Frank Gore Doesn't Deserve Statue Unless He Leads 49ers to Super Bowl Win

If you take a walk around the 49ers' current home of Candlestick Park, you'll notice that there isn't a single statue of a former player or coach. So, Hall of Fame players and coaches like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Ronnie Lott and Bill Walsh haven't earned a statue. 

With a new stadium likely coming to the team within a few years, there's no real point in building any at Candlestick now. But according to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, coach Jim Harbaugh has an idea for a player deserving of such an honor at the new stadium.

"

There should be a statue of Frank...Maybe with the new stadium, there'll be something somewhere—a life-size statue of him, in one of those cool positions he gets in, you know?

"

The Frank he is referring to is running back Frank Gore, who became the franchise's all-time leading rusher on Sunday. 

Just in case anyone out there doesn't know, the 49ers clinched their first playoff spot in nine years on the same day that Gore set the 49ers' career rushing total. 

Their lack of success certainly can't be attributed to Gore. He's had bad coaching and little talent around him. Still, when you're franchise that won five Super Bowls over 14 seasons, nobody who has never won one is worthy of a statue. 

Now, if the 49ers win a Super Bowl with Gore, then we can revisit these talks. Everyone mentioned above needs to get a statue at the new stadium before anyone involved with the current team gets one, but a Super Bowl win will make them worthy as well. 

Gore is not the only one. Patrick Willis and even Harbaugh himself would be worthy of a statue if the 49ers do win a Super Bowl, but not a moment before.

This isn't any disrespect to Gore, or any of those guys. It's just that this franchise made its name with an impossibly high standard of winning. 

Until Gore leads a team that restores that standard and wins a Super Bowl, he's not worthy of getting a statue, wherever the team plays. 

When you play for a franchise that made its name winning Super Bowls, no player who does anything short of that is worthy of such an honor.