Frank Gore, the third all-time leading rusher in the National Football League, announced his retirement over the weekend. Gore is likely to be a Hall of Famer from just that sentence alone. Gore averaged less than five yards per carry once in his career. Gore only averaged a tick over five touchdown per season. He is third all-time in rushing yards. Some people don't see it that way.
Many people think that longevity plus accumulate does not equal greatness. You have to be an elite player for a long time in order to be great. Gore was never named a first-team All-Pro, only named a second-team All-Pro once, and never once led the league in rushing yards, rushing touchdown, or total yards from scrimmage. Gore was very good for over a decade. That's longer than most running backs, and it deserves a bust in the Hall of Fame.
Over the last five years, we have considered all the running backs. What about Todd Gurley? After six years in the league, he fell off the table. He didn't play a snap in 2021. He is 27 years old. What about Christian McCaffrey? He cannot stay healthy to save his life. There are hundreds of fans clamoring for their team to trade him before it's too late. He is 25. Let's go back to Gore's time. Is there a man named DeMarco Murray? He didn't make it to 30. What about Steven Jackson? Had 1300 yards after turning 30. What about LeSean McCoy? After turning 30 it was over 1000. What about LaDainian Tomlinson? He had just one season with over 1,000 yards from scrimmage after turning 30.
Frank Gore had over 1,000 rushing yards left in him after three seasons. Gore had over 1200 yards from scrimmage every year. Five seasons with over 1200 yards from scrimmage, all of them done at 30-plus years old. Halfback have not had more than two at that age since 2000.
Is it the Tiki Barber? Two.
What about Fred Jackson? Two.
Is it Curtis Martin? Two.
What about Thomas Jones? Two.
Fredy Taylor? Two.
What about Adrian Peterson? Two.
What about Garrison Hearst? Two.
Is it a priest? One.
What about Frank Gore? Five.
He was double the age of everyone else. That is a true ageless wonder. Gore was a model of consistency. He almost never missed time because of injury. He missed five games in a season for the first time, and that was a huge shock considering the injury concerns he faced coming out of college.
Halfbacks fall off a cliff in productivity before the end of their rookies contracts. The idea that a great young running back is bad for a team now because they'll have to pay them big money just for them to disappear by age 27 has shifted the narrative. That trend was destroyed by Gore. He was someone you could count on for the tough yards. He was worth every penny of his contract because he was always going to be on the field and rack up yards. He has at least 12 seasons of 1200-plus yards from scrimmage, and he did it every year from 2006 to 2017: Only 40 other players in the history of the National Football League have had half as many seasons in their careers.
Gore is a Hall of Famer because he isn't the best for a short sprint. Having your name all over the record books and hearing people gasp in astonishment at what you accomplished during your career is what it is about. Gore accomplished a lot. Who cares if he never led the league in rushing?
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