Jerry Rice

“People would look at me weird. You know, like, 'Why is this guy's hands always in his pockets?' But I was embarrassed by the size of my hands.”

“I'm really looking forward to the Hall of Fame ceremonies. It's going to be unbelievable - just crazy. I'm looking forward to thanking all the fans for inspiring me to go out there and play my best football each and every game.”

“My work ethic came from my parents and my fear of failure. I came from a small, predominantly black school and I didn't want to let them down.”

“If I should get selected into the Hall of Fame, I'd be able to say 'thank you' to all the legends that are in the Hall of Fame. And also say thank you to my teammates, and also to all the fans. It's going to be like a dream come true.”

“The things that are happening to me are unbelievable. I'm actually busier right now than when I played football. This is almost like I'm coming back out of retirement. It will be fun to see myself in the game.”

“You know, I never looked down the road and said, 'Hey look, one day, the Hall of Fame.' It's always about playing each and every game 100 percent and I thank my teammates for getting me into the Hall because football is a team sport, not an individual sport.”

“There are a lot of young players here right now, and these guys are going to eventually learn as they go. Next year we can't use that as an excuse that we had so many young players on the team.”