The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined its newest members over the weekend. Looking ahead to next year's list of players who are eligible for induction for the first time, legendary San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore seems like an obvious inductee and it should be on the first ballot.
There are a number of great players who will be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame for the first time next year. Quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald are two of the top names who seem like locks, and quarterback Eli Manning could be voted in as well.
It was announced over the weekend that Gore is officially eligible for next year's class. While Gore may not seem like a complete lock, and there are certainly arguments to be made for and against his induction, 49ers fans know that Gore deserves a spot in Canton.
Gore is third on the NFL all-time rushing list with exactly 16,000 rushing yards across 16 seasons. His first 10 seasons were spent in San Francisco, and Gore made the Pro Bowl in five of those seasons.
He went on to have some solid seasons with the Indianpolis Colts and finished his career with the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and the New York Jets.
Of course, he will be remembered first and foremost as a member of the Niners. He was an integral part of the team for so many years and was the heart of the offense during the team's three straight deep playoff runs under head coach Jim Harbaugh in the early 2010s.
49ers fans will always have the "What-If"? in their minds of how things may have gone differently in the Super Bowl against the Baltimore Ravens if the team had tried running the ball with Gore at least once inside Baltimore's 10-yard line at the end of that game.
We will never know what would have happened, but Gore still deserves a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
It may be a tall order to get him in on the first ballot next year given the other names he is up against, but whether it is next year or some other year, he deserves to be enshrined forever in Canton for everything he did in the NFL.
Gore has already been enshrined in the 49ers Hall of Fame and he has still remained involved with the team, giving his stamp of approval on a running back the team drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft.
He will always have a special place in the hearts of 49ers fans.