Is Frank Gore most underappreciated Miami Football star?
Frank Gore might be the most unlikely NFL Star in Miami football history. After tearing the ACL in each knee and his right meniscus in between in college, Gore’s professional career is remarkable.
Gore was part of the 2001 Miami Football national champions. That team has been called the greatest in College Football History. It would be hard to argue that Miami had the greatest group of running backs in the history of college football that season.
Gore might have been the most talented in the group that season. He was second on the team with 562 yards rushing on just 62 carries. That’s an obscene 9.1 yards per carry. Gore also ran for nine touchdowns.
He backed up Clinton Portis who ran for 1,200 yards and ten touchdowns. Gore would have been the starter in 2002 if he did not tear his ACL in Spring Practice.
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All his replacement Willis McGahee did is run for 1,753 yards and a Miami school record 27 touchdowns. McGahee added another 355 yards on 27 receptions. He ran for 314 yards and two touchdowns in 2001. The Hurricanes top three running backs in 2001 combined for over 2,000 yards on the ground.
That was also while having Ken Dorsey throwing the ball to wide receiver Andre Johnson and tight end Jeremy Shockey. Twenty-four players from the 2001 National Champions were eventually drafted into the NFL.
After McGahee turned pro following the 2002 season, despite tearing his own ACL in the Fiesta Bowl, Gore became the starter. He ran for 468 yards and four touchdowns on 5.3 YPC before tearing his other ACL and being lost for the season.
Gore came back strong in 2003. He ran for 945 yards and eight touchdowns. Miami just missed having three players in the same backfield who would eventually run for over 1,000 yards in a season in their collegiate careers.
No one could have foreseen that Gore would become one of the most durable players in the NFL during the time he was active. He enters this season as a 35-year-old running back. Nearly a mummy by the position’s standards. Mostly running backs are considered old at 30.
Gore enters the 2018 season fifth in rushing yards in NFL History. He needs just 76 yards to surpass Curtis Martin for fourth. If Gore decides to play one more season beyond this one, he has an outside chance at catching Barry Sanders for third all-time. He is 1,243 yards behind Sanders.
More than 2,700 yards behind Walter Payton, third is as likely as Gore is to climb in the rushing rankings.
One remarkable record that Gore does hold is 12 straight seasons reaching 1,200 yards or more from scrimmage. That’s at least 75 total yards per game average. In four of the past five seasons, Gore has surpassed that number by 70 yards or less.
Gore signed with the Dolphins in the offseason. He is likely to backup Kenyan Drake this season. That record is likely to fall. He returns home to where it all began for him. Players cannot get much more homegrown at the U than Gore. He attended Coral Gables, High School.
Gore is one of 17 players all-time in the NFL from Coral Gables High School. Another pair Miami football alums linebackers Jonathan Vilma and Denzel Perryman are among them.
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With Gore returning to his roots for what could be his final season, take some time out and enjoy one of the most remarkable careers in NFL history. We might not see too many players like him in the future.