Frank Gore

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.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12] In the next game against the Temple Owls, he had 11 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown. In addition, he recorded his first collegiate receptions, which went for 14 yards in the 38–0 victory.[13] On November 24, he had eight rushes for 46 yards and a touchdown against the Washington Huskies in the 65–7 victory.[14]

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.[15] Gore has the third-best season total in school history by a freshman and was named Sporting News' Big East Freshman of the Year.[16]

Gore suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee before spring practice in 2002 and spent the following season recovering from knee surgery.[17] 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.[18]

Gore returned from his injury in the 2003 season. He shared the backfield with Jarrett Payton and Tyrone Moss.[19] On August 28, he started the season off strong against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs with 21 rushes for 118 yards and two receptions for 33 yards in the 48–9 victory.[20] In the next game against the in-state rival Florida Gators, he put together a stellar performance with 24 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns to go along with seven receptions for 54 yards in the 38–33 victory.[21] Gore's hot streak continued in the next game against the East Carolina Pirates, where he had 24 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown in the 38–3 victory.[22] After a game against the Boston College Eagles,[23] 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.[24][25]

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.[26]

Gore returned from his ACL injury to lead the Miami backfield in carries, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns.[27] On September 10 against their rivals, the Florida State Seminoles, he had 18 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown in a 16–10 victory to start the season.[28] In the next game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, he had 12 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown in the 48–0 victory.[29] In the next game against the Houston Cougars, he was held to only eight yards on six carries but recorded his third consecutive game with a touchdown in the 38–13 victory.[30] On October 2, Gore had 15 rushes for 124 yards against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the 27–3 victory.[31] On November 6, he had 20 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns 24–17 loss to the Clemson Tigers.[32] He followed that up with 28 carries for a collegiate career-high 195 yards and a touchdown in a 31–21 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers.[33] In the final game of his collegiate career, he had 25 carries for 80 yards against the Florida Gators in a 27–10 victory in the Peach Bowl.[34]

In 28 total games with the Hurricanes, Gore rushed 380 times for 1,975 yards (a 5.7 rushing average) and seventeen touchdowns.[35] 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.[36]

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.[40]

Gore signed a three-year contract with the team on July 28, 2005. He played in 14 games, starting one, in the 2005 season. He 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.[41][42] Gore also caught 15 passes for 131 yards. Gore's season was the first time a rookie led the 49ers in rushing since 1990, when Dexter Carter paced the team with 460 yards.[43] His 608 yards rushing was the highest for a 49ers rookie since Roger Craig had 725 yards rushing in 1983.[44]

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.[45] He later rushed for 42 yards on seven carries with a 5.4-yard average in a 34–31 loss against the Dallas Cowboys.[46] He led the team with 89 yards on nine carries and recorded a then career-long 72-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of the 52–17 road loss to the Washington Redskins.[47] 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.[48] The touchdown run was fifth-longest run from scrimmage by a 49ers rookie. He 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.[49] He made his first NFL start in a 10–9 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.[50] Gore had his first two-touchdown game in a 24–20 victory over the St. Louis Rams, with a 10-yard scoring run in the second quarter and a 30-yard score in the fourth quarter.[51] In a Week 17 20–17 victory over the Houston Texans, he registered his first 100-yard game with 108 yards on 25 carries.[52] Following the season, he had major surgery on both shoulders.[53]

Gore was elevated to the top of the San Francisco 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.[54][55]

Gore emerged as one of the top running backs in the NFL in his first full season as the starter. Gore carried the ball 312 times for a franchise-record 1,695 yards, eclipsing Garrison Hearst’s 1998 record of 1,570 yards.[56] He became the first player in franchise history to lead the NFC in rushing yards. He set a franchise record with 2,180 combined yards (1,695 yards rushing and 485 yards receiving), breaking Hearst’s single-season record of 2,105 total yards (1,570 rushing and 535 receiving) set in 1998. His total placed him second in the NFC to Steven Jackson (1,528 rushing and 806 receiving, 2,334 total) and fourth overall in the entire NFL. In the 49ers’ first meeting against the Seattle Seahawks, Gore set the 49ers’ single-game rushing record by totaling a career-high 212 yards on 24 carries, besting the 201 yards by Charlie Garner on September 24, 2000 against the Dallas Cowboys.[57][58] Gore had nine 100-yard rushing games in 2006, giving him ten for his career. His nine 100-yard games in 2006 shattered the franchise record for most 100-yard games in a season. Garrison Hearst (1998) and Roger Craig (1988) each had six 100-yard games in a season. Gore was the first 49ers running back to have three-straight 100 yard games since Garrison Hearst had a 49ers-record four straight 100-yard games during Weeks 13-16 of the 1998 season. In those three weeks, Gore set the team record for most rushing yards in a three-game span.[59][60][61]

Gore's breakaway ability helped him finish the season with 5.4 yards per carry, placing him third in the entire NFL, behind only Michael Vick (8.4 YPC on 123 carries) and Maurice Jones-Drew (5.7 YPC on 166 carries). The 5.4 yards per carry are tied for the second-best in 49ers history. Among players with over 300 carries, however, Gore's season puts him in elite company. Very few times has a player averaged as many yards per carry as Gore did while carrying the ball over 300 times. The players ahead of him contain Hall of Famers and feature five 2,000-yard rushing seasons.[62]

Gore finished with eight rushing touchdowns, tied for the third-most in a season by a 49er.[63] He finished the season with a team-leading 61 receptions.[64] Only two other teams had a running back as their leading receiver: New Orleans (Reggie Bush) and Philadelphia (Brian Westbrook). Of those, only Gore and Westbrook also led their team in rushing. He also caught his first receiving touchdown of his career on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, when quarterback Alex Smith avoided a sack and found Gore along the left sideline for a 20-yard score. He led the NFL with 16 rushes for 20 or more yards. Gore earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors twice during the 2006 season. He earned the honor in Week 5 after rushing for 134 yards on 27 carries, and catching three passes for 38 yards, against the Oakland Raiders.[65] In addition, he won in Week 11 after his franchise-record 212 rushing yards, and 26 yards on four receptions, against the Seattle Seahawks.[66] After Gore's tremendous season, he was named the starting running back to the NFC Pro Bowl team in his first Pro Bowl nomination.[67]

At some point during his breakout season, Gore was given the nickname "The Inconvenient Truth", which stuck with him for the rest of his career. The nickname was inspired by the movie An Inconvenient Truth written by former United States Vice President Al Gore, which was released in May of the same year.[68]

Gore had benefited that season from the tutelage of then-offensive coordinator Norv Turner, whose offensive scheme places a heavy emphasis on running the football.[69]

Though Gore had fumbling problems at the beginning of the season, losing the ball once in each of the first four games, he improved his carrying and only fumbled three more times the rest of the year.[56]

Gore in action against the St. Louis Rams in 2007.

Gore signed a contract extension through 2011 estimated to be worth $28 million over four years on March 28, 2007. He also stated that it was his goal to surpass Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record in 2007. He said that he would gain 2,200 yards.[70]

Gore broke a bone in his hand in the non-contact Training Camp drill on July 30 and missed the entire preseason.[71] He was able to return in time for the regular season opener against the Arizona Cardinals on September 10.[72] On September 13, Gore's mother died, due to a kidney disease.[73] He missed a practice, but returned to the team and scored two touchdowns the following Sunday in a 17–16 win over the St. Louis Rams.[74] Gore's best game came against the Arizona Cardinals in their divisional rematch in Week 12, where he recorded 116 rushing yards and had 11 receptions for 98 receiving yards and two rushing touchdowns.[75] For his efforts, he earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week.[76] In Week 15, against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had a season-high 138 rushing yards in the 20–13 victory.[77] He finished the season with 1,102 rushing yards and 436 receiving yards as the 49ers finished with a 5–11 record.[78]

Gore began the 2008 season against the Arizona Cardinals with 96 rushing yards on only 14 carries. Despite his impressive performance, which also included a 41-yard touchdown run, the 49ers lost, 23–13.[79]

In Week 3, he dominated the Detroit Lions, rushing for over 120 yards and a touchdown in a 31–13 victory.[80] In Week 6, Gore had his second 100-yard game of the season, as he rushed for 101 yards on 19 carries in a 40–26 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles.[81]

In a Week 17 victory against the visiting Washington Redskins, Gore became the first running back in 49ers history to rush for 1,000 yards or more in three straight seasons.[82] In the 2008 season, Gore finished with 1,036 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns to go along with 43 receptions for 373 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[83]

Gore waiting for the start of the 2009 season opener against the Arizona Cardinals

Gore entered the 2009 season under the guidance of new running back coach Tom Rathman. He was also complemented by a new second-string back, 49ers' third-round draft pick Glen Coffee.[84]

After being nearly shut down in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, Gore had a career day the following week in the home opener versus the Seattle Seahawks.[85] Gore rushed for 206 yards for a 12.8-yard average, including a 79-yard and an 80-yard touchdown run, becoming the second player in NFL history to rush for two touchdowns for 75 yards or more in a single game, with the other being Hall-of-Fame running back Barry Sanders.[86][87] He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time in his career.[88]

Gore on the sidelines in 2009

After missing his next two games against the St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons due to an ankle injury, Gore returned in Week 7 against the Houston Texans.[89] While he had a successful game against the Chicago Bears in Week 10, gaining 104 yards with a touchdown,[90] he was used less in the 49ers' offensive game plan in the following three weeks, after the team adopted more of a spread offense.[91] In the 49ers' second divisional game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14, Gore had one of his most successful games of the season, rushing for 167 yards on 25 carries and one touchdown.[92] He earned his second NFC Offensive Player of the Week award for the 2009 season.[93] Against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16, Gore had 16 carries for 107 yards against an Eagles team that had not given up a 100-yard game in 22 consecutive games.[94] Gore was named a first alternate for the 2009 Pro Bowl.[56] On January 20, 2010, Steven Jackson announced he would not be playing in the Pro Bowl because of injury, so Gore was named to the 2010 Pro Bowl in his spot, the second of his career.[95]

After a slow start to the season with 17 carries for 38 rushing yards against the Seattle Seahawks, Gore had 168 scrimmage yards (112 rushing, 56 receiving) against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.[96][97] In Week 3, against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had nine receptions for 102 receiving yards, his only career game with over 100 receiving yards.[98] He had rushed for four 100-yard games before fracturing his right hip in a Week 12 win over the Arizona Cardinals, ending his season[99] after the 49ers put him on IR.[100] Gore finished with 853 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 46 receptions for 452 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[101] He was ranked 94th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.[102]

Gore agreed to a three-year extension, worth $25.9 million, on August 30, 2011. The extension kept Gore with the San Francisco 49ers through the 2014 season.[103]

During the offseason, the 49ers hired Jim Harbaugh to be their new head coach and built themselves around a combination of a great running game, a supplemental passing game and a power house defense.[104] This combination proved to be effective for Gore and the 49ers, leading them to a 13–3 record in the regular season and a playoff spot for the 49ers, their first such appearance since 2002 along with a first round bye.[105][106]

In the first three games of the season, Gore did not perform well, rushing for 148 yards on 59 carries for only one rushing touchdown.[107] In Week 4, the 49ers were down 23–3 at the end of the first half when quarterback Alex Smith and Gore both led drives to make the final score 24–23 and a 49ers win. Gore rushed for 127 yards on 15 carries and rushed for the game-winning touchdown when four minutes were left in the game.[108] Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gore rushed for 125 yards and one touchdown in the 48–3 win for the 49ers.[109] However, his performance in that game was eclipsed by his performance against the Detroit Lions, where he rushed a season-high of 141 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown in a 25–19 win for the 49ers, defeating the previously unbeaten Lions.[110]

The next few games went pretty well for Gore, rushing for 134 yards and a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns and 107 yards against the Washington Redskins, becoming the 49ers record holder of most consecutive games with 100 yards with five.[111][112] However, against the Giants, Gore had an unmemorable performance, rushing for 0 yards and leaving in the second half with a knee injury.[113] This was Gore's first game with 0 rushing yards.[114] He returned the next game, where he redeemed himself against the Arizona Cardinals, where he rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown.[115] Next week, however, he rushed for only 39 yards against the Baltimore Ravens powerful defense in 49ers 6–16 loss.[116] The next game, however, proved to be a 49ers win against the St. Louis Rams, where Gore became the 49ers' all-time leading yardage rusher, surpassing Joe Perry's mark of 8,689 yards; he rushed for 73 yards on the game.[117] The next week Gore performed well despite losing the game 19–21, rushing for 72 yards and the 49ers only touchdown.[118]

He managed to finish the season on a high note, with a three-game winning streak, including one against the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he rushed 65 yards and a touchdown.[119] He finished the season with 1,211 yards, having had five seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards.[120]

During the playoffs, Gore performed exceedingly well, helping the 49ers set up a touchdown by rushing for 42 yards in the Divisional Round in his playoff debut, a 36–32 victory over the New Orleans Saints; he had a total of 89 yards in the game.[121] During the NFC Championship, Gore rushed for 74 yards in the 20–17 overtime loss to the New York Giants.[122] He was ranked 28th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.[123]

Gore in Green Bay for the 2012 season opener

Gore began the 2012 season against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field with 112 yards as the 49ers won by a score of 30–22.[124] In Week 4, on the road against the New York Jets, Gore had 64 yards along with a touchdown in a 34–0 victory.[125] The next week, he had 106 yards and a touchdown in 45–3 win against the Buffalo Bills.[126] In Week 7, he was the crucial player in San Francisco's 13–6 win over the division rival Seattle Seahawks with 131 yards rushing in 16 carries and 51 yards on five receptions.[127] In Week 15, against the New England Patriots, he recorded a nine-yard offensive fumble recovery for a touchdown to go along with 83 rushing yards in the 41–34 victory.[128] He had a seven-game streak with 50 rushing yards or more until it was snapped against the Seahawks in a 42–13 loss in Seattle.[129] In the regular-season finale against the Arizona Cardinals at Candlestick Park, Gore became the all-time franchise leader in rushing touchdowns (51) as the 49ers won the NFC West. He ended the season with 1,214 yards on 258 carries and eight touchdowns.[130] He was selected to play in the Pro Bowl, his fourth appearance.[131]

In the playoffs, the 49ers faced the Green Bay Packers once again, this time in the Divisional Round. Gore had 119 yards and a score.[132] In the next round, the San Francisco 49ers visited the Georgia Dome to play against the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship. The game ended up with the San Francisco 49ers winning 28–24 with Gore having 90 rushing yards and two touchdowns allowing the 49ers to go to Super Bowl XLVII, their first Super Bowl appearance since 1994.[133][134] In the Super Bowl, Gore had 19 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown, but the 49ers fell behind 28–6 early and could not complete the comeback, losing the game 34–31 to the Baltimore Ravens.[135] He was ranked 32nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.[136]

Gore in 2013

Gore entered the season with a lot questions about his age having turned 30 during the offseason.[137] He responded by having a great season playing in all 16 regular season games. Gore's season got off to a slow start, only rushing for 60 yards in the first two weeks of the season against the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks.[138][139] A Week 3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in which he had 82 rushing yards on only 11 carries had the media questioning why the team was not running the ball more.[140] In Week 4, Gore had a big game rushing for 153 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.[141] Gore and the running game led the 49ers to five straight victories. In Week 14, he had a 51-yard rush with four minutes left that help secure a 19–17 win against the Seattle Seahawks.[142] In 2013, Gore had three 100-yard games and finished with 1,128 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns on 279 carries.[143]

Gore in 2013

In the 13–20 Wild Card Round victory over the Green Bay Packers, he rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown.[144] In the 23–10 Divisional Round victory over the Carolina Panthers, he had 84 rushing yards on 17 carries.[145] In the 23–17 NFC Championship loss to the Seattle Seahawks, he had 14 rushing yards on 11 carries to go along with a 17-yard reception.[146] He was ranked 46th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.[147]

Gore became the 29th player to reach the 10,000 career rushing yard mark in the first game of the season, with 66 yards in the 28–17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.[148][149] The 49ers went away from the running game until Week 4, when Gore rushed for 119 yards on 24 carries, and also had a career long 55-yard receiving touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles.[150] The next week, he rushed for 107 yards on 18 carries against the Kansas City Chiefs.[151] The 8–8 49ers struggled all season to find an identity, and featured Gore's running game prominently after being eliminated from the playoffs.[152] He rushed for 158 yards and a season-long 52-yard touchdown on 26 carries as the 49ers lost in overtime to the San Diego Chargers in Week 16 by a score of 35–38,[153] and in his final game with the 49ers, he rushed for 144 yards on 25 carries as the 49ers beat the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 20–17.[154] Gore finished the season with 255 carries, 1,106 rushing yards, and four touchdowns, and became the 20th player in NFL history to rush for 11,000 career rushing yards,[155][156] moving up from 29th place on the all-time rushing yards leaderboard at the start of the season.[157]

On March 10, 2015, Gore signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts.[158] His contract included $8.5 million in guarantees.[159][160] 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.[161] However, the following day several sources claimed that Gore had second thoughts about his agreement, and instead signed with Indianapolis.[162]

Gore enjoyed a respectable season, but 2015 marked the first season that Gore 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 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.[163][164] Gore found the endzone twice as part of an 86-rushing yard performance in Week 3 against the Tennessee Titans in a 35–33 victory.[165] 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 win with 85 rushing yards on 15 carries with two rushing touchdowns.[166] He moved up five more places to 15th all-time in rushing yards,[167] and also passed Steven Jackson in early October to become the NFL's active leader in career rushing yards.

Gore with the Colts in Denver in 2016

In Week 1, Gore carried the ball 14 times for 59 yards in a 39–35 loss to the Detroit Lions.[168] In Week 2, the Colts faced the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos and their vaunted defense. Gore did not have a great showing, rushing for 44 yards on 13 carries, but did have a seven-yard touchdown reception from Andrew Luck in the 34–20 loss.[169][170] Gore had a better game in Week 3, rushing for 82 yards and a touchdown in a 26–22 victory over the San Diego Chargers. On October 9, against the Chicago Bears, Gore surpassed Jim Brown in career rushing yards.[171] Gore carried that momentum into Week 6 against the Houston Texans, rushing for 106 yards on 22 carries to become the Colts' first 100-yard rusher in 55 games.[172] After the 26–23 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."[173] In 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.[174] 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.[175] Gore finished the season with 1,025 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.[176] 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.[177] He moved up seven more places to eighth on the all-time career rushing list.[178]

The 2017 offseason, Gore trained for the season in a familiar fashion, down in Miami working out with younger running backs from around the league.[179] The Colts brought in competition at the running back position drafting Marlon Mack to compete for the starting job.[180] Gore embraced the competition saying "to have depth to compete, I feel like everybody should have depth to compete at their position. The more people you've got, the hungrier that person should be. You know the guys from last year and adding the new young guys come training camp time the best man should win. If you love this game you're gonna step up to the plate."[181] In the season opener, a shoulder injury prevented Andrew Luck from playing so the offense struggled against the Los Angeles Rams, losing 46–9, and Gore only got 10 rushing attempts for 42 yards.[182] In Week 2, in a 16–13 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Gore rushed for 46 yards and his first rushing touchdown of the 2017 season,[183] moving him into the top 25 all-time for career rushing touchdowns. This was followed by 57 yards and a touchdown in a Week 3 31–28 win over the Cleveland Browns, then four consecutive games under 50 yards, before 82-, 51-, and 54-yard performances in Weeks 8 through 10, all with zero touchdowns over the seven-game span.[155] After the bye, Gore had 62 yards and a touchdown in a Week 12 20–16 loss to the Tennessee Titans, and 61 yards in Week 13 to pass both Jerome Bettis and LaDanian Tomlinson and move up to fifth on the all-time rushing list.[184] Playing against the Buffalo Bills in a blizzard and deep snow in Week 14, Gore had a career-high 36 rush attempts for 130 yards, his highest yardage total in his three years with the Colts, in the 13–7 overtime loss.[185] Gore finished the season with 961 rushing yards, bringing his career total to 14,026.[186] He became the fifth player in NFL history to amass 14,000 rushing yards in his career, joining Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, and Curtis Martin.[187] On March 1, 2018, the Colts announced that they would not re-sign Gore, allowing him to become a free agent at the start of the new league year.[188]

On March 22, 2018, Gore signed a one-year contract, worth $1,105,000, with the Miami Dolphins.[189][190]

Gore shared the backfield with Kenyan Drake and rookie Kalen Ballage.[191] With his five-yard rush in the third quarter of the Miami Dolphins' 20–12 victory over the New York Jets, in Week 2 of the 2018 season, Gore passed Curtis Martin for fourth-most rushing yards all time with 14,103.[192] In Week 4, against the New England Patriots, he caught a six-yard touchdown from Brock Osweiler in the 38–7 loss.[193] In a 31–28 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 6, Gore recorded 15 carries for 101 rushing yards.[194] In Week 15, Gore suffered a sprained foot against the Minnesota Vikings and was ruled out for the rest of the season.[195][196] Overall, Gore finished with 722 rushing yards on 156 carries. The 2018 season was the first time in his career he did not record a rushing touchdown.[197]

Gore in a game against the Washington Redskins

On March 13, 2019, Gore signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Buffalo Bills.[198][199] After rushing for 20 yards on twelve carries against the New York Jets to the 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.[200][201] During Week 4 against 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,[202][203] also becoming the second oldest player in NFL history with a 100+ yard rushing game, 61 days younger than MacArthur Lane in 1978. Despite his valiant efforts, the Bills lost the game 10–16.[204] During the Week 12 game against the Denver Broncos, Gore 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. He finished with 65 yards on 15 carries in Buffalo's 20–3 win.[205] Gore finished the 2019 season with 599 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 13 receptions for 100 receiving yards.[206] He ended up leading the team in carries while sharing the backfield with rookie Devin Singletary.[207] With the Bills appearing in the Wild Card Round, Gore made his first postseason appearance since his time with the San Francisco 49ers in the 2013 season. Against the Houston Texans, Gore had eight carries for 22 rushing yards in the 22–19 overtime loss.[208]

On May 6, 2020, Gore signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets.[209] He scored his first rushing touchdown as a Jet in the Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.[210] On December 30, 2020, Gore was placed on injured reserve.[211] He finished the season as the Jets leading rusher with 653 rushing yards and two touchdowns along with 16 catches for 89 receiving yards.[212][213]

• Most seasons with 1,200 yards from scrimmage: 12[219]
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 500 yards rushing: 16[220]
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 600 yards rushing: 14[221]
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 700 yards rushing: 13 (tied with Emmitt Smith)[222]
• Most Career games by an NFL running back: 241

• Most rushing yards in a career: 11,073[223]
• Most rushing yards in a game: 212 (Week 11, 2006)[224]
• Most 100-yard games in a season: 9 (2006)[225]
• Most rushing yards in a three-game span: 505 (Weeks 10–12, 2006)[226]
• Most consecutive games with 100 yards: 5 (Weeks 4–9, 2011)[227]
• Most rushing yards in a season: 1,695 (2006)[228]
• Most scrimmage yards in a season: 2,180 (2006)[229]

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.”[243][244]