Jerry Rice - A Dancing Fool? Perhaps.

#80 * Jerry Lee Rice * WR

Born: 13-Oct-1962
College: Mississippi Valley State
Height: 6-2 Weight: 196
Drafted: 1985, 1st Round San Francisco 49ers
Birth Place: Starkville, MS

Okay Jerry, if you say it's something that "Just Happened," I'll take it. Kinda like that time you were at the massage parlor in Palo Alto during a police sting operation, it "Just Happened" you were there getting a muscle rubdown and I took it then. You goto the Seattle Seahawks and ask Steve Largent, one of the few Seahawk Hall of Famers, permission to unretire his #80 jersey because you're Jerry Rice, the greatest receiver of all time, and it "Just Happened" that Largent didn't mind. I didn't like it, but I took it for what it was, Steve Largent being the more compassionate person. Even when Jerry came to my beloved Raiders and our Mr. Raider himself, Tim Brown, took a back seat to #80, it "Just Happend" that Jerry would be the leading Raiders pass receiver for that wonderful AFC Champion season. I took it because we were winning and all is good when your winning.

But now the greatest receiver of all time is telling us that his move to professional celebrity on the show "Dancing With the Stars" is something that "Just Happened." The kicker is when Jerry said, and I quote, "I'm working more now than when I played football." I just can't take that. Either Jerry is very hungry for attention of any kind or retirement has unmasked his so called competitive nature and revealed it for what it truly might be; a selfish need to do whatever Jerry wants regardless of how others feel.

He said his wife didn't want him home all the time. Also, his agent was initially against it, probably for fear of Jerry's image, which has remained flawless throughout his career. I think his agent's initial reaction was like most of us fans reactions; why would the greatest receiver of all-time want to go on a television show and dance while hollywood judges and TV viewers judge his dancing talent? He's the greatest receiver of all time for christsakes. If he wants to dance and compete, hire a private dancing instructor and compete on the professional dance ciruit. Hell, invite your wife to compete as your partner and make it a family thing. That I can take. But to allow judges and viewers to possibly make fun of the greatest receiver of all-time just doesn't sit well with me. He was recently a judge at last weekend's Miss America pageant, that I can get with. Jerry Rice crowning the young and beautiful Miss America. The greatest receiver and the pride of American beauty, lovely. But dancing on a show for the approval of some flaky judges and fickle viewers? Come on Jerry.

Seeing Jerry's gracelike moves from the football field appear feminine-like on a dance floor isn't my idea of work after retirement. Maybe those old homophobic feelings about dancers is rising in me and the problem is mine not Jerry's. Maybe I should run out and buy a $9.00 ticket to see "Brokeback Mountain" and say it's okay for all my old Western Movie heroes, (Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, Chuck Connors, Telly Savalas, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Van Cleef, Jim Brown, the Duke), to become more sensitive and understanding about survival together in the wild west. Hangup their colt45 pistols and put on a pair of dancing boots. Maybe the wild indians should have done a feel good dance instead of a war dance then gone out and greeted their enemies with love feathers. Or maybe I should just throw out my collection of old war movies in which Men looked and sounded dirty and tried blowing up each other for the sake of becoming a hero. Shame on us American born men of old.

I know I should support Jerry in whatever post-retirment activities he decides to participate in, but I guess I've always held a higher standard for Jerry Rice. When some football hating fool would ask why I wasted so much of my time watching football on sundays I'd ask him if he'd ever seen Jerry Rice catch a one-handed pass and stride gazelle-like for a sixty yard touchdown? When my 49er friend named his son Jerry in honor of his and my football receiving hero, I considered fatherhood just to have a son I could name J.R., forget the fact that my wife and I are now divorced, I'd still have little Jerry to celebrate sunday football with. Wonder how my friend and now 10yr old son J.R. are handling this?

Here's my beef in a nutshell on why I will not watch Jerry Rice dance to the stars:

Jerry Rice is a football Icon. His name will be associated with the NFL forever. He played during my era and in the bay area where I live. He played with possibly the greatest quarterback of all-time in Joe Montana. He holds almost every receiving record some of which will probably not be broken in my lifetime. He was born on October 13, 1962, only eight days after my own birthdate. His favorite team growing up was the Cowboys, as was mine. I was also a Split End on my high school football team as was Jerry. No, I don't cha cha. I guess I relate myself with Jerry so much though that I'm just protective of how he's viewed and how he'll be remembered.

I want to be able to say that I saw Jerry Rice play football without hearing a new generation of kids say, "you mean that bald guy who tried shaking his booty on TV and had no rhythm was a star receiver in football?" I want to be able to say Jerry was the greatest receiver ever period, not the greatest receiver but the worse dancer. I want Jerry Rice's name to be synonymous with Football and football only. Am I wrong for feeling that way? I guess I'd have to watch a sensitive chickflick to know or care why I feel the way I feel. I just know that I feel that way about football and it's heroes and as much as I try to accept Jerry's decision to dance, I keep getting this sickly feeling as if we've lost something special in sports. Maybe I'm just an old dinosaur who's time has passed. But I know one thing for sure, this old dinosaur ain't dancing for nobody.

Some of his accomplishmetns are:

* Played in 3 winning Super Bowls
* Super Bowl MVP
* NFL Player of The Year
* Pro Bowl invitee 13 times
* First in NFL history to score 200 touchdowns
* 28 receptions - 512 yards - 7 TDs in three Super Bowls
* Led the NFL in Total Receptions twice
* First in Receiving Yards six times
* First in Receiving TDs six times
* Led the NFL in Total TDs twice
* All time NFL leader in Total Receptions
* All time NFL leader in Total Receiving Yards
* All time NFL leader in Total Receiving TDs
* Second all time NFL leader in Total Yards From Scrimmage
* All time NFL leader in Total TDs

Jerry Rice, Football Player

Wide receiver Jerry Rice is the National Football League's all-time leader in receptions, yards and touchdowns. Rice played college ball at Mississippi Valley State, where he caught 310 passes for 4,856 yards and 51 touchdowns in 42 games. He began his professional career in 1985 when he was picked 16th in the first round of the draft by the San Francisco 49ers. With the 49ers he became one of the NFL's biggest stars, catching pass after pass from quarterback Joe Montana and then from Montana's successor, Steve Young. Rice played for the 49ers from 1985-2000, winning Super Bowls in 1989, 1990 and 1995. He later played for the Oakland Raiders (2001-2004) and the Seattle Seahawks (2004). In 2005, at the age of 42, Rice signed a one-year contract to play for the Denver Broncos, but retired before the season began. At his retirement, the NFL Record and Fact Book listed Rice with 38 different NFL records, including career totals of 1,549 receptions, 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns.

Rice wore jersey number 80 throughout his pro career, but with Denver he had to change his jersey number. He picked 19, the same number chosen by his former 49ers teammate Joe Montana when Montana moved to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993... Rice caught at least one pass in 274 consecutive games from 1985 through 2004 -- another NFL record.