Athletes - Jerry Rice

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	Athletes - Jerry Rice

Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962 in Starkville, Mississippi) is a former football wide receiver in the NFL. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver in NFL history. Rice was selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times (1986-1996, 1998, 2002) in his 20 NFL seasons. He won three Super Bowl rings as a member of the San Francisco 49ers. He has also played for the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks.

Early life

Jerry Rice grew up in Crawford, Mississippi, the son of a brick mason. He developed his hands while working for his father by catching bricks that his brothers threw at him. Rice later recalled that working for his father also taught him "the meaning of hard work." His speed also helped him excel in football in high school.

Rice attended Mississippi Valley State University, becoming a standout on the football team. He acquired the nickname World, because there wasn't a ball in the world he couldn't catch. In college, he had a total of 51 touchdown catches and averaged 10 catches per game in 1984, when Mississippi Valley State averaged over 59 points per game. That season he was named an AP All-American and finished 9th in Heisman Trophy balloting. The school later named its football stadium Rice-Totten Stadium in honor of Rice and quarterback Willie Totten who threw Rice his many touchdown passes at Mississippi Valley State.

Professional career

Rice took the NFL by storm in his rookie season for the 49ers in 1985, recording 49 catches for 927 yards, an 18.9 yards per catch average. The following season, he caught 86 passes for a league leading 1,570 yards and 15 touchdowns. It was the first of 6 seasons Rice would lead the NFL in receiving and touchdown receptions. In 1987 he only played in 12 games because of the NFL players strike, but he still managed to gain 1,078 in receiving yards and an NFL record 22 touchdown receptions.

Then in 1988, Rice had one of the best seasons of his career. He caught 64 passes for 1,306 yards and 9 touchdowns, assisting his team to a 10-6 record. Then 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. Rice caught 11 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 5 yards, assisting 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 second wide receiver ever to earn Super Bowl MVP honors.

In 1989, San Francisco made it back to the Super Bowl, aided by Rice's 82 receptions for 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). San Fransisco finished the year with a 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.

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. Although he only caught 6 passes in San Fransisco'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.

In 1995, Rice caught a career high 122 passes for an NFL record 1,848 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. 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 for 1,254 yards and 8 touchdowns. San Fransisco made it to the NFC title game, but once again lost to the Packers. 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. 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 touchowns in 1998.

After 2 more seasons with the 49ers, Rice left the team to sign with the 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, assisting Oakland to a championship appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII. His team lost the game 48-24, but he had a good performance in it, recording 5 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown. His 48-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter made him the first player ever to catch a touchdown pass in 4 different Super Bowls.

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Athletes - Jerry Rice

Early life

Professional career

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