Simeon Rice
| No. 97 New York Sentinels |
| Defensive end |
| Personal information |
| Date of birth: February 24, 1974 (1974-02-24) (age 35) |
| Place of birth: Chicago, Illinois |
| Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Weight: 268 lb (122 kg) |
| Career information |
| College: Illinois |
| NFL Draft: 1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3 |
| Debuted in 1996 for the Arizona Cardinals |
|
| Career history |
As player:
|
| Roster status: Active |
| Career highlights and awards |
|
|
| Career NFL statistics as of 2008 |
| Tackles |
475 |
| Sacks |
122.0 |
| Forced fumbles |
25 |
| Career UFL statistics as of 2009 |
| Tackles |
5.5 |
| Sacks |
1.0 |
| Forced fumbles |
0 |
| Stats at NFL.com |
| Stats at UFL-Football.com |
Simeon James Rice [pronounced /ˈsɪmiən/] (born February 24, 1974 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American football defensive end for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals third overall in the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Illinois.
In his 12-year NFL career, Rice recorded 122 sacks, earned three Pro Bowl selections and earned a Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII. He has also played for the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts.
Early years
He attended Mount Carmel High School on Chicago's south side, the same school as Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and former NBA star Antoine Walker.
College career
| “ |
It's rare that a defensive player can be like a Red Grange or a Gale Sayers, can take on that kind of dimension. But he's the Red Grange of defense. |
” |
|
—former Illinois head coach Lou Tepper.[1]
|
Simeon Rice played outside linebacker at the University of Illinois, where he set the Big Ten Conference record for career sacks with 44.5; the record was previously held by Mark Messner of Michigan with 36. As a junior, he set a school single season sack record with 16 sacks. He was also a two-time All-America pick.
Due to his enormous size (6-5, 253 lb.) for a linebacker, his great speed (4.5 40-yard dash), and his outstanding pass-rushing ability Rice drew comparisons to Lawrence Taylor.[1]
Professional career
Arizona Cardinals
Rice was drafted by the Cardinals with the 3rd overall pick of the 1996 NFL Draft. In his rookie year, he had 12.5 sacks, as the Cardinals made the 1998 playoffs.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rice signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent before the 2001 season and was on the winning Super Bowl team in 2002, edged out of the MVP voting by his teammate Dexter Jackson. He was placed on Injured Reserve midway through the 2006 season with a shoulder ailment. After refusing to take a pay cut, the Buccaneers released him.
Denver Broncos
On September 3, 2007, Rice was signed by the Denver Broncos to a one-year contract.[2] Unhappy with playing time, he asked to be released.
Indianapolis Colts
On November 9, 2007, Rice was placed on waivers and claimed by the Indianapolis Colts three days later, one day after Colt defensive end Dwight Freeney suffered a season-ending Lisfranc fracture of his foot. Rice appeared in just two games with Indianapolis before being released on November 27.[3] He recorded one tackle and one sack with the Colts.
Rice left the NFL as the active leader in sacks with 122 which ranks 12th all-time. Rice was also the second fastest player to achieve 100 career sacks behind Eagles/Packers legend Reggie White.
New York Sentinels
After sitting out the 2008 season, Rice signed with the New York Sentinels of the United Football League on August 27, 2009.[4]
Music career
Rice began a career in the record industry. He started his own Hip-Hop/R&B record label, named "Lucid Dream Entertainment." Yashi, his younger sister, was his first signee. Yashi Rice has released her first single, titled "Serious."
References
- ^ a b Price, S.L. (August 28, 1995). "Top Of The Line". Vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Sports Illustrated. http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1007023/index.htm. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
- ^ Legwold, Jeff; Rasizer, Lee (September 4, 2007). "Broncos sign Simeon Rice". The Rocky Mountain News. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_5689127,00.html. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "United Football League's New York Sentinels add 17 to roster". UFL-Football.com. August 27, 2009. http://www.ufl-football.com/press/2009/08/27/united_football_league_s_new_york_sentinels_add_17_to_roster_tickets_for_october_29th_game_at_giants_stadium_on_sale_on_saturday_august_29th_at_noon.
External links
