San Francisco 49ers: Frank Gore vs. Roger Craig

While sorting through 49er articles on Bleacher Report today, I came across one discussing Frank Gore. After reading it, I started thinking about what a great running back Gore has been.

It’s no mystery why he is my eight-year-old son's favorite player.

With Frank Gore and my son on my mind, a natural progression was to start thinking about my favorite player when I was my son's age. Who was my Frank Gore?

The answer: Roger Craig.

I thought it would be interesting to compare the two. Which great 49er running back was the greatest, mine or my son's? 

I decided I would use five categories to determine who was in fact the best running back. Those categories are yards per carry, total yards rushing, rushing TDs, receiving yards and receiving TDs.

Of course, Frank has only played six seasons with the Niners so far, and Craig played eight. In order to make it fair, I used Craig's stats from the first six years of his career and compared them to Gore's first six.

You may be surprised by the results.

Receiving Yards

George Rose/Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO - OCTOBER 22: Running back Roger Craig #33 of the San Francisco 49ers looks for room to run against the New England Patriots defense during a game at Candlestick Park on October 22, 1989 in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won 37-20.

Roger Craig: 3,768 receiving yards

Frank Gore: 2,283 receiving yards

+1 for Craig.

Total Yards Rushing

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 29: Runningback Frank Gore #21 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the football against the Arizona Cardinals during the NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on November 29, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. The 49ers defeate

Roger Craig: 5,571 rushing yards

Frank Gore: 6,414 rushing yards

+1 for Gore.

Rushing Touchdowns

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

23 SEP 1990: SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS RUNNING BACK ROGER CRAIG #33 HIGH STEPS THROUGH ATLANTA FALCONS LINEBACKER JESSIE TUGGLE #58 AND DEFENSIVE BACK DEION SANDERS #21, DURING THE 49ERS 19-13 WIN AT CANDLESTICK PARK IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

Roger Craig: 43 rushing touchdowns

Frank Gore: 35 rushing touchdowns

+1 for Craig.

Yards Per Carry

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER 20: Frank Gore #21 of the San Francisco 49ers runs on to the field for their game against the New Orleans Saints at Candlestick Park on September 20, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Roger Craig: 4.3 yards per carry

Frank Gore: 4.7 yards per carry

+1 for Gore.

Receiving Touchdowns

George Rose/Getty Images

STANFORD, CA - JANUARY 20: Quarterback Joe Montana #16 of the San Francisco 49ers congratulates teammate running back Roger Craig #33 after his eight yard touchdown reception in Super Bowl XIX against the Miami Dolphins at Stanford Stadium on January 20,

Roger Craig: 15 receiving touchdowns

Frank Gore: Nine receiving touchdowns

+1 for Craig.

Conclusion

So what did I learn? 

I learned that Frank Gore and Roger Craig are two of the best running backs to ever play the game. Also, it is hard to compare two of your heroes and try to determine a favorite.

Here is my attempt. 

Although Frank Gore seems to be a better runner (based on yards per carry and total yards), it appears that Roger Craig was actually a better all-around RB and football player at this point in his career.

Craig had eight more rushing TDs than Gore at this point in his career and six more receiving TDs. That’s a total of 14 more TDs than Gore. He also had about 1,500 more receiving yards.

Many people will say that Roger Craig had a far better quarterback, offensive line and coach. Let’s be honest—he did. But what do we do, look at the numbers and facts or speculate?

Let's do both.

The numbers and facts thus far point to Roger Craig as the all-around best, but I wanted to dig deeper.

I wanted to see what Gore would have to do to pass Craig on the list of all-time great 49er RBs.

For Gore to be the more effective player, he would need to rush for 650 more yards, accumulate 15 more rushing TDs, stack up 2,159 more receiving yards and catch five more receiving TDs. He would need to do so in the next two years.

Aside from the receiving yards, it all seems realistic for Gore (that's assuming he returns to his pre-hip injury self and stays healthy moving forward).

As Gore moves into his seventh season, it is important to note that Roger Craig had a great seventh year but followed it in his eighth year (and final year with the 49ers) with what was, by his standards, a very poor season.

Craig later went on to play one year for the L.A. Raiders and two for the Minnesota Vikings but would never again reach the level he once played at in San Francisco.

So at first glance, it appeared that Craig was the winner. After further investigation, it appears that the only record Craig will probably have over Gore is the receiving yards. Everything else looks achievable for Gore. I also hate comparing receiving yards when Craig had Montana and Bill Walsh, the greatest QB and coach of all time, and Gore has had Alex Smith.

After further research, I realized that Frank Gore is actually positioned to pass Roger Craig and even the late, great Joe “The Jet” Perry (RIP) in rushing yards this year, but only time will tell if he can pull it all off.

My final conclusion:

If Frank Gore retired today, he would be the third-best running back in the history of the 49ers, behind the great Joe Perry (first) and then Roger Craig (second).

However, if he can pull off at least two more solid Frank Gore years, he will surpass them both (respectably) as the greatest running back in the history of the 49er franchise.

Thanks for reading!

Please follow me on Twitter @ryanthebroker

As usual, anything that has to do with my sons is better than me. This article is dedicated to them. I can't wait for the day when they see the 49ers win a Super Bowl.