One-on-One With Jerry Rice, Part II

Filed under: NFL Hall of Fame, Super Bowl, FanHouse Exclusive

In this FanHouse exclusive interview, senior NFL writer Nancy Gay sits down with legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice to discuss the Super Bowl, his career and his pending Hall of Fame candidacy. The following is part two of the two-part series. Read Part I here.

Nancy Gay: Jerry, we’ve always talked about the many achievements you made on the football field. And we’ve looked ahead to the Hall of Fame and how important that is. Is it starting to sink in now?

Jerry Rice: You know, it was never about the accolades for me. I played the game of football with a lot of intensity and a lot of passion. And I never got complacent. I was always hungry, always hungry. It’s like, if I had year with over 1,800 yards and 20 touchdowns, I wanted to come back the next year, and I was more hungry than ever to have a better year. And, with the supporting cast I had with the players that we had, it was amazing.

We came to work every day. Whenever we had a practice, it was like a game situation. That was all week long. And when we went out there on that Sunday, it was already instilled in us, what was expected. With that supporting cast, the numbers just kept coming.