Several weeks ago, running back Frank Gore officially retired after 16 seasons in the NFL.
He did so the classy way, signing a one-day contract with the team he has been most associated with, the San Francisco 49ers.
Frank Gore is signing a one-day contract with San Francisco to retire as a member of the #49ers.
💥 3rd all-time in rushing yards
💥 Most games played by a RB
💥 Five-time Pro Bowl selectionpic.twitter.com/bYqOwW5zK9— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) June 2, 2022
Now the only question left regarding him is whether he will make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, especially on his first try.
He not only retired with exactly 16,000 rushing yards, placing him third on the NFL’s all-time career rushing yards list, but with numerous other accomplishments as well.
If Gore doesn’t make it into Canton, perhaps the people who vote for the Hall of Fame should be charged with some type of journalistic malpractice.
In fact, he deserves to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Gore Overcame Quite A Bit To Become An NFL Star
Although Gore, who is a native of the Miami area, became a star for the University of Miami Hurricanes, one of the more storied college football programs in the nation, he dealt with quite a bit of adversity there.
He tore his ACL not once but twice, in the same knee.
It is the type of injury that robs many athletes of their explosiveness and lateral quickness, but Gore threw himself into the rehab process and put up 945 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior.
The 49ers took him in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft, and he would become a major part of their return to relevance.
He Helped The 49ers Go From The Basement To Title Contention
At the time, the Niners were going through one of the darkest periods in franchise history, as Steve Young and Jerry Rice were long gone and the team had made the playoffs only twice in the past six seasons.
Gore’s rookie season was quiet, but in 2006, he became an “Inconvenient Truth” for his opponents, putting up 1,695 rushing yards and making it to the Pro Bowl.
By 2011, new head coach Jim Harbaugh had established a clear defense-first, hard-hitting identity for San Francisco, and Gore helped it reach the NFC Championship Game while earning his second Pro Bowl nod.
The following year, he posted 1,214 rushing yards and eight touchdowns as the Niners went to the Super Bowl and came within inches of possibly winning their sixth world championship.
After the 2014 season, with the team falling apart at the seams, Gore moved on to the Indianapolis Colts.
Even though he was now 32, an age at which most running backs are a shadow of their younger selves, he managed to have a few more productive years.
In all, Gore was named to the Pro Bowl five times, and with his ability to occasionally play receiver out of the backfield, he became the first NFL player to post 1,200 yards from scrimmage in 12 consecutive seasons.
Only four men had more 1,000-yard rushing seasons than Gore had (he managed to put up nine such campaigns).
One thing he was particularly gifted at was scratching out a few extra yards before allowing himself to be tackled.
#3
10/2/11 @ EaglesThe stacked Eagles team came into this season with high hopes. But the #49ers had other plans. SF had an incredible comeback and it was capped off with Frank Gore's determined touchdown run to take the lead.
Thread continues ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/9IXM0Tx2Rr
— #Random49ers (@Random49ers) June 2, 2022
There is no doubt that Gore will be remembered as a legend for years to come, especially in California.
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