Jerry Rice

• Born: 13 October 1962
• Birthplace: Starkville, Mississippi
• Best Known As: Wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, 1985-2000

Wide receiver Jerry Rice is the National Football League's all-time leader in receptions, yards and touchdowns. Rice played college ball at Mississippi Valley State, where he caught 310 passes for 4,856 yards and 51 touchdowns in 42 games. He began his professional career in 1985 when he was picked 16th in the first round of the draft by the San Francisco 49ers. With the 49ers he became one of the NFL's biggest stars, catching pass after pass from quarterback Joe Montana and then from Montana's successor, Steve Young. Rice played for the 49ers from 1985-2000, winning Super Bowls in 1989, 1990 and 1995. He later played for the Oakland Raiders (2001-2004) and the Seattle Seahawks (2004). In 2005, at the age of 42, Rice signed a one-year contract to play for the Denver Broncos, but retired before the season began. At his retirement, the NFL Record and Fact Book listed Rice with 38 different NFL records, including career totals of 1,549 receptions, 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns.

Rice wore jersey number 80 throughout his pro career, but with Denver he had to change his jersey number. He picked 19, the same number chosen by his former 49ers teammate Joe Montana when Montana moved to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993... Rice caught at least one pass in 274 consecutive games from 1985 through 2004 -- another NFL record.

football player

Personal Information

Born October 13, 1962, in Crawford, MS; son of Joe Nathan (a bricklayer) and Eddie B. Rice; married, wife's name Jackie; children: Jacqui Bonet, Jada Symone, and Jerry Jr
Education: Attended Mississippi Valley State University.

Career

San Francisco 49ers, professional football player, 1985-2000; Oakland Raiders, professional football player, 2001-04; Seattle Seahawks, professional football player, 2004-05; Denver Broncos, professional football player, 2005.

Life's Work

In 1992 Jerry Rice, then the star wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, grabbed the record for most touchdown receptions in a professional football career, with 101. That milestone--coming as it did during the prime of his career--assured Rice a future berth in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. San Francisco Chronicle correspondent Ron Thomas described Rice as "a ballet dancer in cleats" whose "dazzling runs leave defenders grasping at air and gasping for breath. Even when Rice doesn't have the ball, he can dominate a game." In 2005, after brief stops at the Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, and Denver Broncos, Rice finally retired from football at the end of a remarkable 20-year career. Rice held NFL regular-season records for touchdowns scored, receiving touchdowns, receptions, receiving yards, total yards, and 1,000-yard receiving seasons, among others, and had earned three Super Bowl rings.

Rice is best-remembered for his play with the San Francisco 49ers, who dominated professional football in the late 1980s and advanced to the playoffs each year throughout the early 1990s. Rice--tall, fast, and obsessively determined to catch passes and score--was a big part of the reason for that success. Washington Post columnist Thomas Boswell praised Rice for "the range of creative expression" in his performance, which is almost always carried out under double-team pressure. Boswell continued: "The way Rice moves while a ball is in the air, gliding like a hawk on an air current, and what he does after he grabs that ball, changing direction as suddenly as a snake in water, takes the breath from those who watch him and steals the heart from those who try to defend him." Sports Illustrated correspondent Ralph Wiley claimed that Rice "[is] running his name into the record books with a smooth and impeccable stride." Wiley also offered a tongue-in-cheek warning to Rice's opponents: "You're dealing with a cold executioner. You must study Jerry Rice--what he does, when he does it, how he thinks, what he doesn't like. You must find the flaw in his character. You must know him as well as you know yourself. Why? So you won't embarrass yourselves or the cities and the institutions you represent when Rice comes to terrorize you and tread on your painted end-zone grass."

Forced into Football

Wiley noted that Jerry Rice "grew up simon-pure. No street lights, or sidewalks, or traffic signs, or stadium concerts. No drugs, or crime, or sirens. No distractions." The reporter is referring to life in tiny Crawford, Mississippi, an all-black rural community where Rice was born on October 13, 1962. As a youngster the athlete saw few paved roads and even fewer of the luxuries that later became part of his life. His father was a bricklayer who built a home for the large family on the edge of a pasture. Rice and his five brothers amused themselves by playing sports, including a favorite pastime of chasing the horses in the pasture until one could be caught and ridden. When work was plentiful, Rice helped his father by carrying bricks and mixing mortar. "I always did have good work habits," he told Newsday. "I guess it's from my parents. I take a lot of pride in everything and try to be the best in what I'm doing. Every time I step on the football field, it's not like a job to me; I really enjoy it. Working with my father taught me the necessity of hard work. On my mother's side, I'm a caring person. I guess that's why I've been successful."

His work ethic notwithstanding, Rice was not above some pranks in high school. In fact, he says, he owes his football career to an attempt to play hooky from school one warm afternoon. As he tells the story, he was sneaking out of the school building when the vice principal saw him and told him to stop. Rice didn't stop, he ran, with the vice principal in hot pursuit. He was caught, whipped, and sent to the gym for football practice. Remembering the incident in the Los Angeles Times, Rice said that the principal "made me go out for the [football] team, and that's how I started playing this game. Until the day I played hooky, I had no intention of playing football."

In high school Rice played just about every position, from quarterback to tackle. He showed promise, but only one college coach made a recruiting trip to Crawford--Archie Cooley, then with tiny Mississippi Valley State in Itta Bena. According to Wiley, coach Cooley "took one look at Rice and began devising all manner of bizarre formations designed to spring Rice loose." A graceful, speedy, and nearly unstoppable wide receiver was born. Wiley wrote: "Rice helped put Mississippi Valley State...on the map.... [He] caught more than 100 passes in each of his last two seasons. As a senior he had 28 [touchdown] receptions. He has faced constant double-teaming since he was an 18-year-old freshman." With Rice's help the Delta Devils ran up a 24-6-1 record in their conference, a feat that drew the attention of 49ers coach Bill Walsh.

Joined 49ers

Walsh came to the 1985 pro football draft determined to win Rice's services for the 49ers. So sold was the coach on Rice that he traded up in order to select the young man sixteenth pick in the first round. Immediately Walsh took some heat for the decision, because Rice had not proven himself in the high-stakes arena of Big-Ten or Pac-Ten football. Walsh explained his reasoning in a Los Angeles Times feature. "Jerry's movements were spectacular for a pass receiver, no matter the level," the coach said. "Even a casual fan looking at him on that [Mississippi] team would have asked, 'Who is that?' We also knew about the long exposure he'd had as a receiver. He'd been catching 100 passes year after year. We felt that if they'd throw to him that much, and if he'd catch that many, he must have the basic instincts for the job."

Rice's rookie season had a rocky start. He dropped a record fifteen passes, a feat not lost on the press or the fans. In retrospect, Rice blamed his early failures on the complex offense that Walsh ran. He simply had to learn the moves, he said, to the point where he could run a play without thinking about it. It is not at all uncommon for rookie professional players to stumble a bit, especially those who have not seen much top-level competition in college. Rice recovered quickly. Even before his first season ended he had set a team record with 241 receiving yards in one game. He was a unanimous choice for the 1985-86 all-rookie team and a new favorite--despite his shyness--in the San Francisco area.

Rice turned in two stellar seasons in 1986 and 1987. In 1986 he scored an impressive fifteen touchdowns and averaged 18.3 yards per catch. The following year was one of his best. Eyebrows everywhere were raised as he set NFL records for receiving touchdowns (22) and touchdown catches in consecutive games (13). His regular season scoring total of 138 points led the league and set a team record as well. At season's end Rice garnered Most Valuable Player honors from the Pro Football Writers of America, the Sporting News, Pro Football Weekly, and the Maxwell Club. The recognition was unsatisfying, however. In 1987 the 49ers took a playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings that deprived Rice of a trip to the Super Bowl. Asked how he felt at the end of that season, Rice told the San Jose Mercury News: "I don't think about how many touchdowns I scored. I don't think about the yardage. I guess a lot of people sit down and look at stats. But not me. I just want to go to the Super Bowl."

Became Super Bowl MVP

Rice finally got his Super Bowl wish in 1989, when the 49ers met the Cincinnati Bengals and won a dramatic 20-16 last-minute victory. Just prior to the game, Rice sprained his ankle so badly that he was listed as "questionable" for the contest. He played, and he was voted Super Bowl Most Valuable Player after a series of stunning catches and slippery runs that saved his team from defeat. Boswell described the action: "Rice shagged posts in traffic, like a 27-yarder in the final minute to set up the winning score...like his touchdown that tied the game, 13-13. He shook deep up the sideline for 30 yards with a defender in his lap. He caught hitches when cornerbacks laid off him in fear...when linebackers couldn't spin their heads fast enough to find him.... What Rice did this windy evening...warps the imagination and redefines what is possible."

Until that Super Bowl moment, Rice had been relatively unknown outside the San Francisco area. The 49ers had many other stars, from the white-haired coach to the riveting quarterback Joe Montana, and the team had won two Super Bowls in the 1980s without Rice. Super Bowl XXIII changed the determined receiver's status. Suddenly he was able to renegotiate his contract from a position of power, and his performances were chronicled in glowing sports features in print and on television. Nevertheless, within days of his first Super Bowl win, the Most Valuable Player was complaining that he had been ignored by the press and passed over for commercial endorsements. "I really don't want all the recognition, but I feel like I deserve to get some of it," he told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Right now you read the newspapers, there's nothing about Jerry Rice being MVP. If it was Joe Montana, Dwight Clark there would be headlines all over. I'm really just speaking from my heart. I think everybody in the Bay Area feels that way."

The matter might seem insignificant, but it isn't. Professional sports superstars can quadruple their multi-million dollar salaries with contracts for product endorsements. Montana, for instance, has earned vast sums with television commercials for Hanes underwear. When Rice did not receive the attention he felt he deserved, he suggested that race was the reason. In recent years he has been featured in some national advertising, but his endorsements still lag behind any number of NFL quarterbacks, most of them white.

Rice tried to diffuse his remarks on his celebrity by telling the Washington Post: "You won't hear that from me again. I guess I matured a little." Indeed, as the 1980s ended, Rice matured on the field as well as off. Still dogged by ankle problems, he turned in another outstanding season in 1989 and went with the 49ers to yet another Super Bowl--a 55-10 rout of the Denver Broncos--in 1990. Rice did not play as decisive a role in that Super Bowl win as he did in the one prior to it. However, his very presence on the field helped to confound the Bronco defense and assured a lopsided 49er victory. As early as the next season, the countdown began for Rice's record-breaking touchdown reception.

Set Multiple NFL Records

The record stood at 100, an impressive number compiled by Steve Largent, a former Seattle Seahawks receiver who had played more than ten professional seasons. Observers were amazed that Rice was closing in on the record after only six years in the league--and while still in his early thirties. The pressure mounted as Rice became a premier superstar on the 49ers with the injury-related benching of Montana and the retirement of Walsh. Meanwhile, the talented receiver had to contend with injuries of his own.

Notoriety in the NFL can be quite hard on a receiver, as defenders exert themselves doubly to catch and hit. It is remarkable that Rice has never been sidelined for long. He tends to play through injuries and nurse himself back to health in the off-season. He has a number of weapons in his arsenal with which to confound defensive backs. First, he is fast even when hobbled by leg injuries. He is also agile, at times seeming to move in two directions at once to slip by a lunging opponent. He has a good head for the game and a well-rehearsed list of proven moves. At six-foot-two he can make towering leaps for lofted passes, and he is strong enough to hold up under a hit and force his way for extra yardage. Rice's most distinguishing feature, though, is his determination. He has a passion for football and plays for the sheer joy of it. He simply craves the end zone. "You see a lot of receivers...they're satisfied once they catch the ball and they fall to the ground," he told the San Francisco Chronicle. "I'm not satisfied until I get into the end zone."

That bald obsession with scoring brought Rice to the brink of the receptions-for-touchdowns record in 1992. During the fourth quarter of a rain-soaked game against the Miami Dolphins on December 6, 1992, Rice ran a z-slant into the end zone and caught a twelve-yard reception. The catch was his 101st for a touchdown, breaking Largent's record. The sodden 49ers fans and players erupted in an ovation that lasted several minutes, and Rice ran to the stands to embrace his wife, Jackie. After the game, which San Francisco won, 27-3, Rice told the San Francisco Chronicle that he was relieved. "I've tried to downplay the record and focus in on football, but it's something I've been chasing for a long, long time," he said. "There is a lot of pressure off me now."

San Jose Mercury News reporter Bud Geracie was present when Rice scored his 101st touchdown. "Rice couldn't say what The Record meant to him, just that it meant 'a whole lot,'" Geracie recalled. "He credited his teammates, his coaches, his luck. He praised Largent. In his greatest moment, Rice was humble, classy and just happy to win the game." Rice collected his third super bowl ring with San Francisco in 1995. During the 1996 season, for the second time in his career he led the league in receptions--with 108--but succumbed to a knee injury early in the 1997 season, which limited his play to only two games. He returned to full strength in 1998 and logged 1,157 yards receiving. By 2000 his career receptions surpassed 19,000 yards, topping the next closest contender by more than 4,000 yards. By the end of that season, his sixteenth with the 49ers, Rice had accumulated 19,247 yards receiving. While many in San Francisco thought that Rice's best years were behind him and that it was time for him to retire, Rice had different ideas.

Not Quite Ready to Hang Up His Spikes

In 2000 Rice was listed on the 75-year NFL roster and was voted by the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters to the NFL All-Time Team. He had broken broke 14 NFL records and 10 Super Bowl records. "I love to score touchdowns," the receiver once told the Los Angeles Times. "There's nothing like the feeling you get in the end zone. When you score a touchdown, it feels like winning $6 million in the lottery." In June of 2000, at age 38, Rice refused a $1-million retirement bonus offered by the San Francisco management and opted instead to continue to play football, signing with the Oakland Raiders for four years and $5 million. In his first two seasons with the Raiders Rice showed that he could still play with the best, averaging 87 catches for 1175 yards. In 2003 his playing time diminished as the Raiders turned to younger, faster receivers. Rice was openly dissatisfied with his lack of playing time, and after just a six games of the 2004 season he won a trade to the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks had a young, inconsistent receiving corps and Rice brought needed stability to a team that was on the verge of joining the NFL's elite. The highlight of the 2004 season came when he made eight catches for 145 yards against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.

Though Rice caught a total of 25 passes for 362 yards for the Seahawks, they were not ready to grant Rice a starting role. Rice, who could not tolerate being a backup, signed with the Denver Broncos and fought during their training camp and preseason to gain a starting position. When Denver coach Mike Shanahan offered Rice a spot as a reserve, Rice recognized that it was finally time for him to retire. In a tearful press conference held in September of 2005, Rice announced that "I never played for a legacy. I played because I love football." Rice retired with statistics that may not soon be surpassed: he caught 1549 passes for 22,895 yards, for a career average of 14.8 yards per catch; along the way he caught 197 touchdown passes.

In retirement, Rice returned with his wife to his hometown of Crawford, Mississippi, though he was back on television in 2006 as a contestant in the popular ABC reality TV show Dancing with the Stars.

Awards

Numerous pro football awards, including NFL Most Valuable Player, 1987, and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, 1989; hold NFL records for career receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895), receiving touchdowns (197), and total touchdowns (208); named to NFL All-Time Team, 2000.

Further Reading

Books

• Evans, J. Edward, Jerry Rice: Touchdown Talent, Lerner, 1993.

• Fresno Bee, January 28, 1990.
• Jet, January 8, 2001; June 25, 2001; September 26, 2005.
• Los Angeles Times, December 13, 1987.
• Newsday (New York), January 28, 1990.
• San Francisco Chronicle, January 26, 1989; January 28, 1989; November 7, 1989; January 25, 1990; December 7, 1992.
• San Jose Mercury News, September 2, 1988; December 7, 1992.
• Sporting News, August 6, 2001; September 23, 2005.
• Sports Illustrated, September 28, 1987; September 12, 2005.
• Time, September 19, 2005.
• Washington Post, September 1, 1989; January 22, 1989; January 23, 1989.

• "NFL Players: Jerry Rice," NFL, www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/1291 (January 4, 2006).
• "Player: Jerry Rice, Wide Receiver," Denver Broncos, www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=498&contentID=4377 (January 4, 2006).

— Mark Kram and Tom Pendergast

For more information on Jerry Lee Rice, visit Britannica.com.

Jerry Rice

Rice in April 2006
No. 80, 19
Wide Receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: October 13, 1962 (1962-10-13) (age 47)
Place of birth: Starkville, Mississippi
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Weight: 200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
College: Mississippi Valley State
NFL Draft: 1985 / Round: 1 / Pick: 16
Debuted in 1985 for the San Francisco 49ers
Last played in 2004 for the Seattle Seahawks
Career history
As player: San Francisco 49ers (1985–2000) Oakland Raiders (2001–2004) Seattle Seahawks (2004) Denver Broncos (2005)* *Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
13× Pro Bowl selection (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2002) 12× All-Pro selection (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2002) 3× Super Bowl champion (XXIII, XXIV, XXIX) NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team NFL 1980s All-Decade Team NFL 1990s All-Decade Team 1985 UPI NFL-NFC Rookie of the Year 1993 NFL Offensive Player of the Year 1987 NFL Offensive Player of the Year 1988 UPI NFC Player of the Year 1988 PFWA MVP 1987 Bert Bell Award Super Bowl XXIII MVP 1996 Pro Bowl MVP Holds Numerous NFL records
Stats at NFL.com
College Football Hall of Fame

Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former football player. He is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver ever and one of the greatest players in National Football League (NFL) history.^[1] The all-time leader in every major statistical category for wide receivers^[2] and the all-time NFL leader in touchdowns scored with 208, Rice was selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times (1986–1996, 1998, 2002) and named All-Pro 10 times in his 20 NFL seasons. He won three Super Bowl rings playing for the San Francisco 49ers and an AFC Championship with the Oakland Raiders.

Contents 1 Early years 2 College career 3 Professional career 3.1 San Francisco 49ers 3.2 Oakland Raiders 3.3 Seattle Seahawks 3.4 Denver Broncos 3.5 Retirement 3.6 Legacy 3.7 NFL Hall of Fame candidacy 4 Media work 5 Personal 6 NFL records 7 References 8 External links

Early years

Jerry Rice was born in Starkville, Mississippi but raised in Crawford, as the son of a brick mason. He developed his hands while working for his father. His speed also helped him excel in football in high school. He enjoyed watching football on television.

According to his book "Rice" (written with Michael Silver), the school's principal tracked him down, but when he called his name the startled Rice sprinted off running. Rice said the principal remarked afterwards, "Wow, this guy is extremely fast", according to the Coyne article. The next morning, the principal called Rice into his office, gave him his punishment (reportedly 5 or 6 lashings with a thick strap), and told the school's football coach about his speed.

As a high school player, he became an All-State end and defensive back (and also played running back and quarterback at times), but was not good enough to warrant scholarship offers from the 40 or so National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-A schools that showed interest. Even Mississippi State, just 20 miles away, didn't offer a scholarship. But Archie Cooley, coach of Division I-AA Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, Mississippi, had heard about Rice. Rice says of Cooley: "no one else came to see me in person." Based on that, as well as the urging from his older brother Tom, Jerry accepted the scholarship offer from MVSU and arrived in Itta Bena in 1981.

College career

Jerry Rice attended Mississippi Valley State University,(from 1980-1984) becoming a standout receiver. He acquired the nickname "World" because there wasn't a ball in the world he couldn't catch. Statistics from his college career are rather sparse and inconsistent, but the College Football Hall of Fame website claims that Rice, as a sophomore in 1982, caught 66 passes for 1,133 yards and 7 touchdowns. Rice is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. That was his first season playing with redshirt freshman quarterback Willie Totten, nicknamed "Satellite." Together, Totten and Rice would become known as "The Satellite Express" and set numerous NCAA records in the spread offense of coach Archie Cooley, nicknamed "The Gunslinger."

Rice had a record-setting 1983 campaign, including NCAA marks for receptions (102) and receiving yards (1,450) and being named first-team Division I-AA All-America. He also set a single-game NCAA record by catching 24 passes against Southern University. As a senior in 1984, he broke his own Division I-AA records for receptions (112) and receiving yards (1,845). His 27 touchdown receptions in that 1984 season set the NCAA mark for all divisions.

The 1984 season was also memorable for MVSU as the pass-happy Delta Devils attracted national attention, scoring 628 points (an average of more than 59 per game). After an August practice experiment, Cooley had Totten call all the plays at the line of scrimmage without a huddle. The result was even more staggering offensive numbers. Rice caught 17 passes for 199 yards against Southern, 17 for 294 against Kentucky State and 15 for 285 against Jackson State, the first time MVSU beat them since 1954. Rice scored 5 TDs twice that year. He finished his career with 301 catches for 4,693 yards and 50 touchdowns (some sources have the numbers as 310, 4,856 and 51); his NCAA record for total career touchdown receptions stood until 2006, when University of New Hampshire wide receiver David Ball, recorded his fifty-first career receiving touchdown.

Rice was named to every All-American team (including the AP squad) and finished 9th in Heisman Trophy balloting in 1984. In the Blue Gray Classic all-star game played on Christmas Day, he earned MVP honors. Rice wore No. 88 in college, but switched to No. 80 in the pros.

In the spring of 1999, the school renamed its football stadium from Magnolia Stadium to Rice-Totten Field in honor of Rice and Totten. Rice was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on August 12, 2006.^[3]

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Rice's 1984 record-breaking season at Mississippi Valley caught the attention of many NFL scouts, but his speed (reportedly only 4.71 in the 40-yard dash)^[4] kept most wary, although there were apparently at least two exceptions: the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. In his autobiography, Rice says the Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers, and Indianapolis Colts had kept in contact with him prior to the draft. In the first round of the 1985 NFL draft, Dallas had the 17th selection and San Francisco had the last (as Super Bowl champions from 1984). 49ers coach Bill Walsh reportedly became enamored with Rice after watching highlights of Rice the Saturday night before San Francisco was to play the Houston Oilers on October 21, 1984. On draft day (April 30, 1985), the 49ers traded its first two picks for New England's first-round choice, the 16th selection overall (the teams also swapped third-round picks as part of the deal), and selected Rice before, as some report, the Cowboys were intending to pick him. Rice was prized more highly by the USFL, as he was the #1 pick overall in that short-lived league's 1985 draft.

Although he struggled at times (dropping numerous passes), Rice took the NFL by storm in his rookie season for the 49ers in 1985, especially after a 10-catch, 241-yard game against the Los Angeles Rams in December. For that rookie season, he recorded 49 catches for 927 yards, averaging 18.9 yards per catch and was named NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year. (Eddie Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals, one of the two wide receivers taken ahead of Rice, was named the NFL Rookie of the Year.) The following season, he caught 86 passes for a league-leading 1,570 yards and 15 touchdowns. It was the first of 6 seasons in which Rice would lead the NFL in receiving and touchdown receptions. In 1987, he was named the NFL's MVP by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) and the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA) and the Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press (AP). Despite playing in only 12 games that year (NFL players strike), he still managed to gain 1,078 receiving yards and an NFL-record 22 touchdown receptions which stood until 2007 when it was broken by Randy Moss in 16 games.

In 1988 Rice averaged a career high 20.4 yards per catch as he caught 64 passes for 1,306 yards and 9 touchdowns. The 49ers once again won the NFC West with a 10–6 record. In the postseason, he was instrumental in the 49ers' 28–3 win over the Chicago Bears in the NFC title game, recording 5 catches for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. But his performance in Super Bowl XXIII was even better. In possibly his finest performance ever, Rice caught 11 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 5 yards, helping the 49ers to a narrow 20–16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. His receptions and receiving yards were both Super Bowl records. For his performance, he became only the third wide receiver to earn Super Bowl MVP honors.

In 1989, San Francisco made it back to the Super Bowl, aided by Rice's 82 receptions for 1,483 yards and 17 touchdowns during the season, and his 12 catches for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns in their 2 playoff games. He was once again a major factor in the 49ers championship win, finishing Super Bowl XXIV with 7 catches for 148 yards and a Super Bowl record 3 touchdown receptions.

Rice had another superb season in 1990, leading the NFL in receptions (100), receiving yards (1,502) and receiving touchdowns (13). In a week 6 match-up with the Atlanta Falcons Rice caught a career-best 5 touchdowns. San Francisco finished the year with an NFL best 14–2 record, but failed to "3-peat" as Super Bowl champions, losing to the New York Giants 15–13 in the NFC title game.

After seasons of 80 catches for 1,206 yards and 14 touchdowns in 1991, 84 catches for 1,201 yards and 10 touchdowns in 1992, and 98 catches for 1,503 yards and 15 touchdowns in 1993, Rice made it back to the Super Bowl with the 49ers in the 1994 season, recording a career-high 112 receptions for 1,499 yards and 13 touchdowns. During the 49ers' first game of that season against the Los Angeles Raiders, Jerry Rice caught 7 passes for a season-high 169 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for one more and moving into first place in the NFL records for career touchdowns with 127. Although he only caught 6 passes in San Francisco's 2 playoff games that year, he proved to be a vital component in their 49–26 victory over the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX, recording 10 receptions for 149 yards and 3 touchdowns — despite playing with a separated shoulder for much of the game.

In 1995, Rice caught a career high 122 passes for an NFL record 1,848 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns (along with 1 touchdown each by way of running, passing, and recovering a fumble). However, the 49ers lost in the divisional playoffs to the Green Bay Packers, despite Rice's impressive 11-catch, 117-yard performance. The following year, he recorded 108 receptions (leading the NFL) for 1,254 yards and 8 touchdowns. San Francisco won in the wild card round, but once again lost to the Packers in the divisional playoffs. In his 3 seasons between 1994 and 1996, Rice had racked up a whopping 342 catches for 4,601 yards and 36 touchdowns.

During the season opener of the 1997 season he tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee on a reverse. Warren Sapp of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers grabbed Rice by the face-mask and wrenched Rice to the ground with it, drawing a 15-yard personal foul. The injury broke his streak of 189 consecutive games played. Fourteen weeks later he made his return, much earlier than doctors wanted him to. He scored a touchdown, but when he came down with the catch, he cracked the patella in his left kneecap. He was forced to miss the Pro Bowl for the first time in 11 years. However, he made a full recovery, coming back to record 82 catches for 1,157 yards and 9 touchdowns in 1998 and being named to his 12th Pro Bowl.

1999 was the first season that Rice failed to reached 1000yds while playing in all 16 games. The same thing happened in 2000 his final as a San Francisco 49er.

Oakland Raiders

At the end of the 2000 season Rice left the 49ers to sign with the Oakland Raiders. He excelled with them in the 2001 season, catching 83 passes for 1,139 yards and 9 touchdowns. In 2002 he did even better, catching 92 passes for 1,211 yards and 7 touchdowns, being named to his 13th Pro Bowl and assisting Oakland to a championship appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII. His team lost the game 48–21, with Rice recording 5 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown. His 48-yard touchdown catch in the 4th quarter made him the first player ever to catch a touchdown pass in 4 different Super Bowls.

Oakland dropped from an 11–5 record in 2002 to a 4–12 record in 2003 and a 5–11 record in 2004.

Seattle Seahawks

Rice was traded to the Seattle Seahawks 4 games into the 2004 season, where he received permission from Hall of Fame wide receiver Steve Largent to wear Largent's retired jersey number 80. Rice would play his last (non-preseason) professional game for Seattle, a playoff loss to the St. Louis Rams in which he did not catch a pass.

Denver Broncos

Rice went to training camp with the Denver Broncos prior to the 2005 season but retired shortly before the season began.

Retirement

On August 19, 2006 the San Francisco 49ers announced that Rice would sign a contract with them, allowing him to retire as a member of the team where his career began. On August 24, he officially retired as a 49er, signing a one-day contract for $1,985,806.49. The number represented the year Rice was drafted (1985), his number (80), the year he retired (2006), and the 49ers (49). The figure was ceremonial, and Rice received no money. There was a halftime ceremony to honor him during the 49ers' matchup with the Seattle Seahawks on November 19, 2006.

Legacy

Rice retired as the leader in a number of statistics. His 1,549 receptions were 447 receptions ahead of the second place record held by Marvin Harrison. His 22,895 receiving yards were 7,961 yards ahead of the second place spot held by his Raiders teammate Tim Brown. His 197 touchdown receptions are 65 scores more than the 132 touchdown receptions by his former 49ers teammate Terrell Owens, and his 208 total touchdowns (197-p, 10-r, 1-ret) were 33 scores ahead of Emmitt Smith's second place 175.

To illustrate the significance of his 22,895 receiving yards, if Rice had not gained any other yards on rush attempts or kick returns, his 22,895 receiving yards would still rank him second place on the NFL's list all-purpose yard leaders (category based on combination of rushing, receiving, kick/punt return yards, and interception/fumble return yards).

Another example of Rice's dominance is his performance against Deion Sanders, considered by many as the best coverage cornerback of all-time. From 1989 to 1996, Rice and Sanders faced off ten times, with Rice compiling 60 receptions for 1,051 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns against Sanders's teams (this would project to approximately 96 receptions for 1682 yards and 18 touchdowns in 16 games). Rice's teams won six of the ten games. To Sanders credit, Deion had 4 interceptions for 58 yards and 0 touchdowns in those ten games. Rice played against Sanders's teams twelve times, but Sanders did not play in two of those games (once in 1992 and once in 1993).^[5][6]

Rice is remembered for his work ethic and dedication to the game. In his 20 NFL seasons, Rice missed only 10 regular season games, 7 of them in the 1997 season, and the other 3 in the strike-shortened season of 1987. His 303 games are by far the most ever played by an NFL wide receiver, and are only 72 games behind the NFL record for games played by any player. In addition to staying on the field, his work ethic showed in his dedication to conditioning and running precise routes, with coach Dennis Green calling him "the best route runner I've ever seen." Also known as one of the best blockers at his position, there was no aspect of playing wide receiver at which Rice did not excel.

In 1999, he was ranked number 2 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, behind only Jim Brown, and Rice — 35 places ahead of the next-highest-ranked player then active, Deion Sanders — would play another five seasons.

NFL Hall of Fame candidacy

In 2010, Rice will be eligible for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Despite a logjam of accomplished receiver candidates such as Andre Reed, Cris Carter and Tim Brown (also first eligible in 2010), Rice is widely expected to be a first ballot Hall of Famer.^{[citation needed]} Following the 2009 ceremony during NFL Total Access' post enshrinement coverage, Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin and one of Rice's former coaches Steve Mariucci both proclaimed Rice will be enshrined in 2010 in a matter of fact manner rather than speculation.^{[citation needed]}

Media work

Rice and quarterback Steve Young appeared together in Visa, All Sport, and Gatorade commercials when they were both playing for the 49ers.

During the 2005–2006 broadcasting season, Rice competed in the reality show Dancing with the Stars. He was paired with dancer Anna Trebunskaya, and they reached the final two before finally losing to singer Drew Lachey and his partner Cheryl Burke. Rice also appeared in a season two episode of FOX's Don't Forget the Lyrics! as a backup dancer. He appeared in the first episode of Spike TV's Pros vs Joes challenge show.

In 2007 and 2008, Rice appeared in Zaxby's restaurant television ads. In 2008, Rice and Steve Young appeared on an episode of reality show The Biggest Loser: Families as coaches putting the contestants through football drills. In 2009, Rice portrayed Hal Gore in the film Without a Paddle: Nature's Calling.^[7]

Rice has co-authored two books about his life: Rice (with Michael Silver, published 1996, ISBN 0312147953) and Go Long: My Journey Beyond the Game and the Fame (with Brian Curtis, published 2007, ISBN 0345496116). He co-hosts Sports Sunday, a prime time sports show shown in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Personal

Rice signing autographs in 2006.

Rice has a nephew, Darius Rice, who played basketball for the University of Miami. A second cousin of Rice's JaRon Harris plays for the Green Bay Packers.

Jerry Rice has a son, Jerry Rice Jr., who is a senior in high school at Menlo School in Atherton, California, graduating in 2009 - he is planning to attend UCLA in the fall and walk on to the football team. ^[8]

NFL records

Main article: List of NFL records held by Jerry Rice

References

1. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=sando_mike&id=3309223
2. ^ http://www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/receiving
3. ^ [1]
4. ^ White, David (2009-04-21), History points to speed over TDs, San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/21/SPRC174DBP.DTL, retrieved 2009-04-26 
5. ^ http://www.nfl.com/players/jerryrice/gamelogs?id=RIC128880
6. ^ http://www.nfl.com/players/deionsanders/gamelogs?id=SAN282736
7. ^ [2]
8. ^ Menlo's Jerry Rice Jr. commits to UCLA

External links

• Jerry Rice at Pro-Football-Reference.com
• JerryRiceFootball.com Official Page Includes News, Stats, Merchandise and Autographed memorabilia
• Statistics from NFL.com
• ESPN Classic: 49ers era was Rice era
• Jerry Rice Biography from 49ers Paradise
• Jerry Rice at the Internet Movie Database
• Sunday Times article 18 October, 2009

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Doug Williams	NFL Super Bowl MVPs Super Bowl XXIII, 1989	Succeeded by Joe Montana

v • d • e 1985 NFL Draft First Round Selections Bruce Smith · Bill Fralic · Ray Childress · Chris Doleman · Duane Bickett · Lomas Brown · Ken Ruettgers · Ron Holmes · Kevin Allen · Al Toon · Richard Johnson · Jim Lachey · Eddie Brown · Derrick Burroughs · Ethan Horton · Jerry Rice · Kevin Brooks · Freddie Joe Nunn · George Adams · Darryl Sims · Jerry Gray · William Perry · Jessie Hester · Alvin Toles · Emanuel King · Steve Sewell · Lorenzo Hampton · Trevor Matich Draft Years 70  • 71  • 72  • 73  • 74  • 75  • 76  • 77  • 78  • 79  • 80  • 81  • 82  • 83  • 84  • 85  • 86  • 87  • 88  • 89  • 90  • 91  • 92  • 93  • 94  • 95  • 96  • 97  • 98  • 99  • 00  • 01  • 02  • 03  • 04  • 05  • 06  • 07  • 08  • 09

v • d • e San Francisco 49ers first-round draft picks Nomellini • Tittle • McElhenny • Babcock • Stolhandske • Faloney • Moegle • Morrall • Brodie • Pace • Krueger • Baker • James • Stickles • Johnson • Casey • Kilmer • Alworth • Alexander • Parks • Willard • Donnelly • Hindman • Spurrier • Banaszek • Blue • Kwalick • G. Washington • Hardman • Taylor • Anderson • Beasley • Holmes • Jackson • Sandifer • Webb • MacAfee • Bunz • Cooper • Stuckey • Lott • Shell • Rice • Barton • Flagler • DeLong • D. Carter • T. Washington • Hall • Stubblefield • Kelly • Young • Floyd • Stokes • Druckenmiller • McQuarters • McGrew • Peterson • Plummer • A. Carter • Rumph • Harris • Woods • Smith • Davis • Lawson • Willis • Staley • Balmer • Crabtree

v • d • e San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XXIII Champions 6 Mike Cofer | 8 Steve Young | 9 Barry Helton | 16 Joe Montana | 20 Tory Nixon | 21 Eric Wright | 22 Tim McKyer | 24 Harry Sydney | 26 Darryl Pollard | 29 Don Griffin | 32 Terrence Flagler | 33 Roger Craig | 35 Del Rodgers | 38 Greg Cox | 42 Ronnie Lott | 44 Tom Rathman | 46 Tom Holmoe | 49 Jeff Fuller | 50 Riki Ellison | 51 Randy Cross | 53 Bill Romanowski | 54 Ron Hadley | 55 Jim Fahnhorst | 57 Sam Kennedy | 58 Keena Turner | 60 Chuck Thomas | 61 Jesse Sapolu | 62 Guy McIntyre | 67 Pete Kugler | 69 Bruce Collie | 74 Steve Wallace | 75 Kevin Fagan | 77 Bubba Paris | 78 Pierce Holt | 79 Harris Barton | 80 Jerry Rice (MVP) | 82 John Taylor | 83 Terry Greer | 84 Brent Jones | 85 Mike Wilson | 86 John Frank | 89 Ron Heller | 91 Larry Roberts | 94 Charles Haley | 95 Michael Carter | 96 Danny Stubbs | 99 Michael Walter Head Coach: Bill Walsh Coaches: Dennis Green | Tommy Hart | Mike Holmgren | Sherman Lewis | Bobb McKittrick | Bill McPherson | Ray Rhodes | George Seifert | Lynn Stiles | Fred von Appen

v • d • e San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XXIV Champions 6 Mike Cofer | 8 Steve Young | 9 Barry Helton | 13 Steve Bono | 16 Joe Montana (MVP) | 21 Eric Wright | 22 Tim McKyer | 23 Spencer Tillman | 26 Darryl Pollard | 29 Don Griffin | 30 Keith Henderson | 31 Chet Brooks | 32 Terrence Flagler | 33 Roger Craig | 40 Johnnie Jackson | 42 Ronnie Lott | 44 Tom Rathman | 53 Bill Romanowski | 54 Matt Millen | 56 Steve Hendrickson | 58 Keena Turner | 59 Keith DeLong | 60 Chuck Thomas | 61 Jesse Sapolu | 62 Guy McIntyre | 64 Jim Burt | 66 Terry Tausch | 67 Pete Kugler | 69 Bruce Collie | 74 Steve Wallace | 75 Kevin Fagan | 77 Bubba Paris | 78 Pierce Holt | 79 Harris Barton | 80 Jerry Rice | 81 Jamie Williams | 82 John Taylor | 84 Brent Jones | 85 Mike Wilson | 88 Mike Sherrard | 89 Wesley Walls | 91 Larry Roberts | 94 Charles Haley | 95 Michael Carter | 96 Danny Stubbs | 98 Antonio Goss | 99 Michael Walter Head Coach: George Seifert Coaches: Tommy Hart | Mike Holmgren | Al Lavan | Sherman Lewis | John Marshall | Bobb McKittrick | Bill McPherson | Ray Rhodes | Lynn Stiles | Bob Zeman

v • d • e San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XXIX Champions 4 Doug Brien | 8 Steve Young(MVP) | 10 Klaus Wilmsmeyer | 14 Bill Musgrave | 18 Elvis Grbac | 20 Derek Loville | 21 Deion Sanders | 22 Tyronne Drakeford | 25 Eric Davis | 27 Adam Walker | 28 Dana Hall | 32 Ricky Watters | 33 Dedrick Dodge | 35 Dexter Carter | 36 Merton Hanks | 40 William Floyd | 41 Toi Cook | 43 Marc Logan | 46 Tim McDonald | 50 Gary Plummer | 51 Ken Norton | 53 Anthony Peterson | 54 Lee Woodall | 55 Kevin Mitchell | 57 Rickey Jackson | 58 Todd Kelly | 61 Jesse Sapolu | 63 Derrick Deese | 64 Ralph Tamm | 65 Harry Boatswain | 66 Bart Oates | 67 Chris Dalman | 69 Rod Milstead | 71 Charles Mann | 72 Mark Thomas | 74 Steve Wallace | 75 Frank Pollack | 79 Harris Barton | 80 Jerry Rice | 81 Ed McCaffrey | 82 John Taylor | 84 Brent Jones | 85 Ted Popson | 86 Brett Carolan | 88 Nate Singleton | 91 Rhett Hall | 92 Troy Wilson | 94 Dana Stubblefield | 95 Richard Dent | 96 Dennis Brown | 97 Bryant Young | 98 Antonio Goss | 99 Tim Harris Head Coach: George Seifert Coaches: Dwaine Board | Neal Dahlen | Tom Holmoe | Carl Jackson | Larry Kirksey | Gary Kubiak | Alan Lowry | John Marshall | Bobb McKittrick | Bill McPherson | Brian Pariani | Ray Rhodes | Mike Shanahan | Mike Solari

v • d • e Super Bowl MVP Award I: Starr | II: Starr | III: Namath | IV: Dawson | V: Howley | VI: Staubach | VII: Scott | VIII: Csonka | IX: Harris | X: Swann | XI: Biletnikoff | XII : Martin & White | XIII: Bradshaw | XIV: Bradshaw | XV: Plunkett | XVI: Montana | XVII: Riggins | XVIII: Allen | XIX: Montana | XX: Dent | XXI: Simms | XXII: Williams | XXIII: Rice | XXIV: Montana | XXV: Anderson | XXVI: Rypien | XXVII: Aikman | XXVIII: Smith | XXIX: Young | XXX: Brown | XXXI: Howard | XXXII: Davis | XXXIII: Elway | XXXIV: Warner | XXXV: Lewis | XXXVI: Brady | XXXVII: Jackson | XXXVIII: Brady | XXXIX: Branch | XL: Ward | XLI: P. Manning | XLII: E. Manning | XLIII: Holmes

v • d • e National Football League | NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team Sammy Baugh | Otto Graham | Joe Montana | Johnny Unitas | Jim Brown | Marion Motley | Bronko Nagurski | Walter Payton | Gale Sayers | O.J. Simpson | Steve Van Buren | Lance Alworth | Raymond Berry | Don Hutson | Jerry Rice | Mike Ditka | Kellen Winslow | Roosevelt Brown | Forrest Gregg | Anthony Muñoz | John Hannah | Jim Parker | Gene Upshaw | Mel Hein | Mike Webster | Deacon Jones | Gino Marchetti | Reggie White | Joe Greene | Bob Lilly | Merlin Olsen | Dick Butkus | Jack Ham | Ted Hendricks | Jack Lambert | Willie Lanier | Ray Nitschke | Lawrence Taylor | Mel Blount | Mike Haynes | Dick Lane | Rod Woodson | Ken Houston | Ronnie Lott | Larry Wilson | Ray Guy | Jan Stenerud | Billy Johnson

v • d • e National Football League | NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team Brett Favre | John Elway | Barry Sanders | Emmitt Smith | Terrell Davis | Thurman Thomas | Cris Carter | Jerry Rice | Tim Brown | Michael Irvin | Shannon Sharpe | Ben Coates | Willie Roaf | Gary Zimmerman | Tony Boselli | Richmond Webb | Bruce Matthews | Randall McDaniel | Larry Allen | Steve Wisniewski | Dermontti Dawson | Mark Stepnoski | Bruce Smith | Reggie White | Chris Doleman | Neil Smith | Cortez Kennedy | John Randle | Warren Sapp | Bryant Young | Kevin Greene | Junior Seau | Derrick Thomas | Cornelius Bennett | Hardy Nickerson | Levon Kirkland | Deion Sanders | Rod Woodson | Darrell Green | Aeneas Williams | Steve Atwater | LeRoy Butler | Carnell Lake | Ronnie Lott | Darren Bennett | Sean Landeta | Morten Andersen | Gary Anderson | Mel Gray | Michael Bates | Bill Parcells | Marv Levy

v • d • e National Football League | NFL's 1980s All-Decade Team Joe Montana | Dan Fouts | Walter Payton | Eric Dickerson | Roger Craig | John Riggins | Jerry Rice | Steve Largent | James Lofton | Art Monk | Kellen Winslow | Ozzie Newsome | Anthony Muñoz | Jim Covert | Gary Zimmerman | Joe Jacoby | John Hannah | Russ Grimm | Bill Fralic | Mike Munchak | Dwight Stephenson | Mike Webster | Reggie White | Howie Long | Lee Roy Selmon | Bruce Smith | Randy White | Dan Hampton | Keith Millard | Dave Butz | Mike Singletary | Lawrence Taylor | Ted Hendricks | Jack Lambert | Andre Tippett | John Anderson | Carl Banks | Mike Haynes | Mel Blount | Frank Minnifield | Lester Hayes | Ronnie Lott | Kenny Easley | Deron Cherry | Joey Browner | Nolan Cromwell | Sean Landeta | Reggie Roby | Morten Andersen | Gary Anderson | Eddie Murray | Billy Johnson | John Taylor | Mike Nelms | Rick Upchurch | Bill Walsh | Chuck Noll

v • d • e NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award from the Associated Press 1972: Brown • 1973: Simpson • 1974: Stabler • 1975: Tarkenton • 1976: Jones • 1977: Payton • 1978: Campbell • 1979: Campbell (x2) • 1980: Campbell (x3) • 1981: Anderson • 1982: Fouts • 1983: Theismann • 1984: Marino • 1985: Allen • 1986: Dickerson • 1987: Rice • 1988: Craig • 1989: Montana • 1990: Moon • 1991: Thomas • 1992: Young • 1993: Rice (x2) • 1994: Sanders • 1995: Favre • 1996: Davis • 1997: Sanders (x2) • 1998: Davis (x2) • 1999: Faulk • 2000: Faulk (x2) • 2001: Faulk (x3) • 2002: Holmes • 2003: Lewis • 2004: Manning • 2005: Alexander • 2006: Tomlinson • 2007: Brady • 2008: Brees

v • d • e Bert Bell Award 1959: Unitas | 1960: Van Brocklin | 1961: Hornung | 1962: Robustelli | 1963: J. Brown | 1964: Unitas | 1965: Retzlaff | 1966: Meredith | 1967: Unitas | 1968: Kelly | 1969: Gabriel | 1970: Blanda | 1971: Staubach | 1972: L. Brown | 1973: Simpson | 1974: Olsen | 1975: Tarkenton | 1976: Stabler | 1977: Griese | 1978: Bradshaw | 1979: Campbell | 1980: Jaworski | 1981: Anderson | 1982: Theismann | 1983: Riggins | 1984: Marino | 1985: Payton | 1986: Taylor | 1987: Rice | 1988: Cunningham | 1989: Montana | 1990: Cunningham | 1991: Sanders | 1992: Young | 1993: Smith | 1994: Young | 1995: Favre | 1996: Favre | 1997: Sanders | 1998: Cunningham | 1999: Warner | 2000: Gannon | 2001: Faulk | 2002: Gannon | 2003: Manning | 2004: Manning | 2005: Alexander | 2006: Tomlinson | 2007: Brady | 2008: Peterson

v • d • e 2003 Pro Bowl AFC Starters Offense: QB Rich Gannon | RB Priest Holmes | FB Lorenzo Neal | WR Marvin Harrison | WR Jerry Rice | TE Tony Gonzalez OT Jonathan Ogden | OT Willie Roaf | G Alan Faneca | G Will Shields | C Kevin Mawae Defense: DE Trevor Pryce | DE Jason Taylor | DT Richard Seymour | DT Gary Walker OLB Joey Porter | OLB Junior Seau | ILB Zach Thomas CB Aaron Glenn | CB Patrick Surtain | FS Rod Woodson | SS Lawyer Milloy Special Teams P Chris Hanson | PK Adam Vinatieri | KR Dante Hall | ST Larry Izzo

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