LISTEN: Why all positions (Except QB) Should Be In Play In The Draft →
placeholder image

RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports


49ers great Jerry Rice says he was nervous before each Super Bowl

Feb 1, 2019 at 1:10 PM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice appeared in four Super Bowls over his illustrious 20-year NFL career. Three were victories with the San Francisco 49ers, and he appeared in another with the Oakland Raiders.

Rice, the owner of nearly every significant receiving record in league history, made a habit of coming up big when it counted. That doesn't necessarily mean he was always calm and collected.

"Man, I was so nervous (going into my first Super Bowl)," Rice said on "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd. "I'm going to be honest with you because I think it really meant something to me. Plus, I stayed up all night long and tried to visualize opportunities that I would have during the football game. I didn't get much sleep.

"The next morning, it's a long day. You get up, you have breakfast, you have meetings. Then you have a pre-game meal. Then you head over to the stadium.

"So I went over to the stadium. I put my uniform on, and I decided to relax on this table. And guess who fell asleep? I fell asleep, and I could hear my teammates come by and they were like, "What is going on with Jerry? This is Super Bowl 23, and he's asleep.'

"I had put all that work in, and I wanted to be ready play football. So yeah, I really got nervous."

It wasn't just that first Super Bowl that tested his nerves. Rice was nervous each time he played for the Lombardi trophy.

"I was nervous before every Super Bowl," Rice admitted. "I want to make that [clear]. When something means so much to you because you never know when you're going to get the opportunity to be back in the position again."

You can watch the entire interview with Rice below.




Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


placeholder image

49ers to host USC WR Brenden Rice on pre-draft visit

By David Bonilla
Mar 21

Justin Melo of The Draft Network reports that the San Francisco 49ers will host USC wide receiver Brenden Rice on a pre-draft visit in Santa Clara. The 49ers were among the teams that met with Rice, the son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, at the NFL Scouting Combine. #USC WR Brenden Rice has completed a 30 visit with the #Chargers, per an NFL personnel team source.Rice met with the


placeholder image

49ers still favored to win Super Bowl 59 after first wave of free agency

By David Bonilla
Mar 20

After falling just short of championship glory in February, the San Francisco 49ers are eyeing another opportunity in Super Bowl 59, and oddsmakers are backing their ambitions. The latest defeat was the second unsuccessful Super Bowl trip of the Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch era. Now, the Niners own the best odds in the league (+550) to finally hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy once more. Super Bowl 59 will be held on Sunday, February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The team that dashed the 49ers' championship dreams in February, the Kansas City Chiefs, boast the second-best odds (+600) in the NFL to win Super Bowl 59. Among the NFC West teams, the Los Angeles Rams have the next-best odds after the 49ers, with distant +3500 odds,


placeholder image

49ers assistant coach also suffered torn Achilles during Super Bowl

By David Bonilla
Mar 26

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw is currently rehabilitating after undergoing surgery for the torn Achilles he sustained last month during Super Bowl 58. He'll have a partner in his recovery, as he wasn't the only member of the team to suffer that specific injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters on Tuesday morning at the NFL owners meetings and revealed that defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks also sustained a torn Achilles during the game. "[It occurred] about five minutes after Dre's," Shanahan told reporters. "I think it was when [S] Ji'Ayir [Brown] got the interception, he just jumped up and cheered, very similar to Dre's, and his Achilles went too." Bullocks remained on the sideline and continued coaching throughout the


placeholder image

49ers insider: If Brandon Aiyuk is traded, it will be before the draft

By David Bonilla
Mar 20

Brandon Aiyuk appears open to the possibility of playing elsewhere in 2024. If the San Francisco 49ers can't negotiate a favorable long-term deal with their star receiver, he knows someone else will. However, the 49ers primarily aim to retain Aiyuk for the long haul. The team exercised the fifth-year option on his contract but seeks to secure an extension before he retakes the field. General manager John Lynch recently praised Aiyuk, calling him one of his "favorite guys around the building." "He's a competitor. He's a warrior," Lynch added. "He plays with such physicality, also with grace, in the way some of the positions his body can get into. And then he's got a flair


Latest

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone