A biography for Jerry Ricehasn’t been written yet.
“I think the thing about that was I was always willing to work; I was not the fastest or biggest player but I was determined to be the best football player I could be on the football field and I think I was able to accomplish that through hard work.”
“My agent said, 'Jerry, Dancing With the Stars - they want you on there.' I said, 'Ain't no way. I'm not going to do that.' Then he came back to me again, and he kept putting pressure on me. I said, 'All right, I'll give it a try.'”
“I went out there to play my game for the fun of it and never based my career around records.”
“I think what people might not really know about me is that I'm really a shy individual.”
“To me it was never about what I accomplished on the football field, it was about the way I played the game.”
“During the offseason, I didn't take any time off. And I played this game for over 20 years. So right after the season, I would go right back into my regimen.”
“I'm used to performing under pressure, but that's playing football.”
“I don't diet. I'll eat fish; I'll eat baked chicken, pasta, beans. When the body is telling you, 'You need to indulge in something,' you need to give the body what it wants.”
“Montana and I had a chemistry that was unbelievable. When I first came into the league he told me I added five years to his career, and I just think we complimented each other very well and were able to do some amazing things out on the football field.”
“I've grown over the years and I know how to adapt to situations, where I can go into a situation where there's a crowd of people and just take over. But pretty much I'm off to myself. And I'm totally committed to the game of football. That's why I've had so much success.”
“Like I said, repetition in practice and hard work.”
“There is still a lot of football in me and I enjoy watching the players go out there and be the best players they can possibly be.”
“I think it was fantastic being in the 49ers Hall of Fame.”
“I just want the same thing Joe Montana got when he was MVP. He got respect. He got commercials. He got everything.”
“I think I'm more muscular now than when I played football. I'm working hard on it. So many athletes just let themselves go after they stop competing. That was something I didn't want to do.”
“Defensive backs are the best players on the field. But when you get an exceptional player like a Deion Sanders or a Darrell Green - these guys are fast and they have very good technique. You have to work a little harder.”
“Monday Night Football. That was everything to me because you get a chance to show everybody what you're capable of. It's only two teams on that Monday night.”
“This is how I started playing: I was playing hooky one day, and the coach and the principal walked up behind me. They scared me, and I ran, and they noticed I could run really fast. They wanted me to come out for the football team.”
“I was just a small boy from Mississippi, and now little kids are going to identify with me through this game.”
“I think I just went into a system that was willing to utilize me and gave me opportunities and I felt fortunate to be able to go to Oakland and put the silver and black on. I wanted to prove to everybody that I could still play.”