Franklin Gore Sr. (born May 14, 1983) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. A member of the San Francisco 49ers for most of his career, he ranks third in NFL career rushing yards. His career was also noted for longevity, a rare trait with his position, and he holds the league record for games played by a running back.
Gore played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and was selected by the 49ers in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft. During his 10 seasons with the 49ers, he became the franchise's rushing yards leader, in addition to receiving five Pro Bowl selections and one second-team All-Pro selection. He also led the National Football Conference (NFC) in rushing yards during the 2006 season and made an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII in 2012. After leaving San Francisco at the end of the 2014 season, Gore played for the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and New York Jets. Following his retirement, he has served as a football advisor to the 49ers since 2023. He was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team in 2020.
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Early life
Gore was born on May 14, 1983, in Miami, Florida, and grew up in Coconut Grove. He attended Coral Gables Senior High School in Coral Gables, Florida, where he played running back on the football team. He had two notable record-breaking games. Against Miami Northwestern High School, he had a then-career high 293 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. In the next game, he broke that record with 319 yards and six touchdowns on 13 carries against the third-ranked defense in the nation. During his senior year in 2000, Gore broke several Dade County single-season records, including rushing yards (2,997) and touchdowns (39). Heavily recruited, he was named the fourth-ranked prospect in the state of Florida and 18th nationally.
While emerging as a talented football prospect, Gore also focused his attention on improving his academics and assisting his mother, who was battling kidney disease and had started dialysis treatments. To remain close to home, Gore chose to attend the University of Miami.
College career
Gore had a scholarship to attend the University of Miami under head coach Larry Coker.
2001 season
In his freshman year, Gore shared the backfield with Clinton Portis and Willis McGahee, with Portis receiving a majority of the carries. Gore made his collegiate debut against the Penn State Nittany Lions on September 1. He had six carries for 15 yards in the 33–7 victory over the Nittany Lions. In the next game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, he had six carries for 78 yards and his first collegiate rushing touchdown in the 61–0 victory. On October 25, Gore had a breakout game against the West Virginia Mountaineers with six carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns in the 45–3 victory. On November 17, he churned 11 carries for 157 rushing yards against Syracuse.
As a true freshman for the Miami Hurricanes football in 2001, Gore totaled 562 yards with five touchdowns on 62 carries, for a 9.1-yard avg, as a backup to Clinton Portis on Miami's 2001 National championship winning team. Gore has the third-best season total in school history by a freshman and was named Sporting News' Big East Freshman of the Year.
2002 season
Gore suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee during spring practice in 2002 and spent the following season recovering from knee surgery. Before his injury that year, Gore beat out future NFL running back Willis McGahee in the spring of 2002 for the role as the Hurricanes' starter.
2003 season
Gore returned from his injury in the 2003 season. He shared the backfield with Jarrett Payton and Tyrone Moss. Gore started the season strong with three games going over 100 rushing yards and scoring three touchdowns in that span. However, on October 2, Gore played in his final game of the 2003 season against the West Virginia Mountaineers and had four carries for 15 yards before tearing his ACL again, which ended his season.
Gore finished the 2003 season with 89 carries for 468 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go along with 12 receptions for 105 receiving yards.
2004 season
Gore returned from his ACL injury to lead the Miami backfield in carries, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. In the regular season opener against Florida State, he recorded the game-winning 18-yard touchdown run in overtime. He recorded three games with over 100 rushing yards, including a 195-yard performance against Virginia on October 13. He finished the season with 197 carries for 945 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.
In 28 total games with the Hurricanes, Gore rushed 348 times for 1,975 yards (a 5.7 rushing average) and seventeen touchdowns. When his college career was finished, Gore's 1,975 yards ranked seventh on the school's career-record list and his seventeen touchdowns were tied for tenth. He also caught 25 passes for 225 yards (9.8 avg), returned two kickoffs for 48 yards and recorded five tackles on special teams. Gore was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Professional career
San Francisco 49ers
Gore was selected in the third round with the 65th overall pick of the 2005 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He was the sixth running back to be selected in the 2005 NFL Draft. In addition, he was the third of five Miami Hurricanes to be selected that year.
Gore signed a three-year contract with the team on July 28, 2005. He played in 14 games, starting one, in the 2005 season. Gore was inactive for two contests with a groin injury. He finished the season seventh among all NFL rookie running backs in rushing average with 4.8 average per run. He led the team in rushing with 608 yards on 127 carries and three rushing touchdowns. Gore also caught 15 passes for 131 yards. His season was the first time a rookie led the 49ers in rushing since 1990, when Dexter Carter paced the team with 460 yards. Gore's 608 rushing yards was the highest for a 49ers rookie since Roger Craig had 725 yards rushing in 1983.
Gore rushed for 17 yards on four carries and caught two passes for 21 yards in his NFL debut, a 28–25 victory over the St. Louis Rams. Two weeks later, he rushed for 42 yards on seven carries with a 5.4-yard average in a 34–31 loss against the Dallas Cowboys. Gore led the team with 89 yards on nine carries and recorded a then career-long 72-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of a 52–17 road loss to the Washington Redskins. The touchdown was the longest run from scrimmage by a 49ers player since running back Kevan Barlow had a 78-yard rush against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2003. The touchdown run was fifth-longest run from scrimmage by a 49ers rookie. Gore led the team in rushing for the third straight week with 55 yards on 14 carries (3.9-yard avg.) at the Chicago Bears, with a 19-yard long. He made his first NFL start in a 10–9 road loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, amassing over 100 combined yards with 79 yards rushing on 19 attempts for a 4.2 yard average with three receptions for 57 yards. Gore had his first two-touchdown game in a 24–20 victory over the Rams, with a 10-yard scoring run in the second quarter and a 30-yard score in the fourth quarter. In the regular-season finale against the Houston Texans, he registered his first 100-yard game with 108 yards on 25 carries as the 49ers won by a score of 20–17. Following the season, he had major surgery on both shoulders.
Gore was elevated to the top of the 49ers' depth chart following the August 19, 2006, trade that shipped incumbent starter Kevan Barlow to the New York Jets in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.
Indianapolis Colts
On March 10, 2015, Gore signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts. His contract included $8.5 million in guarantees. Prior to signing with the Colts, it was widely reported that Gore had agreed to a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles on March 9 to replace LeSean McCoy. However, the following day several sources claimed that Gore had second thoughts about his agreement, and instead signed with Indianapolis.
Gore enjoyed a respectable season, but 2015 marked the first season in which he played all 16 games and did not record at least 1,000 rushing yards. Gore finished ninth in the league in rushing yards with 967 and had six touchdowns, while also adding 34 receptions for 267 yards and a touchdown. Gore found the endzone twice as part of an 86-rushing yard performance in a narrow Week 3 35–33 road victory over the Tennessee Titans. He had a productive game against the Miami Dolphins, where quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was injured in what was the final game of his career. Gore stepped up to engineer an 18–14 road victory with 85 rushing yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns. He moved up five more places to 15th all-time in rushing yards, and also passed Steven Jackson in early October to become the NFL's active leader in career rushing yards.
In the first four games of the 2016 season, Gore averaged 63.3 rushing yards per game and scored three total touchdowns. During a Week 5 29–23 victory over the Chicago Bears, Gore rushed for 75 yards and surpassed Jim Brown in career rushing yards. Gore carried that momentum in the next game against the Houston Texans, rushing for 106 yards on 22 carries to become the Colts' first 100-yard rusher in 55 games. After the 26–23 overtime road loss to the Texans, Gore voiced his frustration with the team losing, saying "I didn't come here for this, I came here to get into the tournament."
During Week 8, Gore tied Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison, Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Jerry Rice, and Don Hutson for the most consecutive seasons (11) with at least five touchdowns. In Week 15 against the Minnesota Vikings' third-ranked defense, Gore hit the century mark for the second time this season, rushing for 101 yards on 26 carries in the 34–6 road victory.
Gore finished the season with 263 carries for 1,025 yards and eight touchdowns to go along with 38 receptions for 277 yards and four touchdowns. The 2016 season marked the ninth time Gore rushed for 1,000 yards in his career. He joined Pro Football Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith (11), Curtis Martin (10), Walter Payton (10) and Barry Sanders (10) as the only players in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in at least nine different seasons. He became the Colts first running back to rush for 1,000 yards since Joseph Addai in 2007. He moved up seven more places to eighth on the all-time career rushing list.
Miami Dolphins
On March 22, 2018, Gore signed a one-year contract, worth $1,105,000, with his hometown team, the Miami Dolphins.
Gore shared the backfield with Kenyan Drake and rookie Kalen Ballage. With his five-yard rush in the third quarter of a Week 2 20–12 road victory over the New York Jets, Gore passed Curtis Martin for fourth-most rushing yards all time with 14,103. Two weeks later against the New England Patriots, Gore caught a six-yard touchdown from Brock Osweiler in the 38–7 road loss. During a Week 6 31–28 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears, Gore recorded 15 carries for 101 rushing yards. During a Week 15 41–17 road loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Gore rushed for 14 yards before suffering a sprained foot and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
Gore finished the 2018 season with 156 carries for 722 yards to go along with 12 receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown. The 2018 season was the first time in his career where he did not record a rushing touchdown.
Buffalo Bills
On March 13, 2019, Gore signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Buffalo Bills.
After rushing for 20 yards on twelve carries against the New York Jets to start the 2019 season, Gore had 19 carries for 68 rushing yards and his first rushing touchdown since Week 12 of the 2017 season in the 28–14 victory over the New York Giants in Week 2. During a Week 4 16–10 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, Gore became the fourth player in NFL history to run for 15,000 yards after rushing 17 times for 109 yards. He also became the second-oldest player in NFL history with a 100+ yard rushing game, 61 days younger than MacArthur Lane in 1978. During a Week 12 20–3 victory over against the Denver Broncos, Gore ran for 65 yards and surpassed Barry Sanders' career total of 15,269 rushing yards for third place all time. This was Gore's 15th season with at least 500 rushing yards, an NFL record.
Gore finished the 2019 season with 166 carries for 599 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 13 receptions for 100 yards in 16 games and eight starts. He ended up leading the team in carries while sharing the backfield with rookie Devin Singletary. With the Bills appearing in the wild-card round of the playoffs, Gore made his first postseason appearance since his time with the 49ers in the 2013 season. Against the Houston Texans, Gore had eight carries for 22 yards in the 22–19 overtime road loss. Gore was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team for the 2010s.
New York Jets
On May 6, 2020, Gore signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets. During a Week 11 34–28 road loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Gore ran for 61 yards and his first touchdown of the season. In Week 15, Gore set the NFL record for most games played by a running back, passing Lorenzo Neal. On December 30, he was placed on injured reserve. Gore finished the season as the Jets' leading rusher with 653 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 16 catches for 89 yards.
Retirement
On April 3, 2022, Gore said that he planned to sign a one-day contract with the San Francisco 49ers and retire as a member of the team that drafted him. He finished his career with exactly 16,000 rushing yards, the third most in NFL history.
On June 2, 2022, Gore announced his retirement after signing a one-day contract with the 49ers.
Career statistics
Career highlights
Awards and honors
NFL
5× Pro Bowl (2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013)
Second-team All-Pro (2006)
NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
NFC champion (2012)
PFWA All-NFC (2006)
PFWA Most Improved Player of the Year (2006)
10,000 Rushing Yards Club
Art Rooney Award (2016)
San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame
4× NFL Top 100 — 94th (2011), 28th (2012), 32nd (2013), 46th (2014)
5× NFC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 5, 2006; Week 11, 2006; Week 12, 2007; Week 2, 2009; Week 14, 2009)
College
BCS national champion (2001)
ACC Brian Piccolo Award (2004)
Second-team All-ACC (2004)
University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame (2018)
Records
Most seasons with 1,200 yards from scrimmage: 12
Most consecutive seasons with at least 500 yards rushing: 16
Most consecutive seasons with at least 600 yards rushing: 14
Most consecutive seasons with at least 700 yards rushing: 13 (tied with Emmitt Smith)
Most career games by an NFL running back: 241
Most consecutive seasons with at least five touchdowns: 11 – tied with Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison, Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Jerry Rice, and Don Hutson
First player in NFL history with 12 consecutive 1,200-yards from scrimmage seasons.
One of five RBs in NFL history with at least nine 1,000-yard seasons, joining Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, and Curtis Martin.
One of four RBs in NFL history with 15,000 career rushing yards, joining Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, and Barry Sanders.
Third all-time in career rushing yards.
Most rushing yards in a career: 11,073
Most rushing yards in a game: 212 (Week 11, 2006)
Most 100-yard games in a season: 9 (2006)
Most rushing yards in a three-game span: 505 (Weeks 10–12, 2006)
Most consecutive games with 100 yards: 5 (Weeks 4–9, 2011)
Post-playing career
Boxing career
After his football career, Gore devoted himself to boxing, in the heavyweight category, first playing an exhibition match in 2021 against former NBA player Deron Williams and then making his professional debut on May 14, 2022, winning the match against Olaseyinde Olorunsola by knockout.
Professional record
Exhibition record
49ers advisory
On July 29, 2023, the 49ers hired Gore to join their office as a football advisor for the club.
Personal life
Gore Sr.'s eldest son, Frank Gore Jr., was born in 2002 while Gore Sr. was in college at the University of Miami. Gore Jr. followed in his father's footsteps and plays running back. Gore Sr. did not plan for his son to end up playing football, remarking: "Whatever he wants to do, he's going to do it; not because I played ball, he has to play ball. Me seeing him when he was a little kid playing outside with his bigger cousins, I knew he was going to play football, but if he doesn't want to play, as long as he gets his grades and does something positive with his life, I'm okay with it." Due to his NFL career, Frank Gore Sr. was unable to see his son play in local football games past the age of 5 until his return to Miami 13 years later when he signed with the Miami Dolphins. On December 19, 2019, Gore Jr., a three-star prospect, committed to play football at University of Southern Mississippi after also receiving offers from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Florida Atlantic University. In 2024, Gore Jr. signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent; Gore Sr. praised Bills general manager Brandon Beane for the signing, calling him "the real deal" and promising that Gore Jr. would live up to his family name: "I know what I’m raising... My bloodline is for real... We’re coming to play. Buffalo got a dog; I promise you that."
Charitable work
On April 12, 2018, Gore was honored by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and given the 'Keys to the City'. As per Mayor Suarez, Gore "symbolizes the very soul of [Miami], is a product of our city, a product of the West Grove, where so many families for so many generations have grown up together." While receiving applause, Gore asked for his family and friends in attendance at the event to stand to be honored as well. In Gore's view, it was equally important to thank and honor those who had been with him throughout all the hardships he had faced in his life, including "growing up in a one-bedroom apartment with twelve people as a kid". Mayor Suarez proclaimed April 12 as "Frank Gore Day".