Farewell, Jerry
Jerry Rice, widely considered the greatest wide receiver in the 85-year history of the NFL as well as one of the all-time best 49ers, announced his retirement Monday at a tearful news conference in Denver, where he was under contract with the Broncos. 'I'm done. I'm looking forward to the next phase of my life,' said Rice, who closes the book on a 20-year career during which he set virtually every significant receiving record, including most catches and most yards, and the all-time touchdown mark.
More Jerry Rice:
49ers exploring Rice retirement ceremony
Sacramento Bee: 'It long has been speculated that one day Rice would return to the organization that drafted him, sign a one-day contract and then retire, as other high-profile players have done.'
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Niners will pay tribute to Rice sometime in the season
Oakland Tribune: 'When Jerry Rice was looking for a new football home during the off-season, San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan said he was interested in signing the receiving legend to a one-day contract as a segue into retirement.'
The glory years, not the last ones, are Rice's legacy
San Jose Mercury News (registration required): 'Jerry Rice retired on Labor Day. If that's not fitting, I don't know what is. There may be no player in the history of professional football who labored so hard and long to maximize the skills God gave him.'
Rice's hard work off the field, not his talent, is his legacy
Sacramento Bee: 'Remember the work. In the end, it was that, not his talent, that made Rice who he was. It should be fairly easy to forget the last two years, years that found Rice scraping along, yielding his playmaker role to others, slowly slipping from football relevance.'
Greatness of Rice
Contra Costa Times(registration required): 'Randy Moss created a stir by looking into the television camera and brashly predicting that he would break all Jerry Rice's records. That was in 1993. Moss, now an eight-year NFL veteran, was a senior in high school.'
With or without the ball, Rice captivated
San Francisco Chronicle: 'Don't let your eyes follow just the ball. Your attention naturally will gravitate in that direction, but try to watch a single player through an entire play, from snap to whistle, even if the ball goes somewhere else. Nobody made this approach more fun than Jerry Rice.'
'I never thought I'd ever see this day'
Sacramento Bee: 'What others could see coming a year ago, if not sooner, Jerry Rice conceded to Monday. His days as the most dominant wide receiver in NFL history are over.
Receiver ends storied career
San Jose Mercury News (registration required): 'Steve Young loved throwing to Jerry Rice because 'he was just always in the right spot.' But Rice's final scene Monday looked all wrong. The most prolific receiver of all time announced his retirement in front of the blue-and-orange of the Denver Broncos, a team for which he never made a regular-season catch.'
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