Small, historically black colleges like Mississippi Valley State University are underrepresented when it comes to professional athletes and finding such players is the scout’s equivalent to finding a needle in a haystack.
A long time ago, there was a Delta Devils wide receiver named Jerry Rice that caught the attention of many NFL scouts with his phenomenal catches and blazing speed. He would later do the same thing for the San Francisco 49ers and go on to have a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Born in Starkville, Mississippi on Oct. 13, 1962, Jerry was the son of a brick mason. Jerry often worked with his father when he was young,
something he said in his induction speech was a hard job to do.
In his autobiography, Rice said when he was in high school, he and a friend cut class and were caught by the principal. Seeing Rice’s speed, the principal put him on the football team. He played in high school, but did not get any interest from any NCAA Division I schools. But Mississippi Valley State coach Archie Cooley was pursuing Jerry in person, so Rice went to play for the Delta Devils.
During his four years at MVSU, he teamed up with quarterback Willie Totten, and the tandem was given the nickname “Satellite Express.” In Rice’s senior season, the Delta Devils won a school-record nine games and won over powerhouses like Jackson State, Grambling and Southern. Rice was the first-ever player from MVSU to be drafted in the first round. He still holds school records such as career and season touchdowns and catches.
In 1985, after his senior year at MVSU, Rice was drafted in the first round by the defending champion San Francisco 49ers. In his rookie season,
he played in all 16 games and caught 49 passes for 927 yards and three touchdowns.
The next season saw him catch 86 passes for 1,570 yards and 15 touchdowns. It was the first of 14 seasons in which he had more than a thousand receiving yards, still an NFL record. 1987 was another record-setting year for Rice, as he caught 68 passes for 1078 yards and an NFL single-season record 22 touchdowns. All of this earned him the 1987 MVP.
Super Bowl XXIII was Rice’s first trip to a Super Bowl, and he put on a spectacular performance. He won the Super Bowl MVP after catching 11 passes for a Super Bowl record 215 yards and a touchdown.
The Super Bowl XXIV victory was the last one for potential hall of fame quarterback Joe Montana. In 1992, San Francisco had a quarterback controversy between Montana and Steve Young that reached its climax when Montana was traded to Kansas City in the offseason.
The 1994 season was a different one for Rice and the 49ers. San Francisco got as far as the NFC Championship Game before losing to the Dallas Cowboys in the previous season. With the acquiring of free-agent cornerback Deion Sanders, the 49ers won Super Bowl XXIX 49-26 over San Diego. It was also the last time Rice would win a Super Bowl.
Rice was only able to play two games in 1997. He suffered a knee injury in the opening game versus Oakland, breaking his consecutive games played mark at 189 and consecutive seasons with over a thousand receiving yards.
He returned later that season, only to injure his knee again. 2000 was Rice’s last season with the San Francisco 49ers, and he signed with Oakland in the offseason.
With Rice on the roster, Oakland lost the Super Bowl 48-21 in 2002. Rice had five receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown. Rice played two more seasons with Oakland.
In the middle of the 2004 season, Rice packed his bags for Seattle after Oakland traded him to the Seahawks. He did not play in Seattle’s wild card loss to St. Louis. During the 2005 preseason, Rice signed with Denver, but announced his retirement. He then signed a one-day contract with San Francisco and retired for good.
Rice was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 along with 49er teammate Rickey Jackson. Other notable inductees included Dick LeBeau, Floyd Little and John Randle.
“I was always running, even before I played sports. I ran everywhere and I didn’t know why,” Rice said during his induction speech. “But I guess I was preparing myself for something, destined for something, but I didn’t know what.”
