SANTA CLARA – Frank Gore’s enshrinement into the 49ers’ Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. Hall of Fame won’t be as subdued or behind the scenes as his retirement was two years ago, when he signed a ceremonial contract in their draft room.
The 49ers will honor their all-time leading rusher in conjunction with their season opener on Monday night, Sept. 9 against the New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium.
Gore is in his second season as a 49ers personnel advisor. He has attended training camp practices this week before flying to Canton, Ohio for former teammate Patrick Willis’ enshrinement to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Willis recently stumped on Gore’s behalf to eventually join him in football’s most hallowed Hall. “Frank was a heck of a teammate, a heck of a player and showed up every single day,” Willis said on The Rich Eisen Show. “If you were picking teams, he’d be one of the ones you’d want to pick first.”
Gore ranks third in NFL history with 16,000 yards, including a franchise-record 11,073 yards with the 49ers from 2005-14. He played out his career with the Indianapolis Colts (2015-17), the Miami Dolphins (2018), the Buffalo Bills (2019) and the New York Jets (2020). His son, Frank Jr., is currently an undrafted rookie in the Bills’ training camp.
The elder Gore must wait two more seasons before becoming eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In June 2022, Gore quietly returned to the 49ers to sign a ceremonial contract signifying his retirement. There was no press conference and the 49ers simply issued a statement that also announced Gore’s eventual induction “and rightful place among our all-time greats” in their hall of fame, initially slated for later that year.
The ceremony was delayed after Gore was arrested in July 2022 in New Jersey, accused of physically assaulting a woman at a hotel; those charges were dropped in 2023 when he pleaded guilty to violating a public health nuisance code and paid $2,000 in fines, TMZ reported.
His enshrinement will now come as the 49ers’ upcoming season opens on the national stage of “Monday Night Football.”
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“Frank had to overcome many challenges upon entering the NFL and now leaves the game not only as one of the best backs in NFL history, but one of the best football players ever,” 49ers CEO and owner Jed York said in that 2022 statement. “Frank’s 16-year NFL career is a testament to his durability, having played in more games than any other running back in league history. His grit, toughness and commitment to greatness earned him the respect of his coaches, teammates and opponents.”
Disclaimer: Gore wrote a foreword for “The Franchise: San Francisco 49ers” that is authored by the Bay Area News Group’s Cam Inman and will be released Sept. 24. Part of Gore’s foreword reads: “I’m going to be real: I can never look at another franchise like I do the 49ers, because that was my first team and I was there 10 years. But I was blessed to go to some good organizations and good people. I never looked at the other organizations like how I look at the Niners, because they are the one that gave me the opportunity from the jump.”
