RICE, Jerry Lee

(b. October 13, 1962 in Starkville, Mississippi), professional football player who holds the National Football League (NFL) record for most touchdown receptions in consecutive games, he was NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) for 1987 and Super Bowl MVP in 1989.

Rice was one of six sons born to Joe Nathan, a bricklayer, and Eddie B. Rice, a homemaker. He was reared in a rural African-American community in Crawford, Mississippi. The family lived in a large house that his father built at the edge of a pasture, where Rice and his brothers would play sports and chase horses to ride. A strict disciplinarian, Rice's father instilled a strong work ethic in his sons; they had many chores and would sometimes help their father at work by carrying bricks and mixing mortar.

Rice attended Starkville High School, where he would often get into mischief. In fact, his football career got its start as a result of one his pranks. While trying to skip class one day, he was spotted by his vice principal and was ordered to return to the school. Afraid of the punishment he would face, Rice started running with the vice principal chasing after him. He was caught and whipped, but then encouraged to try out for the school's football team. Rice made the team and soon became its most valuable player. His quickness and versatility allowed him to play nearly every position from quarterback to tackle.

Despite Rice's outstanding high school career, few college recruiters were willing to make the trip to Crawford to watch him play. One person who did was Mississippi Valley State University coach Archie Cooley. Cooley was so impressed by Rice's performance that he offered him a football scholarship to the school in Itta Bene, Mississippi, and began devising new strategies that would best utilize Rice's talents as a wide receiver.

After graduating from high school in 1980, Rice made the transition to college easily and became one of the most popular athletes on campus. He caught over 100 passes during his last 2 years and had 28 touchdown receptions his senior year alone. Rice helped put Mississippi Valley State University on the map by leading the Delta Devils with a 24–6–1 record within their conference. His achievements caught the attention of many recruiters, including San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh, who selected him as the sixteenth pick in the first round of the 1985 NFL draft.

Many sports journalists and fans second-guessed Walsh's decision because Rice had not attended a "Big Ten" college. Unfamiliar with the complex offenses found in top-level college and professional competitions, he had great difficulty his rookie year and dropped fifteen passes. However, he worked diligently at learning all the moves and practiced until he could play them without thinking. His dedication paid off and he ended the season with a record-setting 241 receiving yards in one game and was selected to the 1985–1986 National All-Rookie team.

Rice emerged as a premiere player his second season; he scored 15 touchdowns while averaging 18.1 yards per carry. His third season was one of the best in his professional career. He set NFL records for receiving 22 touchdown catches in 13 consecutive games, and led the league in scoring with 138 points. He was named MVP by the Pro Football Writers of America, the Sporting News, Pro Football Weekly, and the Maxwell Club. Yet despite the awards and accolades, Rice felt unaccomplished because he had not yet played on a team that won a Super Bowl.

He got his wish in 1989 when the 49ers faced the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII. Rice played through a sprained ankle to lead his team to a 20–16 victory and was named MVP. His Super Bowl performance catapulted his reputation to new heights and he became one of the NFL's most feared receivers. Two years later after an outstanding season, Rice and the 49ers made it to the Super Bowl again, beating the Denver Broncos 55–10.

The 1992 regular season was memorable for the six-foot, two-inch Rice and for the 49ers. The team had the best record in the NFL with fourteen wins and only two losses. On 6 December 1992 Rice caught a twelve-yard reception during a game against the Miami Dolphins to raise his total number of touchdown catches to 101, an NFL record. By the end of the season, he had become the NFL's all-time leader in touchdown catches with 103. He set another record in 1994 when he opened the season with three touchdowns to bring his total to 127, breaking Jim Brown's record for most career touchdowns. The following year Rice became the NFL's reception leader with a total of 942 catches.

In 1996 Rice faced one of the biggest scares of his life when his wife, Jackie, nearly died after giving birth to the youngest of their three children. After experiencing complications she had to undergo two operations and spent ten days in intensive care. Rice held a vigil at his wife's side and stayed with her the entire time. Later that year, Rice made NFL history after catching the 1,000th pass of his career to make his mark as one of the best receivers ever to play in the NFL.

In June 2001, after sixteen seasons with the 49ers, Rice was released from his contract and offered a bonus of $1 million to retire. He declined the offer and later signed a four-year, $5 million deal with the Oakland Raiders. Rice is one of the oldest receivers in the NFL and competes with athletes half his age. His strong work ethic, discipline, and character have brought him success on the field as well as off the field. He is known for his pleasant demeanor and his willingness to share his time and knowledge of the game with younger players. When he is not trying to get to the end zone, Rice spends time with his family at their homes in California and Crawford, Mississippi. A philanthropist, Rice devotes his time and money to numerous charities, including the United Negro College Fund, March of Dimes, Packard Children's Hospital, and AIDS Research.

Rice is the subject of two full-length biographies detailing his life and career: Glenn Dickey, Sports Great Jerry Rice (1993), and Edward J. Evans, Jerry Rice: Touchdown Talent (1993). Entries on Rice can be found in Current Biography (1990), and African American Sports Greats (1995). Rice has also been featured in Legends in their Own Time (1994), Sports People in the News (1996), and Athletes and Coaches of Winter (2000); as well as in articles in Sports Illustrated (28 Sept. 1987), and Jet (12 Jan. 1998).

Sabine Louissaint