, we also shared a room when we traveled on the road. Craig
would bring his playstation with him so he could play it in the hotel. Craig had a thing for Madden
football. His great friend Jason Holman would always play each other online. If you knew Craig,
you knew he hated to lose. It was so much fun to rub it in because he would get so mad. Craig could
dish it but could not take.

When he was not playing Madden, he was watching wrestling. There were times he wished he was a
wrestler. He would practice his submission moves on me and ask Jack how it looked. Jack would
say, “make it a little tighter”.

Craig had a special feeling towards New Yorkers. He thought that everyone from New York had big
hair, they were arrogant and ate pizza. I thought all people from Iowa liked NASCAR, ate corn and
had mullets. He said “yeah, so what do you want to do about it”. So we had a lot in common.

Craig went to school at UT-Martin. He was so proud of them. I never heard of them. The way he
talked about them, you’d think they were in the National Championship game every year. They
were in the Ohio Valley Conference. I told him that Springfield College, were I went to school, had a
real football team, but he would say that all he could find on there website was an inter-mural
football team.

When it came to work, Craig was such a proud person. He worked diligently and was committed to
doing the best job possible. All the years he was at the Raiders he touched so many people lives. He
loved what he did. He had a presence about himself that made him distinct. When Craig was doing
On the Edge on Raiders.com, I told him he had a great face for radio. He tends to disagree.

Now it was Game Day and Craig was a little superstious. He’d go thru the same routine every
Sunday, look in the mirror and tell himself how damn good looking he was. Superstions still apply
on the road. His Brother Dave and Trooper Dan would always come to Tennessee. We lost to
Tennessee 3 consecutive times we went there. Dave was the only common factor. Craig was getting
ready to cut them off. But nothing was better than going to Kansas City, because I knew his parents
would come and we’d be going out to dinner….cheesecake factory.

Now time went on and Craig was set up on a blind date. That blind date was Allison. From that
point on the two of them grew together. I had never seen someone love Craig as much as Allison.
She meant the world to him and they began there life together. The memories from there wedding in
Kauai are irreplaceable. Craig fell asleep on the beach and got sunburned. There was always
something.

Craig and I had so much in common that our wives both had the same due dates. Nothing planned
there. But before long, Craig and Allison were blessed with a beautiful baby girl. He loved Ava more
than anything. He would have given up or done anything at any cost to protect them and keep them
happy. He wanted nothing more than to be a great husband and a proud father. That’s where his
heart was and I know that his heart is still with us and he will be watching over Allison and his
daughters.

Craig, as I close this to you, I want you to know that you will always be remembered, never
forgotten and your daughters will always remember their Daddy!!
Speech given at Salinas Funeral by Pete Caracciolo (NY Pete)