49ers Blog and Q&A: Gore poised to set true franchise rushing record on Sunday

49ers Blog and Q&A

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December 12, 2012

Gore poised to set true franchise rushing record on Sunday

Last year, a big deal was made when Frank Gore passed Joe Perry for first place on the 49ers' all-time rushing list. Then a couple of pesky reporters, like this clown, had to ruin everyone's fun by pointing out that Gore's mark required a large asterisk in bold type.

That's because Perry's franchise mark, listed as 7,344 yards by the 49ers and the NFL, doesn't include the two years he spent on the 49ers when the team was part of the All-American Football Conference. The 49ers and two other AAFC teams, including the Cleveland Browns, joined the NFL in 1950.

While certain groups, such as the Pro Football Hall of Fame, recognize the 1,345 yards Perry, who is featured prominently in the Hall, accumulated in 1948 and '49, the 49ers and the NFL do not, which always rankled former AAFC players like Perry and his quarterback, Y.A. Tittle.

The good news is that the asterisk is soon to go away. With just 30 yards Sunday in New England, Gore will pass Perry's actual franchise total, 8,689 yards, and become the 49ers' true all-time rushing leader.

Perry passed away last year. His widow, Donna, said this week that Joe liked Gore and former 49ers running back Roger Craig, and that he knew that his records would some day fall.

"He always said records are made to be broken, and he knew his was going to be broken," she said. "Joe never had a problem with people chasing his records. He had a problem with them not counting two years of his life."

During Sunday's win over the Dolphins, Gore scored his 50th career rushing touchdown, which the 49ers announced put him in a three-way tie with Perry and Craig on for the team record. That number, however, does not include the 18 touchdowns Perry scored in 1948 and '49. At his current pace, Gore would break that record early in 2015.

- Matt Barrows

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