Jerry Rice Jerry Lee Rice ( born October 13 , 1962 ) is a former American football wide receiver who played twenty seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) . He is widely considered to be the greatest wide receiver in NFL history and among the greatest NFL players at any position . On November 4 , 2010 , Rice was chosen by NFL Network ' s NFL Films production " " as the greatest player in NFL history . He is the all - time leader in most major statistical categories for wide receivers and the all - time NFL leader in reception s , touchdown receptions , and yards . Rice was selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times ( 1986 – 1996 , 1998 , 2002 ) and named All - Pro 12 times in his 20 NFL seasons . He won three Super Bowl ring s playing for the San Francisco 49ers and an AFC Championship with the Oakland Raiders . Early years . Jerry Rice was born and raised in Crawford , Mississippi , as the son of a brick mason . He developed his hands while working for his father . His speed also helped him excel in football in high school . He enjoyed watching football on television . According to his book " Rice " ( written with Michael Silver ) , the school ' s principal tracked him down for skipping class , but when he called his name the startled Rice sprinted off running , after seeing him run , the principal decided to let him join the football team or be punished . Jerry decided upon football and the principal told the school ' s football coach about his speed . The truthfulness of this story has been questioned . College career . Jerry Rice attended Mississippi Valley State University from 1980 – 1984 . He became a standout receiver and acquired the nickname " World " , because there wasn ' t a ball in the world he couldn ' t catch . Statistics from his college career are sparse , but the College Football Hall of Fame website claims that Rice , as a sophomore in 1982 , caught 66 passes for 1 , 133 yards and 7 touchdowns . That was his first season playing with redshirt freshman quarterback Willie Totten , nicknamed " Satellite " . Together , Totten and Rice would become known as " The Satellite Express " and set numerous NCAA records in the spread offense of coach Archie Cooley , nicknamed " The Gunslinger . " Rice had a record - setting 1983 campaign , including NCAA marks for receptions ( 102 ) and receiving yards ( 1 , 450 ) and being named first - team Division I - AA All - America . He also set a single - game NCAA record by catching 24 passes against Southern University . As a senior in 1984 , he broke his own Division I - AA records for receptions ( 112 ) and receiving yards ( 1 , 845 ) . His 27 touchdown receptions in that 1984 season set the NCAA mark for all divisions . The 1984 season was also memorable for MVSU as the pass - happy Delta Devils attracted national attention , scoring 628 points ( an average of more than 59 per game ) . After an August practice experiment , Cooley had Totten call all the plays at the line of scrimmage without a huddle . The result was even more staggering offensive numbers . Rice caught 17 passes for 199 yards against Southern , 17 for 294 against Kentucky State and 15 for 285 against Jackson State , the first time MVSU beat them since 1954 . Rice scored 5 TDs twice that year . He finished his career with 301 catches for 4 , 693 yards and 50 touchdowns ( some sources have the numbers as 310 , 4 , 856 and 51 ) ; his NCAA record for total career touchdown receptions stood until 2006 , when University of New Hampshire wide receiver David Ball recorded his 51st career receiving touchdown . Rice was named to every All - American team ( including the AP squad ) and finished 9th in Heisman Trophy balloting in 1984 . In the Blue Gray Classic all - star game played on Christmas Day , he earned MVP honors . Rice wore No . 88 in college , but he switched to No . 80 in the pros . In the spring of 1999 , the school renamed its football stadium from Magnolia Stadium to Rice - Totten Stadium in honor of Rice and Totten . Rice was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on August 12 , 2006 . Professional career . San Francisco 49ers . Rice ' s 1984 record - breaking season at Mississippi Valley caught the attention of many NFL scouts , but his speed ( reportedly only 4 . 71 in the 40 - yard dash ) kept most wary , although there were apparently at least two exceptions : the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers . In his autobiography , Rice says the Cowboys , Green Bay Packers , San Diego Chargers , and Indianapolis Colts had kept in contact with him prior to the draft . In the first round of the 1985 NFL draft , Dallas had the 17th selection and San Francisco had the last ( as Super Bowl champions from 1984 ) . 49ers coach Bill Walsh reportedly sought Rice after watching highlights of Rice the Saturday night before San Francisco was to play the Houston Oilers on October 21 , 1984 . On draft day ( April 30 , 1985 ) , the 49ers traded its first two picks for New England ' s first - round choice , the 16th selection overall ( the teams also swapped third - round picks as part of the deal ) , and selected Rice before , as some report , the Cowboys were intending to pick him . Rice was prized more highly by the USFL , as he was the # 1 pick overall in that short - lived league ' s 1985 draft . Although he struggled at times ( dropping numerous passes ) , Rice impressed the NFL in his rookie season for the 49ers in 1985 , especially after a 10 - catch , 241 - yard game against the Los Angeles Rams in December . For that rookie season , he recorded 49 catches for 927 yards , averaging 18 . 9 yards per catch and was named NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year . ( Eddie Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals , one of the two wide receivers taken ahead of Rice , was named the NFL Rookie of the Year . ) The following season , he caught 86 passes for a league - leading 1 , 570 yards and 15 touchdowns . It was the first of six seasons in which Rice would lead the NFL in receiving yards and touchdown receptions . In 1987 , he was named the NFL ' s MVP by the Newspaper Enterprise Association ( NEA ) and the Pro Football Writers Association ( PFWA ) and the Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press ( AP ) . Despite playing in only 12 games that year ( NFL players strike ) , he still managed to gain 1 , 078 receiving yards and an NFL - record 22 touchdown receptions which stood until 2007 when it was broken by Randy Moss ( with Moss catching 23 touchdowns in 16 games ) . In 1987 , the runner - up to Rice in touchdown receptions was Philadelphia Eagles receiver Mike Quick with 11 . This marked the first time in post NFL - AFL merger history that a category leader doubled the total of his nearest competitor . In 1988 , Rice averaged a career high 20 . 4 yards per catch ( 64 passes for 1 , 306 yards ) and 9 touchdowns . The 49ers once again won the NFC West with a 10 – 6 record . 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 . In possibly his finest performance ever , Rice caught 11 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown , while also rushing for 5 yards , helping 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 third wide receiver to earn Super Bowl MVP honors . In 1989 , San Francisco made it back to the Super Bowl , aided by Rice ' s 82 receptions 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 ) . In a week 6 match - up with the Atlanta Falcons , Rice caught a career - best 5 touchdowns . San Francisco finished the year with an 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 . After seasons of 80 catches for 1 , 206 yards and 14 touchdowns in 1991 , 84 catches for 1 , 201 yards and 10 touchdowns in 1992 , and 98 catches for 1 , 503 yards and 15 touchdowns in 1993 , 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 . During the 49ers ' first game of that season against the Los Angeles Raiders , he caught 7 passes for a season - high 169 yards and two touchdowns ( and rushed for one more ) , moving into first place in the NFL records for career touchdowns , with 127 . Although he only caught 6 passes in San Francisco ' 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 — despite playing with a separated shoulder for much of the game . In 1995 , Rice caught a career high 122 passes for a then - NFL record 1 , 848 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns ( along with 1 touchdown each by way of running , passing , and recovering a fumble ) . 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 ( again leading the NFL ) for 1 , 254 yards and 8 touchdowns . San Francisco won in the wild card round , but once more lost to the Packers in the divisional playoffs . 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 49ers ' opening game of the 1997 season , he tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee on a reverse . Warren Sapp of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers grabbed Rice by the face - mask and wrenched him to the ground with it , drawing a 15 - yard personal foul . 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 touchdowns in 1998 and being named to his 12th Pro Bowl . 1999 was the first season that Rice failed to reach 1000 yards receiving while playing in all 16 games . The same thing happened in 2000 , in his final season in San Francisco . Oakland Raiders . With the emergence of Terrell Owens in San Francisco , and because of their desire to rebuild the team and clear salary , Rice left the 49ers and signed with the Oakland Raiders , following the conclusion of the 2000 season . He joined a Raiders team coming off a loss in the AFC playoffs , to form one of the oldest receiver duos with Tim Brown . The two played well together , as Rice caught 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 , being named to his 13th Pro Bowl and assisting Oakland to an AFC championship and appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII . His team lost 48 – 21 to the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl , with Rice recording 5 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown . His 48 - yard touchdown catch in the 4th quarter made him the first player ever to catch a touchdown pass in 4 different Super Bowls . On November 11 , 2002 against the Denver Broncos , Rice scored his 200th career touchdown , and surpassed Walter Payton to become the NFL ' s all - time leader in total yardage . Oakland dropped from an 11 – 5 record in 2002 to a 4 – 12 record in 2003 , leading to frustration from Rice about his role on the team ; he eventually requested a trade . Seattle Seahawks . Rice was traded to the Seattle Seahawks six games into the 2004 season , and was reunited with Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren , who had previously worked with Rice as San Francisco ' s offensive coordinator . After speaking with Hall of Fame wide receiver Steve Largent , Rice was granted permission to wear Largent ' s retired jersey number 80 . In a Monday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys , Rice set the career NFL record for combined net yards by catching a 27 - yard touchdown pass from Matt Hasselbeck . He finished that game with 8 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown . Rice would play his last ( non - preseason ) professional game for Seattle - a to the St . Louis Rams in which he did not catch a pass . Retirement . At the conclusion of the 2004 season ( his 20th in the NFL ) , Rice initially opted to join the Denver Broncos on a one - year deal , but ultimately decided he would rather retire than be at the bottom of any team ' s depth chart . On August 19 , 2006 , the San Francisco 49ers announced that Rice would sign a contract with them , allowing him to retire as a member of the team where his career began . On August 24 , he officially retired as a 49er , signing a one - day contract for $ 1 , 985 , 806 . 49 . The number represented the year Rice was drafted ( 1985 ) , his number ( 80 ) , the year he retired ( 2006 ) , and the 49ers ( 49 ) . The figure was ceremonial , and Rice received no money . There was a halftime ceremony to honor him during the 49ers ' matchup with the Seattle Seahawks on November 19 , 2006 . Over the course of his career , Rice played more games than any non - placekicker or punter in NFL history , playing 303 games overall . Legacy . Jerry Rice is the NFL record holder in a number of statistics for receivers . His 1 , 549 career receptions are 445 receptions ahead of the second place record held by Tony Gonzalez . His 22 , 895 career receiving yards are 6 , 961 yards ahead of the second place spot held by his former 49ers teammate Terrell Owens . His 197 career touchdown receptions are 44 scores more than the second place record of 154 touchdown receptions by Randy Moss , and his 208 total touchdowns ( 197 - rec , 10 - rush , 1 - pass ) are 33 scores ahead of Emmitt Smith ' s second place total of 175 . Furthermore , his 1 , 256 career points scored make him the highest - scoring non - kicker in NFL history . A career spanning two decades , Rice averaged 75 . 6 receiving yards per game that he played , fifth - highest in NFL history among wide receivers . Only Andre Johnson ( 79 . 7 ) , Torry Holt ( 77 . 4 ) , Marvin Harrison ( 76 . 7 ) , and Larry Fitzgerald ( 76 . 0 ) have averaged more receiving yards per game over a career . To illustrate the significance of his 22 , 895 receiving yards , if Rice had not gained any other yards on rush attempts or kick returns , his 22 , 895 receiving yards would still rank him second place on the NFL ' s list all - purpose yard leaders ( category based on combination of rushing , receiving , kick / punt return yards , and interception / fumble return yards ) ( he has collected 23 , 540 all - purpose yards : 22 , 895 receiving , 645 rushing , and 6 from punt returns ) . Another example of Rice ' s dominance is his performance against Deion Sanders , considered by many as one of the best coverage cornerbacks of all - time . From 1989 to 1996 Rice had good numbers against Sanders ' s teams . With Rice completing 60 receptions for 1 , 051 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns against Sanders ' s teams ( this would project to approximately 96 receptions for 1682 yards and 18 touchdowns in 16 games ) . Rice ' s teams won six of the ten games . To Sanders ' s credit , Deion had 4 interceptions for 58 yards and 0 touchdowns in those ten games . And in those early years Sanders was not going one on one with Rice , he was lined up on one side of the field , so he was not always covering Rice . Rice played against Sanders ' s teams twelve times , but Sanders did not play in two of those games ( once in 1992 and once in 1993 ) . Rice is remembered for his work ethic and dedication to the game . In his 20 NFL seasons , Rice missed only 10 regular season games , 7 of them in the 1997 season , and the other 3 in the strike - shortened season of 1987 . His 303 games are by far the most ever played by an NFL wide receiver . In addition to staying on the field , his work ethic showed in his dedication to conditioning and running precise routes , with coach Dennis Green calling him " the best route runner I ' ve ever seen . " One of the best known examples of his dedication and ethics may be " The Hill " , a long and steep hill that is " two and a half miles up " ; Rice would sprint across the hill literally every day to improve his abilities . " The Hill " has served as an inspiraton for many other players in 49ers organization , among them rookie wide receiver A . J . Jenkins , who has begun training with Rice on " The Hill " . Also known as one of the best blockers at his position , there was no aspect of playing wide receiver at which Rice did not excel . In 1999 , he was ranked number 2 on the " Sporting News " list of the 100 Greatest Football Players , behind only Jim Brown , and was 35 places ahead of the next - highest - ranked player then active , Deion Sanders . On November 4 , 2010 , Rice was ranked number 1 on " " , declaring him to be the greatest football player at the highest level of the sport that is the NFL . In 2011 , The Sports Network awarded the inaugural Jerry Rice Award , to be given each year to the most outstanding freshman Football Championship Subdivision ( formerly I - AA ) player . The inaugural winner was Towson running back Terrance West . Pro Football Hall of Fame . Rice was selected for induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2010 in his first year of eligibility . He was inducted in Canton , Ohio on August 7 , 2010 alongside Emmitt Smith , Floyd Little , Russ Grimm , Rickey Jackson , Dick LeBeau , and John Randle . On September 20 , 2010 , during halftime at the 49ers - Saints game , Rice ' s # 80 jersey number was retired . Media work . Rice and quarterback Steve Young appeared together in Visa , All Sport , and Gatorade commercials when they were both playing for the 49ers . During the 2005 – 2006 broadcasting season , Rice competed in the reality show " Dancing with the Stars " . He was paired with dancer Anna Trebunskaya , and they reached the final two before finally losing to singer Drew Lachey and his partner Cheryl Burke . Rice also appeared in a season two episode of FOX ' s " Don ' t Forget the Lyrics ! " as a backup dancer . He appeared in the first episode of Spike ' s " Pros vs . Joes " challenge show . He also made a cameo in the television series " The Game " and " Rules of Engagement " . Rice has also appeared in an episode of the CW ' s " One Tree Hill " . In 2007 and 2008 , Rice appeared in Zaxby ' s restaurant television advertisements . In 2008 , Rice and Steve Young appeared on an episode of reality show " " as coaches putting the contestants through football drills . Rice and Young as well as Deion Sanders have appeared in commercials for Van Heusen clothing company as " Fashion Judges . " In 2009 , Rice portrayed Hal Gore in the film " " . Rice has co - authored two books about his life : " Rice " ( with Michael Silver , published 1996 , ISBN 0 - 312 - 14795 - 3 ) and " Go Long : My Journey Beyond the Game and the Fame " ( with Brian Curtis , published 2007 , ISBN 0 - 345 - 49611 - 6 ) . He co - hosts " Sports Sunday " with NBC sportscaster Raj Mathai , a prime time sports show shown in the San Francisco Bay Area . Rice is a supporter of Chiropractic care and is a spokesperson for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress . Rice and his dog , Nitus , were featured in " Jerry Rice & Nitus ' Dog Football " , a video game for the Wii that was released on August 16 , 2011 . Golf career . Rice competed in the Fresh Express Classic at TPC Stonebrae on the Nationwide Tour on April 15 – 16 , 2010 . He received a sponsor ' s exemption to play in the tournament . Rice missed the cut and finished one shot ahead of last place , finishing 17 - over and 151st among the 152 players who completed two rounds . Rice has played golf for over 20 years and has only participated in pro - amateur events until now . Rice would wake up early to hit the driving range before 49ers practices . Personal . Jerry married Jacqueline Bernice Mitchell on September 8 , 1987 . Jacqueline Rice filed for divorce in June 2007 . The former couple were divorced late December 2009 . They have three children together ; Jaqui Bonet born on June 7 , 1987 , Jerry Rice , Jr . born on July 27th , 1991 and Jada Symone on May 16th , 1996 . Jerry Jr . , who attended high school at Menlo School in Atherton , California , graduating in 2009 . His son currently attends UCLA and plays wide receiver for the Bruins . Jerry became a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc at the Delta Phi chapter while in school at Mississippi Valley State University .