Frank Gore, Jon Vilma Rivalry Dates Back To High School

The rivalry between New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma and San Francisco 49ers tailback Frank Gore was so intense during their time together at Coral Gables High School in South Florida that their coach, Joe Montoya, said he often had to replace one of them on the practice field out of fear that "they'd end up killing each other."

And the competition didn't end there.

Montoya also recalled a time when the two alpha males broke into a full-on wrestling match inside his office.

"They started out arm-wrestling, then they're throwing each other against my table," said Montoya, who stopped short of calling it a "friendly" rivalry but said that Vilma and Gore have always held each other in high esteem as their careers led them both to the University of Miami, then to NFL stardom.

Vilma, who agreed with that assessment, laughed at the memory of that impromptu wrestling match, which took place when he came back to visit during his freshman year at Miami, while Gore was still a senior in high school.

"He swore that he was stronger than me, and I knew that I was stronger than him, so we started wrestling, " Vilma said. "So of course I won, then obviously he tried to act like he won. ... We respected each other, but I was definitely winning that one.

"We competed in anything and everything. He was by far the best back in Dade (County), and I was trying to be the best linebacker in Dade. It was best on best."

More than a decade later, that still will be the case Monday night in San Francisco, when Vilma once again lines up across the field from Gore.
When the Saints and Vilma meet the 49ers and Gore on Monday night, that longstanding rivalry between the pair of two-time Pro Bowl players may be the most important matchup. Gore (5 feet 9 inches, 217 pounds) is the centerpiece of the 49ers' run-first offense, and Vilma (6-1, 230) is the "quarterback" of the Saints' defense that will make stopping Gore its first priority.

That won't be as easy at it sounds, though. Vilma laughed again when asked why it's so hard for defenses to stop Gore, even though he's always the primary focus for opposing defenses each week.

"That's a credit to him, " Vilma said. "Theoretically, you say that, but once you get into the game, you have a talent like Frank Gore back there ... It's easy to say we're going to stop him, but if he starts breaking long runs or chipping at us for 6 yards a pop, then it makes the game a lot harder. It makes it harder for us to stop them when they get into third-and-2s, third-and-1s."

The Saints did a decent job of containing Gore when they played host to the 49ers in 2008, but that was mostly because they beat up quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan throughout the game and ran up a big lead early.

Gore ran for 82 yards on 16 carries (a 5.1-yard average). But he didn't carry the ball once in the fourth quarter of the 49ers' 31-17 loss.

Vilma and Gore, who consider each other good friends, keep in touch regularly. Vilma said he'll try to pick Gore's brain for technical advice from time to time -- although Gore relies on instinct so much that there's not much he can teach him.

Vilma also leaned on Gore for advice when he was recovering from a major knee injury in 2007, because Gore had come back from torn anterior cruciate ligaments in both of his knees in back-to-back seasons in college.

Both players said they discussed their upcoming matchup a few times this offseason. However, Gore said they kept the trash-talking to a minimum when they spoke on the phone the other day.

"We're going to play ball, " Gore told the Sacramento Bee. "I know he's going to want to beat me, and I want to beat him. I'm out to play ball."
As competitive as their relationship is, Gore also credits Vilma with being a great model for him when he got his life and football career on the right track during those high school days.

Gore came from a broken home and battled a learning disability, which led to academic problems. And even though he was clearly a gifted athlete, he admitted that he didn't take football seriously when he joined the varsity team as a sophomore.

"I was kind of a knucklehead, missing practice during two-a-days. I wasn't used to how the system goes, " Gore told the Bee. "They really didn't accept me until my first game. My first game, I had like 220-something yards, like three or four touchdowns. After that, they told me I should take it serious. If I take it serious, I'd be a great player.

"By me watching (Vilma), it helped me because he worked very hard."

Gore became a superstar, running for nearly 3,000 yards as a senior and setting a Miami-Dade record that still stands with 419 yards in one game.

Montoya said it's a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to coach two special talents such as Vilma and Gore and to watch them go on to such great things.

Although their roads led to the same destination, and they both always had the "desire" to get there, they followed different paths, Montoya said.
Gore needed more guidance off the field. Vilma was a standout student who didn't really shine as a football player until late in high school.

"He started to understand the game more. He started watching more film. He wanted to know more about what offenses were going to do. And you can see him now in the NFL, the way he makes all those calls on defense, he really understands the game, " Montoya said. "I'm so proud of both of those kids. And the good thing is, they're such good kids."

Vilma said it's crazy to think about how far both players have come since those high school days, although he never doubted Gore's ability to reach this level. He recalled some of Gore's highlight runs, where he combined his power and his ability to break away -- a dual threat he still possesses.

"He's tough now, and he was tough then. If there were 15 guys on the field, he made 'em all miss, " Vilma said. "I mean, it's just funny how we're in high school and I'm watching this guy run for 300 yards, and I'm saying, 'Man, he's gonna be legit. And sure enough, it turns out. And you know, he had the hard road with the two ACL injuries and still made it and is still a Pro Bowl talent. You just can't hide football players."

Especially when they're in your face, coming at you day after day.

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(nola.com)