And if he hadn't gotten caught ditching class one day by the principal at Moor High School, one of the best gridiron careers ever might never have gotten off the ground.
"I was a sophomore in high school when I started playing football," says Rice. "I was playing hooky one day and the principal busted me. He walked up behind me and he scared me."
Rice took off. "And all [the principal] could see was a red jacket running around the corner," he remembers.
"But he reported me to the coach, and said, 'This guy, he's really fast. I think he should be playing football.' That's how I got my start."
Rice became an all-conference wide receiver at Moor High and then went to Division II Mississippi Valley State, where he gained more than 1,000 yards receiving in three consecutive seasons. He was the MVP in the Blue-Gray college all-star game and was picked by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 1985 draft.
But not everyone in the NFL was sold on his talent. Most teams didn't have him rated at the top of their draft list. Many scouts weren't impressed by the other college teams he had faced in the Division II Southwestern Athletic Conference. And some thought Rice was too slow to be anything more than an average NFL receiver.
"I never gave into that," Rice explains. "When they told me I was too slow, that I couldn't play in the NFL-I think I've proven everyone who said that wrong."
Rice has done more than that. He's been one of the greatest players ever over 16 years with the 49ers and more than two seasons with the Raiders. He's set a slew of receiving records and was a key part of three Super Bowl-winning teams. Among his records: the all-time marks for receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns and Super Bowl touchdowns.
INSPIRING OTHERS
It was 1993. There was Jerry Rice reaching up between two defenders and hauling in a pass with a one-handed catch.
Raiders defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield remembers the play well. Stubblefield was a rookie with the 49ers watching from the sideline when Rice made the catch against the then Los Angeles Rams.
"I was like, 'Wow!'" Stubblefield says. "And our coach, George Seifert, said, 'He's one of your teammates. Now you go out there and make him say the same thing about you.' I just shook my head and I was amazed. Just in him catching the ball in that game, it raised my level of expectations for myself."
Not much has changed in the 10 years since. Though he's 41, Rice is still a go-to receiver for the Raiders. That's because on Sundays, you can find him making catches and beating defensive backs who are sometimes 20 years younger than him.
"He's phenomenal. He's relentless, and in my opinion, he's ageless," says Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon. "He just shows no sign of slowing down.
"The guy makes a valuable contribution to our team, not only on the field but in the locker room. His demeanor, everything he does, the way he practices, the way he prepares, the way he plays the game, the speed and the intensity with which he goes about just normal, everyday, take-it-for-granted type activities is unique. I think young guys learn from that, veteran guys as well."
OUTWORKING EVERYONE
Rice studies more film than most receivers. His offseason workouts, which begin almost as soon as the season ends, would wear almost anyone else out.
But staying in tip-top shape has allowed him to be so good for so long. Both teammates and opponents use the example he sets as motivation.
"It always amazed me, the way he practiced, the way he approached the game, and the way he took care of himself," says Stubblefield, who rejoined the Raiders as a free agent before this season, in part because he wanted to play with Rice again. "It's a lesson for everyone who plays football.
"Look, he's one of the greatest receivers ever to play the game and he's always trying to take it to another level. He's still trying to raise the bar at his age."
There's a simple explanation for that, according to Rice. He's still driven to play football.
"I think what you love about this game is just the competition," Rice says. "Knowing that you've got an opponent determined to stop you from reaching your reward out there on the football field, to making that spectacular catch or scoring that touchdown or just winning that game."
REFUSING TO RETIRE
That kind of determination is why Rice is still playing today. The 49ers released him after the 2000 season to free up money under their "salary cap." The salary cap is the total amount a team is allowed to pay its players. The 49ers had decided Rice's best days were behind him and wanted to use his salary to pay other players.
They did try to get Rice to retire as a 49er, offering him $1 million to quit playing. The only problem was Rice didn't think he was washed up. So he turned down the $1 million bonus and after his release, he moved across San Francisco Bay to play for Oakland.
All he's done since then is help the Raiders go to the Super Bowl last season and become the oldest wide receiver in NFL history to make the Pro Bowl.
"Never let anyone tell you what you can't do," Rice advises young players, as a result. "If it's something that you pour your heart into, and you put in the time, it can work out for you."
Bill Walsh, who as the 49ers coach drafted Rice, but also played a part in his release from the team as the general manager 16 years later, says he's been amazed by Rice's continuing success with the Raiders.
"You knew he would have a long career because of his work ethic and because he was gifted physically," Walsh says. "[But] this has been an absolute revelation, to see him doing this. He still has the energy, drive and focus that you need. You might assume that this is his last year but you never know."
Rice is not even thinking about how much longer he'll play. As long as he's stepping on the field to play in a game, he's going to be looking for ways to improve. And that hasn't changed this season.
"I think I'm a better football player this year," he says. "And I think if I better myself, it's going to help the team. I'm running my routes as hard or harder. I'm catching the football, being more explosive. I'm doing the little things, the details, and I think it's going to make me a better football player." Who's arguing?
This article was reprinted with permission courtesy of Kickoff Magazine. To subscribe,click here.
