Rice scores once more with Hall enshrinement

By Mark Passaro

Trying to get inside the head of Jerry Rice during his 21-year pro career was a fruitless exercise. It wasn’t until after the NFL’s career receiving and touchdowns leader was officially acknowledged as one of the game’s all-time great pass catchers -- if not the greatest -- that he finally let his emotions take over.

Rice broke down when told in early February that he had been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a palpable feeling of relief for a man who never took anything for granted as a player. He was always striving to be the best, even when he was the best. “I am just honored,” he said after hearing the news, “to stand up there with greatness.”

On Saturday, Aug. 7, Rice will stand at the head of the 2010 induction class that also includes running backs Emmitt Smith and Floyd Little, guard Russ Grimm, linebacker Rickey Jackson, defensive tackle John Randle, and cornerback Dick LeBeau at the traditional Canton, Ohio, enshrinement ceremony, airing live on ESPN. And when it’s Rice’s turn to make his speech -- he will be presented by former San Francisco 49ers owner Ed DeBartolo Jr. -- there will be plenty of great moments to talk about. He won three Super Bowls with the 49ers and was named MVP in Super Bowl XXIII, and he holds records in nearly every statistical category for wide receivers, including yards (22,895), receptions (1,549) and touchdowns (197).

“I knew what I could do,” Rice said early in his career, “and I knew nobody could stop me if I just played my game.”

Name: Jerry Lee Rice

Birth Date: Starkville, Miss. Oct. 13, 1962

Drafting a legend:
After a record-setting career at Mississippi Valley State, Rice still entered the 1985 NFL draft as a bit of an unknown. Not to 49ers head coach Bill Walsh, who traded the team’s first three picks to New England for the 16th pick in the first round, where he chose the soon-to-be revolutionary Rice. Said Walsh at the time: “He has super instincts and is just a natural football player.”

Career: Played 16 seasons with the 49ers, four with Oakland and one with Seattle.

Honors: In 1999, ranked No. 2 on The Sporting News’ list of 100 greatest football players, behind Jim Brown.

Personal: Contestant on “Dancing With the Stars,” where he finished second ... an avid golfer, Rice competed for the first time as a pro in a Nationwide Tour event earlier this year.