Frank Gore Jr follows his father’s footsteps into the NFL with Bills

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — When Frank Gore Jr. took to the practice field for the first time as a member of the Buffalo Bills, it brought back fond memories of his high school years.

“I loved it here. What are they saying? ‘Hey, hey, hey?’ I love it,” Gore said after a rookie minicamp practice earlier this month.

While the vocals in the song “Shout” sound familiar, the name sounds familiar to Bills Mafia.

His father, Frank Gore Sr., played for the Bills just five years ago. And like his famous father, Gore Jr. is a running back and signed with Buffalo as an undrafted free agent out of South Mississippi.

“Knowing my dad wanted me here, I wanted to be here,” Gore Jr. said. “When me and (running backs coach) Kelly Skipper met during the (draft) process, I just I felt like he was the type of coach I needed to improve, the type of coach I wanted to become the best player in the world. Maybe I could be.”

The elder Gore spent just one season with the Bills in 2019 near the end of his long and illustrious career – one that saw him accumulate 16,000 rushing yards – the third most in history of the NFL.

Now, young Gore is trying to carve out his own place in the league with the support and confidence of one of the best in his own lineage.

“My dad has been preparing since I was 14,” said Gore Jr. “So when he says that, he says it with confidence because he knows what he pushed me, the tests he put me through and I’m never He’s going to back down, that’s why he’s so confident.”

Gore Jr. finished his college career third all-time in rushing yards at Southern Miss. Although some draft analysts believe he could have an uphill climb to becoming an impact player in the NFL, he has the drive to prove them all wrong.

“There was no way 2,257 people were better than me in this draft,” Gore Jr. said. “Now that this process is over, I’m a Bill and I’m here to compete. I’m here to pushing my teammates and pushing the backs and trying to get on special teams.”

And with sage advice from another former No. 20 in the red, white and blue Bills, Frank Gore Jr. has all the foundation he needs.

“Keep working hard. Never let someone tell you what your future holds because they’re not in your shoes,” Gore Jr. said of his father’s words of encouragement. “Come head on every day, take steps forward, and don’t worry about anything you can’t control.”