Jerry Rice biography
Jerry Rice, in full Jerry Lee Rice, (born October 13, 1962, Starkville, Mississippi, U.S.), American skilled gridiron soccer participant whom many take into account the best broad receiver within the historical past of the National Football League (NFL). Playing primarily for the San Francisco 49ers, he set a bunch of NFL information, together with these for profession touchdowns (208), receptions (1,549), and reception yardage (22,895).
The son of a brick mason, Rice was celebrated for having developed sturdy, dependable palms by catching bricks that his brothers threw to him whereas working for his or her father. He attended Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena on a soccer scholarship. There he earned All-America honours and set 18 information in Division I-AA of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, together with most catches in a single recreation (24).
Rice was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers within the first spherical of the 1985 NFL draft. He initially struggled to carry on to the ball as he targeting the intricate move patterns of the San Francisco offense, however in his second season he caught 86 passes and led the league in reception yardage (1,570) and landing receptions (15). Rice thrived in San Francisco head coach Bill Walsh’s “West Coast” offense, which relied on a lot of quick, fast passes by the quarterback and exact route operating by the receivers. He set a single-season document for landing receptions (22) in 1987, regardless that a gamers’ strike restricted the season to 12 video games, and was named NFL Player of the Year. Standing 6 ft 2 inches (1.9 metres) tall, Rice was bigger than the standard NFL broad receiver, and he used his dimension and power to overmatch defenders. He was additionally an distinctive runner after making a catch.
Rice performed on three Super Bowl championship groups with the 49ers (1988, 1989, and 1994 seasons), and he, together with quarterback Joe Montana and defensive again Ronnie Lott, grew to become nearly synonymous with the group. He was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXIII (1988 season), and he set quite a few Super Bowl information. Rice was named to the annual Pro Bowl from 1986 by way of 1998. In a controversial transfer to develop youthful gamers, the 49ers traded Rice to the Oakland Raiders earlier than the 2001 season. The following season he grew to become the primary participant to register greater than 200 profession touchdowns as he helped the Raiders attain Super Bowl XXXVII, the place they had been defeated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2003 he made his thirteenth Pro Bowl look. Midway by way of the 2004 season, Rice was traded to the Seattle Seahawks, however he was launched by the group on the finish of the season. After an unsuccessful try and turn into a beginning receiver for the Denver Broncos the next yr, he signed a ceremonial one-day contract with San Francisco and retired as a 49er. Rice was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.