49ers’ Frank Gore is first-ballot finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame

SANTA CLARA – Frank Gore, the 49ers’ all-time leading rusher and No. 3 in NFL history, is a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist in his first year of eligibility.

Gore is among 15 modern-era finalists for next year’s class of four to eight enshrinees, which will be unveiled Feb. 5 at NFL Honors in San Francisco, three days prior to Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium.

Former 49ers dual-threat running back Roger Craig is a Seniors finalist, as announced this month.

Of the 15 modern-era finalists, nine are in their first or second year on that ballot, with Gore joined by first-year eligible candidates Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald and Jason Witten.

“That would be special but I just want to get in,” Gore said last year of possibly being a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

“For real, it wasn’t easy to get here. It took a lot to even get drafted,” Gore, a 2005 third-round pick, said in September 2024. “People told me I wouldn’t even be here two years, and I played 16, with the way I loved the game, the way I worked and the way I was raised by my mom.”

Other modern-era finalists: Willie Anderson, Jahri Evans, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly, Eli Manning, Terrell Suggs, Adam Vinatieri, Reggie Wayne, Kevin Williams, Darren Woodson and Marshal Yanda.

Gore, 42, was enshrined a year ago into the 49ers’ Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. Hall of Fame and honored at halftime of last season’s home opener. He’s in his third season advising the 49ers’ personnel department.

“For Frank, top-three rusher, and to come in with the knees he had and people doubting him, but to show up year after year and be consistent, there was not one thing in his game he did not do,” Patrick Willis, a former 49ers teammate and 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, said recently.

“It’s one thing if you’re only a scatback. Frank was a power runner and all of the above,” Willis added. “He still loves the game and has an eye for the game, as well.”

His 2005-2014 tenure as the 49ers’ workhorse rusher produced a franchise record 11,073 yards and made five Pro Bowls. A model pro who also excelled in pass protection, he played six more seasons (2015-17 Indianapolis Colts, 2018 Miami Dolphins, 2019 Buffalo Bills, 2020 New York Jets) to conclude his career with 16,000 yards, the NFL’s most behind Emmitt Smith (18,355) and Walter Payton (16,726).

Anderson, Holt, Kuechly and Vinatieri advanced automatically for being among last year’s final seven candidates.

Missing this year’s cut were semifinalists Lomas Brown, Rodney Harrison, Robert Mathis, Steve Smith Sr., Fred Taylor, Earl Thomas, Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne, Richmond Webb, Vince Wilfork, Steve Wisniewski (1989-2001 Raiders), and Philip Rivers, the latter of whom will have to wait another five years to become eligible again after returning to play this month for the Indianapolis Colts.

Craig, fellow Seniors finalists Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood, along with Coach finalist Bill Belichick and Contributor finalist Robert Kraft will be voted upon separately from the modern-era group, with one to three ultimately elected.

Of the 30 Pro Football Hall of Fame members with 49ers’ ties, first-ballot enshrinees include:

Larry Allen (2006-2007; class of 2013)

Ronnie Lott (1981-90; class of 2000)

Hugh McElhenny (1952-60; class of 1970)

Joe Montana (1979-92; class of 2000)

Jerry Rice (1985-2000; class of 2010)

Deion Sanders (1994; class of 2011)

O.J. Simpson (1978-79; class of 1985)

Rod Woodson (1997; class of 2009)

Steve Young (1987-99; class of 2005)