Frank Gore Endorses Jim Harbaugh For Jets' Head Coaching Job
When you've been in the National Football League for as long as Frank Gore, you work with quite a few coaches. Some, however, stand out more than others.
Gore was entering his seventh season in the league when Jim Harbaugh took over as the head coach of the 49ers in 2011. San Francisco won 13 games in his first year in charge, making a Super Bowl appearance the following season.
Asked on Tuesday if Gore could see his old head coach (and current leader of the Michigan Wolverines) take another head coaching gig in the NFL this coming season, the running back said he wouldn't be surprised.
"Me knowing Harbaugh, he's very competitive," Gore said. "Even though he didn't win at Michigan, when he was with us, I know he got a chance to get there, that chance to get to the Super Bowl. We didn't win it, but we had the chance to knock on the door for a couple of years. I knew that he would come back [to the NFL]. I know that's what he wanted to do."
It just so happens that the Jets are in the market for a new head coach. New York fired Adam Gase after his second season a few days ago and the organization has already begun to request interviews with a variety of candidates.
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With the vacancy in New York, Harbaugh has once again been linked to the Jets. Gore said Harbaugh would make the Jets competitive quickly. Perhaps not in his first season like he was able to do in San Francisco a decade ago, but he'd be a good fit.
"He'll make this team very competitive," Gore explained. "He'll get a great staff with him. He knows how to get the guys to go to war for him, to do whatever it takes and try their best to win. That's my man. Harbaugh is my man."
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Harbaugh, 57, went 44-19-1 over four seasons as the 49ers head coach. In six seasons at Michigan, Harbaugh's teams are 49-22. The head coach is reportedly on the verge of signing a massive extension to stay in Ann Arbor, but may wait to see which NFL teams express interest in him during the hiring cycle going forward.
When it comes to Gase, who Gore had previously played for him in Miami a few years ago, the running back was hopeful the former Jets head coach will land on his feet with another coaching gig elsewhere.
"As a friend, I felt for him because I know how much he loves coaching the game of football," Gore said. "Adam was always good to me, but he knows the business. If you don't win, if you don't get things going in the direction the organization wants, that's what happens."
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