Ex-49ers standout Gore mulls return
Former 49ers running back Frank Gore is open to returning to the NFL for a Super Bowl run after he makes his boxing debut.
The five-time Pro Bowl running back faces former NBA All-Star Deron Williams on Saturday night on the undercard of the rematch between Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley.
“I'm excited but I'm also nervous about it because it's new to me,” Gore said on the AP Pro Football Podcast.
Gore, 38, ran for 16,000 yards, third most in NFL history, during 16 seasons with the 49ers, Colts, Dolphins, Bills and Jets. He spurned an offer to return during training camp to spend time with his family. If a playoff-bound team calls now, he's ready.
“I'm in the best shape of my life,” Gore said. “Boxing shape
is totally different than football shape. I feel like I can go out there and give a team a spark. It has to be a good situation for me and the team.”
Gore said he had boxed as part of his football training but didn't consider getting in the ring for a fight until the offseason when a boxing coach told him he had the skills to do it.
“Boxing is tougher physically because I have to spar three times a week,” he said. “It's also different because of all the jogging. In football, I did sprints. I hate jogging, but I have to do it to be in the ring.”
Gore, who spent his first 10 seasons in San Francisco, also hopes to eventually work in an NFL team's front office.
“That's something I've always wanted to do because I've been around football so long that I know what a football player is supposed to be. I know what a football player's mind has to be like,” Gore said.