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Frank Gore reacts to earning Pro Football Hall of Fame nomination: 'It means everything'

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones10/21/25brianjones_93
Frank Gore (1)
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Frank Gore had a successful NFL career and would love nothing more than to solidify his legacy by being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On3 recently caught up with the legendary running back, who is one of the 128 modern-era players nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Gore was asked what it would mean for him to be placed among the NFL’s all-time greats in Canton, Ohio.

“It means everything. That’d be a blessing, man,” Frank Gore told On3. “Just looking back on my career and not just in the NFL, just playing football period, especially in college at the University of Miami, having two ACLs back to back years, people wrote me off, saying I won’t be in the NFL for two years, no more than two years. And I was blessed to play 16 years and not just go to the NFL. I was like a name, and one day my name might be called in the Hall of Fame. That’s a blessing.”

Gore made the most of his 16 years in the NFL, rushing for exactly 16,000 yards and 81 touchdowns on 3,735 carries. His rushing yards rank third all-time in the NFL, only trailing Hall of Famers Walter Payton (16,726) and Emmitt Smith (18,355). Gore’s rushing attempts also rank third behind Payton and Smith, and he has the NFL record for most seasons with 1,200 yards from scrimmage (12).

Looking at Frank Gore’s NFL career

Gore played for the San Francisco 49ers from 2005 to 2014. He then went on to play for the Indianapolis Colts (2015-2017), Miami Dolphins (2018), Buffalo Bills (2019), and New York Jets (2020). Gore was selected to the Pro Bowl five times, named to the All-Pro Second Team in 2006, and he’s a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.

Including Gore, there are 21 running backs nominated to next year’s Hall of Fame. The list of 128 modern-era players will be reduced to 50 sometime this month, and the Hall of Fame selection committee will then reduce it to 25 later this fall. Another vote will create a list of 15 finalists who will be discussed at the annual selection meeting before Super Bowl LX. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will have either three, four, or five modern-era players.