Happy 36th birthday!
Today is Frank Gore’s 36 birthday. The former San Francisco 49ers legend is the only player in football history to play in the NFL after tearing both ACLs before he was a pro.
To this day, he still comes back to the Bay Area and will host events and autograph sessions for the community. One of the best running backs of all-time is somehow a better person. Back in March he met up with fans and was hugging them, taking pictures, genuinely enjoying himself. That type of person is rare these days. Gore is refreshing.
Gore said he is going to retire a 49er, and that’s only right. That will happen one of these decades when he can no longer play. Gore might be the only person in history to outrun Father Time. He’s special. He always has been. From ESPN’s Field Yates:
- NFL-record 14 straight seasons with 600+ rushing yards
- NFL-record 14 straight seasons with 125+ rushes
- Started 195 of his last 196 games.
That isn’t normal.
You know a player is next level when you ask a question, and you know there’s a strong possibility of getting over 20 different answers. So I ask, what’s your favorite play from Gore? His highlight tape is 13 minutes long. Again, not normal:
Gore has had some incredible performances. Whether it was the memorable game he had against the St. Louis Rams in 2007 after his mom, Liz passed away, or against the Seattle Seahawks in 2009 when he ran for a pair of 79-plus yard touchdowns. Only Barry Sanders had done that to date. Gore persevered through a lot, both on and off the field. The last two games of his 49ers career, Gore ran for 158 and 144 yards. Even the lasting image he left for us was exceptional.
Gore has the best balance I’ve ever seen for a running back. Constantly bouncing off of defenders, and running for 20 more yards. It wasn’t like this happened a couple of times a season. It happened a couple of times a game. I don’t think we’ll ever see anything like Gore again.
So let’s hear it, what’s your most memorable Frank Gore play?
About the Author: Insidethe49
