The San Francisco 49ers' all-time leading rusher, Frank Gore, will officially retire with the team on Thursday, per Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group. The former NFL running back will sign a one-day contract with the team that made him a third-round pick out of Miami in 2005.
"Gore has long vowed to cap his exemplary career as a 49er, and that coronation is expected to come with a 1 p.m. ceremony," wrote Inman.
Gore ranks No. 3 on the NFL's all-time rushing list with 16,000 yards. The total has been surpassed only by Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton. The 39-year-old running back rushed for 81 touchdowns in his Hall of Fame-worthy career while adding 484 receptions for 3,985 receiving yards and 18 receiving touchdowns. He was selected to five Pro Bowls and named to the 2010s All-Decade Team.
Gore spent 10 seasons with San Francisco, amassing 11,073 rushing yards with the organization. He went on to play three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts (2015-17) and then one season each with the Miami Dolphins (2018), Buffalo Bills (2019), and New York Jets (2020).
Gore did not play in 2021. He holds the record for the most games played by a running back with 241. In addition, Gore surpassed 1,000 yards rushing in nine of his first 12 NFL seasons.
"I'm going to be a Niner, you know, I've been there—that's who drafted me, gave me the opportunity to come into this league, to be a professional ball player, and I was there 10 years," Gore said in 2019. "That's my home, my second home. It would be right to go back—if I have to do a one-day [contract], sign that, and I'll be a Niner for life."