Jerry Lee Rice is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He won three Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers before two shorter stints at the end of his career with the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. Nicknamed "World" because of his superb catching ability, his accomplishments and numerous records, Rice is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in NFL history. His biography on the official Pro Football Hall of Fame website names him "the most prolific wide receiver in NFL history with staggering career totals". In 1999, The Sporting News listed Rice second behind Jim Brown on its list of "Football's 100 Greatest Players". In 2010, he was chosen by NFL Network's NFL Films production The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players as the greatest player in NFL history.
Rice in 2016
Rice's No. 80 jersey from December 1987, when he set an NFL record for receiving touchdowns with the 49ers
Steve Young's Pro Football Hall of Fame bust. Young was Rice's starting quarterback for much of the 1990s.
Rice with Joe Montana at Super Bowl 50
A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense, WR gets its name from the player being split out "wide", farthest away from the rest of the offensive formation.
Calvin Johnson (pictured here during his college tenure at Georgia Tech), a three-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowl receiver who starred for the Detroit Lions
An Air Force Falcons wide receiver (foreground) lines up close to the sideline while the linemen and backs (background) line up near midfield before a snap during a 2023 game.
Don Hutson was a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who played his entire career with the Green Bay Packers
