Jerry Rice
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.Collection: Amazing
Like I said, repetition in practice and hard work.Collection: Work
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.Collection: Thankful
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.Collection: Diet
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.Collection: Failure
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 went out there to play my game for the fun of it and never based my career around records.
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.
To me it was never about what I accomplished on the football field, it was about the way I played the game.
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.
I just want the same thing Joe Montana got when he was MVP. He got respect. He got commercials. He got everything.
I was just a small boy from Mississippi, and now little kids are going to identify with me through this game.
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.
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.
I think what people might not really know about me is that I'm really a shy individual.
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.
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'm used to performing under pressure, but that's playing football.
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.
I think it was fantastic being in the 49ers Hall of Fame.
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 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.
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.
Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't.Collection: Motivational
The Enemy of the best is the good. If you're always settling with what's good, you'll never be the best.Collection: Inspirational
I think my secret is that there's no shortcuts for hard work, determination and having that don't give up attitude.Collection: Determination
I had that hunger, that desire, to be successful and I wasn’t going to let anything stand in my way.Collection: Successful
Once you get your education it's going to open up so many doors for you. And the sky's the limit. So that's what I want to deliver to students.Collection: Doors
Not wanting to disappoint is what pushed me to be successful.Collection: Successful
I was always in search of a perfect game and I never got it.Collection: Games
The chemistry between a quarterback and a receiver is almost like a dance.Collection: Chemistry
The absolute worst thing a receiver can do is worry about not catching the ball or about getting hit.Collection: Worry
After I got disciplined I got introduced to football and then after that everything just took off for me. I had a lot of role models: the teachers, the coaches. Watching them give so much to so many students so they can be successful in life basically just ingrained in me that I think it's more gratifying for me to give back and than just to receive.Collection: Football
I want to do a good job. I'm just learning and I just want to have fun with it.Collection: Jobs
I think with my hands, it was catching a lot of footballs and working with my father during the summer because he would always make me. My father was a bricklayer so I was a helper. My job was to make sure that he had bricks to lay.Collection: Summer
I used to help out my father, a bricklayer, in the summer. I'd catch the bricks (that were dropped). And it made me strong, catching those bricks. I wouldn't change anything about it. That's why I'm where I am today. Really.Collection: Summer
To me, it was never about what I accomplished on the football field. It was about the way I played the game. I played the game with a lot of determination, a lot of poise, a lot of pride and I think what you saw out there...was an individual who really just loved the game.Collection: Football
When you begin to lose the fire a little bit and if you're not giving 100 percent out there, then it's time for you to leave because you'll end up getting hurt - I want to be able to walk away on top.Collection: Hurt
I think just what my parents instilled in me was hard work and being able to always go out there and focus and be 100%. I took that work ethic into the NFL and everyday I always gave 100% and never wanted anything to be handed to me. I wanted to earn it. And every time I stepped on that football field during practice I wanted to leave that football field with learning something about what the practice was about for me that day...Collection: Football
They never clocked me on my way to the end zone. They never caught me because I ran scared.Collection: Nfl
The game of life requires the edge that chiropractic care provides.Collection: Chiropractic Care
Most injuries require chiropractic care. It works better for me than anything else.Collection: Chiropractic Care
I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.Collection: Motivational
Coming from the South, I just felt you had to work just a little bit harder. It was not going to be handed to you. I’d get the letters from all the major schools but no one came out to talk to me face to face until this small, dominant black school, Mississippi State Valley University sent a coach out to me. I had a chance to talk to him and he said, ‘Hey Jerry, we’re going to be doing some great things at Mississippi Valley State University and we would love to have you there.’Collection: School
My first experience with football was not very good because I didn't plan on playing football. I was just playing hookie one day and I was a sophomore and decided not to go to class. And the principal - normally he does his rounds and I thought I had him down pretty good where he was going to be - he sort of walked up behind me and scared me. He noticed I could run real fast. So that's how I got introduced to football.Collection: Football
I do a lot of running, and I do it every day. I run on a track, I run hills and I work the stair-stepper extremely hard. I do some type of cardio every day. In addition, I have a passion for golf, and that helps me stay fit, too.Collection: Running