Craig was an honorable mention high school All-American in football as a tailback at Kings Park (New York) High School. He had scholarship offers to Boston College, Syracuse, Penn State and University of South Carolina, but they couldn't get him into school because of academics.

An underachiever in the classroom, his parents took away his 1969 Mustang until after his first semester at Seton Hall when he got a 3.5 average. His parents had promised to return his car if he got a 3.0.

Craig Biggio had just been called up from the Minor Leagues around the time that Bell was traded to Houston from Cincinnati, and Biggio learned valuable lessons from Bell that he still uses to this day. Bell was a firm believer that everyone on the team should be treated the same, whether you were the highest-paid superstar or the 12th man in the bullpen.

"Rules are rules and you do what you've got to do," Biggio said. "Nobody's different. That's the way it should be. There aren't [special] rules for somebody that's been there [a long time]. If you stretch at a certain time, that's when you stretch."

A tradition old school Major Leaguers still employ to this day is a postgame "meeting of the minds" of sorts, which involves mostly veteran players who sit around the clubhouse after a game and talk about anything from the game to life in general.

In 1988, Biggio, then a 22-year-old rookie, sat in on these roundtable discussions and was surrounded by veterans such as Bell, Nolan Ryan and Bill Doran. Biggio knew it was better to be seen than heard.

"I didn't speak much," Biggio said. "I was the beer boy, as far as getting the cooler, pulling it over to Billy Doran's locker and setting it up for him.

"It was a very educational experience and a very eye-opening experience to be able to hear a lot of things that go on through the course of the game, listening to them talk about it. A lot of the dos and don'ts, you already knew. But some of the other ones, it was the learning process of being a young player. Those days were very, very precious to me. I learned a lot." (Alyson Footer-MLB.com-6/`7/05)

He and his wife, Patty, have two sons, Conor and Cavan, and a third child was to be born in December 1999.

CAREER ASTRO

The dirty, stained batting helmet he wears hasn't been cleaned since around the 1993 season, or maybe it was before that. It is covered with pine tar, perspiration and (probably) algae. But Biggio wears it proudly -- a badge of courage? Actually, it is probably a superstition.

"I love it just the way it is," Biggio says. "Why change something that works? I hope I'll be wearing that same helmet until the day I retire."

Craig moved past Jose Cruz late in June 2000 as the Astros all-time hits leader. Biggio is also the all-time leader in doubles and runs scored. And early in May 2001, he became the first Astro to total over 2,000 hits in his career.

COMMUNITY TIES

Craig and his wife, Patty, have been big supporters to the Sunshine Kids, a support group for kids with cancer and their families. To watch Biggio mingle with the Kids, it's obvious that he's used to being around young people. As the dad of three children. He has a knack for relating to youngsters.

"I love these kids," Biggio said during the annual Sunshine Kids party at Minute Maid Park in August 2002. "They're one of the reasons why I stayed an Astro. I love these kids as if they were my own. As much as I've affected their lives, they've affected my life even more."

For years, Biggio wore a yellow sun on his hat until MLB made him stop in 2007.

Without saying a word, Biggio taught kids and players that it is OK to be sick, but it is awesome to get up and fight.

Biggio has always been a big Washington Redskins fan. So he does not like the Dallas Cowboys. "I'm cheering for the Houston Texans and Redskins this season," Biggio said in 2002. "When you grow up a Redskins fan, you hate the Cowboys."

He and teammate Jeff Bagwell have season tickets on the 50-yard line at Reliant Stadium in Houston. Craig's sons, Conor and Cavan, are also football fans. "They got the Texans hats, shirts and stuff like that. They're pretty excited for football. My one boy, Conor, already changed allegiance from the Eagles to the Texans. I don't care who they cheer for. My kids can be fans of any team they want except the Cowboys," Biggio said.

Sandberg batted .285 with 2,386 hits, 403 doubles and 282 home runs. Biggio enters 2005 with a .286 batting average, 2,639 hits, 564 doubles and 234 home runs. (January, 2013)

September 27, 2005: Biggio's mother underwent open heart surgery.

Biggio has played in more games than any other Astro in history.

June 28, 2007: Biggio became the 27th player to reach 3,000 career hits with a single in the seventh inning. He's the ninth player to reach the mark with one team.

The hit drove in a run to tie the game at 1, and although Biggio was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double, the unfortunate end of the inning didn't dim the celebration.

As soon as Biggio was called out, Brad Ausmus ran to Biggio, with the rest of the team in tow. Biggio was mobbed by his teammates and was soon joined by his wife, Patty, and daughter Quinn, who ran out to the field to embrace the Astros icon.

Biggio's sons, Conor and Cavan, also joined their dad on the field. During an eight-minute delay of the game, 42,537 fans showered Biggio with cheers and Biggio tearfully tipped his helmet to the crowd and embraced his family again.

The best moment arrived minutes later when Biggio spotted Jeff Bagwell in the dugout and coaxed his longtime teammate and friend onto the field. Biggio pulled a visibly reluctant Bagwell onto the right side of the infield grass, right near where the two played side by side for 15 years from 1991-2005.

On October 27, 2007, Biggio was presented with the 2007 Roberto Clemente award yesterday, given to the player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team," according to Major League Baseball.

Biggio, as a high school shortstop watched his teammate and friend die from a lightning bolt only feet from him, while playing second base.

January 6, 2015: Craig Biggio was elected to the Hall of Fame, appearing on 82.7 percent of the vote. That was up from the 68.2 percent in his first appearance on the ballot in 2013, and 74.8 percent in 2014. This time, he had 42 votes more than he needed for the required 75 percent.

"I was so excited. I was crying, I ain't going to lie. I'm 49 years old -- I was an emotional mess when it happened. Then I asked them if it was a prank phone call."

Craig's daughter Quinn didn't wait until June 16, 2019 to wish her dad a happy Father's Day.  Quinn, a softball player at Notre Dame, wrote her Hall of Fame father a "Dear Dad" letter published on the Fighting Irish's website. 

"When people hear the name Craig Biggio, they think of many things," the letter starts. "They think of the Houston Astros, a Hall of Famer, a 'gritty spark plug,' dirty helmets, 3,060 hits, a man who was both an All-Star catcher and second baseman, and a man who did it all for one team. A player who selflessly did whatever his team asked of him. My favorite position he played, however, was Dad."

Quinn writes about her early childhood memories of her father as a big leaguer -- Biggio retired when she was seven -- and about spending time with him away from the field.  She also writes about the baseball lessons her dad taught her.

"Even though baseball is different from softball, my dad taught me a lot growing up and continues to teach me while I play now," she writes in the letter. "He taught me to respect the game by giving it my all and running every ball out -- and to play the sport with grit and determination."

"He was an amazing baseball player but he was an even better dad," Quinn writes in her Father's Day letter. "When I hear Craig Biggio I think of the selfless, kind-hearted, tough, funny, family man, and the best father I could have ever asked for." (Adler - mlb.com - 6/14/19)

Biggio was once probably the most underrated player in the National League. Now, he knowledgable baseball people know he should go into the Hall of Fame.

In April 1998, Biggio became the Astros' all-time leader in runs scored, knocking Cesar Cedeno (890) from the top spot.

"That's definitely what I was fearful of," he said. "I didn't know what it'd do to my career."

As it's turned out, the switch may well have bolstered and even prolonged his career. His best explanation? He has rotated his hands backward, allowing him to get more thrust into the swing, as he steps into the pitch.

Biggio  is the only player in Major League history to make the All-Star Game as a catcher and a second baseman.

Asked to recall how tough it was to move from catcher to second base, Craig recalled, "When I first got married, my wife had no clue about baseball. I bought her a Little League book on how to play the game. All of a sudden, I found myself reading it, about how to play second base."

ANOTHER BIG SWITCH -- INFIELD TO OUTFIELD

When the Astros signed Jeff Kent in December 2002, the plan to make Biggio the 19th center fielder to open a season for Houston went into effect.

Jimmy Wynn owned the position for six years, Cesar Cedeno for nine.

The complete list: Al Spangler, Howie Goss, Jimmy Wynn, Norm Miller, Cesar Cedeņo, Art Gardner Jr., Tony Scott, Omar Moreno, Jerry Mumphrey, Tony Walker, Billy Hatcher, Gerald Young, Steve Finley, Derek Bell, Brian Hunter, Carl Everett, Richard Hidalgo, and Lance Berkman.