Miami Native Becomes "Mr. 16,000" Of 2020 In The NFL

Miami FL

31 December, 2020

9:29 AM

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the Miami Times By Mark Stallworth Dec 30, 2020 The National Football League is 101 years old and what has only been done twice before has now happened a third time. On Sunday, Dec. 27, Frank Gore Sr. of the New York Jets became the third running back in NFL history to rush for more than 16,000 yards. The distinction puts him in the company of two NFL Hall of Famers: Emmitt Smith (18,355 rushing yards) and the late Walter "Sweetness" Payton (16,726 rushing yards). The achievement is notable, given that the lifespan of an NFL running back career is typically limited to a few short years. However, Gore has defied those odds. Now the record holder for most games played by a running back (with 241 games), the former Miami Dolphin has added another achievement to a historic football career and has certainly secured a first ticket ballot to Canton, Ohio, for the NFL Hall of Fame whenever he decides to retire from the game. "If you can have a stellar short career and have some fantastic seasons like guys have had, and you let them in for that, then longevity at the position that we play has to get the same kind of – you have to look at it the same way," said NFL Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk. "You have to look at longevity at the position. And here's the reality – Frank was not a guy that you were platooning. … He is the down-and-dirty guy. He's not the run-outside, third-down back. No, he's your hammer. And he's consistently been that wherever he's been." Gore attended Coral Gables Senior High School and played college football at the University of Miami, where he won a national championship with the Hurricanes in 2001 playing alongside Clinton Portis and Willie McGahee. His career in the NFL outlasted them all. The five-time NFL Pro-Bowler has accumulated 3,735 carries for exactly 16,000 yards and 81 rushing touchdowns in 16 seasons in the NFL. Drafted in the third round of the 2005 draft, Gore spent 10 years with the San Francisco 49ers (2005-2014) and three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts (2015-2017). He also played for the hometown Miami Dolphins (2018) and the Buffalo Bills (2019). Regardless of whether he continues playing, Gore has had as accomplished a career as any running back in league history. He was a second team All-Pro in 2006 and named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 2010s. While time feels as if it's stopped this year, it doesn't appear Gore ever slows down. He has scored a touchdown in three different decades. The future is bright too, with his son, Frank Gore Jr., making a name for himself in college football as he recently completed his first season with the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. The world is starting to learn that the best football players come from the Magic City, and that will continue with more talent in the coming years. Current NFL running backs from Miami include Randy "Duke" Johnson Jr. of the Houston Texans (Miami Norland/Miami Hurricanes), Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings (Miami Central) and Devonta Freeman of the New York Giants (Miami Central). The legacy continues for stellar running backs from South Florida. They can thank Frank Gore Sr. for paving the way. The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.