Jerry Rice

Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962 in Starkville, Mississippi) is a former American football wide receiver in the NFL, easily the best receiver to play and arguably the most dominant to step on the field. He captured three Super Bowl rings as a wideout for the San Francisco 49ers, and also played for the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. He made the Denver Broncos roster in the summer of 2005, hanging up his shoes shortly before the 2005 season.

Professional career

Despite attending a NCAA Division 3 school, 49ers headcoach Bill Walsh saw the potential and extreme work ethic, drafting Rice in the first round of the 1985 NFL draft (16th overall), all the while dismissing scouting reports that Rice was too slow to play the pro game. He struggled in his first season with the 49ers as he learned their innovative West Coast system, but by the 1986 season, he caught 86 passes and led the league in receiving yards (1,570) and receiving touchdowns (15). The next season, he set the NFL record for touchdown receptions with 22, a feat made even more astonishing because the season was shortened due to a players' strike. Rice became one of the biggest receiving threats in the NFL, receiving touchdown passes first from Joe Montana and then from Steve Young. Those tandems helped the 49ers win three Super Bowls in Super Bowls XXIII, XXIV and XXIX. Over his 49er career, he averaged a stunning 1,545 receiving yards and 14 1/2 touchdowns a season.

Related Topics:
Bill Walsh - 1985 - 1986 - Joe Montana - Steve Young - Super Bowl - XXIII - XXIV - XXIX

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In 2001, the 49ers released Rice because of salary cap problems and he was quickly picked up by the Oakland Raiders. Rice, even at the age of 39, continued to excel, having his 13th and 14th 1,000-yard receiving seasons and scoring his 200th touchdown in 2002. He and Tim Brown formed a fearsome, if aged, tandem of the two receivers with the most yards in NFL history, and the Raiders reached Rice's fourth Super Bowl in 2003, though losing badly in a blowout to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His 50 yard touchdown reception was the lone bright spot for the Raiders.

Related Topics:
2001 - Salary cap - 2002 - Tim Brown - 2003 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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By 2004, however, Rice's role with the Raiders was diminishing as the team became focused on developing their younger receivers. Rice had only caught five passes for 67 yards for no touchdowns in the first six games with the Raiders, and his streak of consecutive games with a catch had ended on September 19, 2004 against the Bills. He requested a trade to a team that would give him a more significant playing role and on October 18, 2004, Rice was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a conditional seventh-round draft pick. After a season that saw the Seahawks become the first team to lose a playoff game to an 8-8 team, and Rice was without a catch in the game, the Seahawks released Rice at his own request.

Related Topics:
2004 - September 19 - Bills - October 18

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In the offseason 49ers' head coach Mike Nolan offered to bring Rice onto the Niners' roster for one-day, allowing Rice to retire where he spent most of his prodigious career, but was against using Rice on the active roster for the season. On May 25, 2005, Rice agreed to a 1-year, $765,000 deal signing him to the Denver Broncos. However, Rice had a mediocre preseason with the Broncos (perhaps due to a foot injury), and teammate WR Darius Watts won the #3 receiver spot from Rice. Receiver Charlie Adams looked to have the #4 job, so Rice decided on retirement, with his role on the team diminished beyond the #3 role, where he hoped to play. He made his announcement official on September 5, 2005.

Related Topics:
May 25 - 2005 - Denver Broncos - Charlie Adams - September 5

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Rice won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and was Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XXIII. He has also been selected for the Pro Bowl 13 times. Some speculate that Rice's reluctance to retire had to do with the possibility in a few years that Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison, or some other receiver may break his records. Some of his marks, however, are simply out of reach. Rice's work ethic kept him in sustained physical fitness, something unattainable to players with less discipline. His offseason workout regimen is renowned throughout the NFL.

Related Topics:
NFL Most Valuable Player Award - Super Bowl MVP - Pro Bowl - Randy Moss - Terrell Owens - Marvin Harrison

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