INDIANAPOLIS – Frank Gore has served in the 49ers' front office in an advisory role for nearly a year.
However, that doesn't mean his namesake gets the privilege of getting inside information.
“No, he can’t,” said Frank Gore Jr., a draft prospect at the NFL Scouting Combine. “He just helps me become a professional. However, there is nothing in it.”
Gore is a running back, just like his father.
His father was a third-round draft pick of the 49ers in the 2005 NFL Draft. The younger Gore is expected to be a Day 3 selection.
Gore Jr. said he participated in an informal interview with the 49ers at the combine this week. He has only spoken to his father briefly this week but would like to spend time with him after training on Saturday.
Frank Gore, the original, will likely be watching at Lucas Oil Stadium along with 49ers general manager John Lynch.
Gore, 40, played the first 10 seasons of his 16-year NFL career with the 49ers. He is the organization's all-time scoring leader. Gore retired after the 2020 NFL season as the No. 3 rusher in league history. He managed 16,000 yards on the ground, ranking behind only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton in NFL history.
“I was pretty young for the first part of his career,” Gore Jr. said. “But as I got older, I started to understand that this wasn’t normal. It certainly seemed pretty wild to me that he was still doing it. Even at the end of his career he was still at a high level.”
Gore set a good example for his son with his manic work habits and his discipline to follow the same routine.
“All day, all year, it never stops with him,” Gore Jr. said. “The treatment, the guy is like a robot. I’ve seen it all, so I’m going to try to take the same steps so I can hopefully have something close to the same career.”
The younger Gore explained why he calls his father a robot.
“Same schedule every day,” he explained. “Same sleep schedule. He goes to bed at the same time. He will take the same steps. Every single day of the week will be the same. I can still get better, but I’m definitely trying.”
Now a new Frank Gore is on the verge of becoming an NFL player.
Gore Jr. was a largely overlooked prep prospect who ended up at Southern Mississippi, where he gained 4,022 yards rushing and scored 30 touchdowns in his four-year career.
He set the FBS bowl game record when he rushed for 329 yards in a 38-24 victory over Rice in the LendingTree Bowl in December 2022.
Not surprisingly, the most common comparison for young Gore is his father. And that's something the draft prospect recognizes while also pointing out some differences in their styles.
“I’m a lot like my dad,” he said. “We have our similarities, but we also have our differences. He groomed me, so of course we are similar.
“I would say I’m more agile. A little more lateral movement. He's more of a knocker. Otherwise we’re pretty similar.”
Since he and his father share the same name, there will always be comparisons. Gore Jr. knows this, understands this and doesn't blink.
“It’s a blessing and an opportunity,” he said. “I will not shy away from my name. I am who I am. It is a blessing to have his name. So I wouldn't say I'm not happy to have his name. He had his name and he made him what he is. Now I have the responsibility to take it further.”
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