Project 99: Jerry Rice Was Greatest, Most Graceful Wearer Of No. 80

No one who ever wore the number 80 did it with as much style and grace than former San Francisco 49er wide receiver Jerry Rice.

In 1999, he was ranked No. 2 on “The Sporting News” list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, behind only Jim Brown.

Early next year, prior to the Super Bowl, Rice will likely be a first-ballot Hall of Fame recipient.

When he retired, his 1,549 receptions lead the NFL, as well as his 22,895 receiving yards and 197 touchdowns were among the tops in the league.

Former NFL coach Dennis Green called him “the best route runner I’ve ever seen.”

Rice won three Super Bowl titles with San Francisco in 1988, 1989, and 1994, and when he caught a touchdown pass in Super Bowl XXXV11 (in a losing effort 48–21 as Tampa Bay beat Oakland), he became the first player to ever catch a touchdown pass in four different Super Bowls.

In his second season, he caught 86 passes and led the league in reception yardage (1,570) and touchdown receptions (15).

Rice thrived in San Francisco head coach Bill Walsh’s “West Coast” offense, which relied on a large number of short, quick passes by the quarterback and precise route running by the receivers.

He set a single-season record for touchdown receptions (22) in 1987, even though a players’ strike limited the season to 12 games, and was named NFL Player of the Year.

Probably his best game against Atlanta was a Week 6 match-up in 1990, where he had five touchdown catches in one game.

He also performed on the big stage. In Super Bowl XXIV, Rice caught seven passes for 148 yards and three touchdown catches. The 49ers beat the Broncos, 55-10.

In a late 1992 game against the Miami Dolphins, Rice ran his most famous pass pattern (slant) and scored a 12-yard touchdown to break the former Seahawks receiver Steve Largent touchdown record. It took Largent 14 seasons to get to 100 touchdown catches, yet Rice only needed seven season.

For much of his career, he was paired with Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana. It was a lofty time for the 49ers with San Francisco winning five Super Bowls in the 1980s and 1990s.

Rice was named to the annual Pro Bowl from 1986 through 1998.

The San Francisco 49ers traded Rice to the Oakland Raiders before the 2001 season.

In 2003 he made his 13th Pro Bowl appearance. Midway through the 2004 season, Rice was traded to the Seattle Seahawks, but he was released by the team at the end of the season.

After an unsuccessful attempt to become a starting receiver for the Denver Broncos the following year, he signed a ceremonial one-day contract with San Francisco and retired as a 49er.

**Information obtained from Winklepedia and Fanbase.com