Thanks Jerry

Jerry Rice announced his retirement today, and football loses ones of its greatest players - definitely the greatest wide receiver of all time. After twenty seasons, age finally caught up with Jerry to the point where he couldn’t contribute to a team the way he wanted to. For a player who ended his career at age 42, I’d say he had a pretty good run.

I remember Jerry Rice as a young receiver on the 49ers, playing alongside Joe Montana and John Taylor. Even then he seemed destined for greatness, although he was never offered the big commercial endorsements that players of his caliber deserved (except for Rice-A-Roni).

As a lifelong Raider fan (and a part-time 49er fan), I was thrilled to see Jerry put on the silver and black after the 49ers phased him out. Along with Tim Brown (one of the greatest Raiders of all time), it was great to have two superstars form the core of the wide receivers. Although they fell short of winning the Super Bowl, Jerry Rice was an integral part of a Raiders team that gave us a couple of seasons to remember.

It was unfortunate that he had to spend time with Seattle and Denver, but it simply was a testament to his desire to play. Similar to when Michael Jordan finally retired, there will never be another wide receiver that will match Jerry Rice's skills and accomplishments.