No stopping him; NFL great Rice stays busy in Meridian, donates $20,000 to MCC

By Ben Lockridge / staff writer
National Football League legend Jerry Rice was all smiles this weekend as he entertained locals with encouraging words at local appearances.

Rice, a native Mississippian, was in town this weekend to speak at Meridian Community College's Saturday Athletic Scholarship Fundraiser. He offered a big surprise to MCC Saturday night: he said he would donate $20,000 to the school's athletic scholarship program.

Rice was a busy man throughout the day —he enjoyed a free throw contest for kids to kick things off; threw the first pitch at an MCC baseball game; attended a coaches clinic; then spoke at the MCC banquet.

Originally from Crawford, Rice is a former NFL wide receiver and is regarded as one of the greatest players in NFL history. In addition to being the all-time leader in every major statistical category for wide receivers, Rice was selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times and named All-Pro 10 times in his 20 NFL seasons. He won three Super Bowl rings as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.

Rice said he was never surprised that a Mississippi kid could make it to where he is today.

"I think it was meant to be, based on my work ethic, the way I was brought up to be," Rice said. "It also shows you that you can come from a small town, go to a small college, and still be successful in life."

Sean Covich, sports information director and golf coach at MCC, said Rice's visit made a big impression.

“As many records as he has broken and as famous as he is, his true passion is helping kids achieve their dreams," Covich said. "All he talked about was wanting to help kids and he has a deep passion for that mission. I’m glad MCC was not only able to get the greatest NFL player ever to Meridian, but I’m glad MCC was successful in letting Jerry achieve his mission in helping out kids and student-athletes.”

According to Rice, coming to MCC's fundraiser was not a hard decision, because it meant he was able to return to his roots.

"You get to come back home, the hospitality here, and you just know this is where you got your start," he said. "I've been very fortunate, and I have a lot support from Mississippi, and also from people all over the world. That shows me that I did things the right way."

Along with being an NFL legend, Rice gained a whole new fan base when he was a contestant on the reality television show, "Dancing with the Stars."

"What that did is if a person didn't identify with sports, then they identified with that show," Rice said. "There was a whole demographic of people who didn't know anything about me. So, it opened up a lot of doors for me."

Some of those open doors include plenty of television opportunities, and a radio segment on Sirius satellite radio.

Saturday was draft day, and Rice said it brought back memories.

"I remember I was in Jackson," he recalled. "I didn't have any big entourage or anything like that; it was just my brother and I sitting there watching the draft. Then all of sudden the San Francisco 49ers called me. I know exactly what those guys are going through."

Rice said retirement has not slowed him down.

"I haven't taken a break since I retired from football," Rice said. "People ask me how my retirement has been ... I'm working more now than I did when I played football. A lot of that is by choice, because I still enjoy doing different things. It's amazing, because I feel like I was able to touch so many lives on and off the football field."