Sidney Raynard Rice (born September 1, 1986) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
wide receiver
A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
for seven seasons in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). Rice played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
South Carolina Gamecocks
The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I.
The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fight ...
. He was selected by the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
in the second round of the
2007 NFL draft.
He also played for the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
, with whom he became a champion in
Super Bowl XLVIII
Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2013 Denver Broncos season, Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2013 Seattle Seahawks season, Seattle Seahawks to ...
.
Early life
Rice was born to Ida Coleman in
Pickens, South Carolina. Rice has two older brothers, Jarvis Rice and Tremell Austin. Rice grew up in
Gaffney, where he played both
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
and
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
for the Gaffney High School Indians. Rice, who graduated from Gaffney High School in 2004 was named All-State in both sports, leading the basketball team to consecutive state titles and the football team to a state championship as well. He had 38 catches for 735 yards and 11 touchdowns his
junior campaign. He was named to the High School Sports Report Statewide All-State team and selected Offensive Player of the Year. In 2003, Rice caught 77 passes for 1,414 yards and 14
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...
s as a senior. Rice ended his high school career with 167 receptions for 3,044 yards and 31 touchdowns. In addition, Rice excelled in basketball, earning 2002 – 2003 Class 4A Basketball Player of the Year after helping Gaffney to the state championship. That season, he averaged 18 points and seven rebounds per game, as the Indians finished the basketball season with an undefeated 28–0 record.
College career
Rice was heavily recruited by many colleges but signed with the
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...
, where he played for the
South Carolina Gamecocks football
The South Carolina Gamecocks football program represents the University of South Carolina. The South Carolina Gamecocks, Gamecocks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern ...
team from 2004 to 2006.
Rice was redshirted in his freshman year in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
.
In his redshirt freshman year in
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
, Rice had six games going over the 100-yard mark and three with multiple touchdowns. In the
Independence Bowl against
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
, he had 12 receptions for 191 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 38–31 loss. Overall, Rice had 70 catches for 1,143 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He began his career with eight consecutive games with a touchdown, a school record. He led the SEC in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. This streak ended with the 30–22 upset of the nationally ranked
Florida Gators at
Williams-Brice Stadium.
In
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
, Rice had five games going over the 100-yard mark and two with multiple receiving touchdowns. Overall, Rice caught 72 passes for 1,090 yards and 10 touchdowns. He had five touchdowns against
Florida Atlantic which broke a South Carolina record and tied an SEC record for most receiving touchdowns in a game. For his short career, he broke
Sterling Sharpe's school career touchdown record in just two years with the program, finishing his career with 23 touchdowns.
Professional career
Minnesota Vikings
2007–2008
Rice was selected in the
second round
The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
with the 44th overall pick of the
2007 NFL draft by the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
. He signed a four-year contract with the Vikings in 2007.
Rice caught his first touchdown pass on September 30, 2007, playing against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
. In Week 15, against the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
, Rice injured his knee, causing him to miss the final two games. Rice finished his rookie season with 31 receptions for 396 yards and four touchdowns. He completed two passes including a 79-yard pass, the longest for a non-quarterback in Vikings history.
The next season, Rice was named a starter with the Vikings new wide receiver acquisition
Bernard Berrian. He scored a 23-yard touchdown in Week 1 against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
. However, Rice suffered a knee injury that kept him out until Week 9. When he returned, most of his playing time was when the Vikings were in the red zone as he would lose his starting job to
Bobby Wade. Rice finished the 2008 season with 15 catches for 141 yards and four touchdowns.
2009 Pro Bowl season

In 2009, Rice had the most successful and stellar season of his career. Rice won his starting job back, and showed chemistry with new quarterback
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 cons ...
. In a game against the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
, he finished with six catches for 176 yards. The next week against
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
, Rice had a career-high 10 catches for 136 yards. In Week 10 against the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
, Rice had a seven-catch, 201-yard performance. On November 18, 2009, Rice was named the
NFC Offensive Player of the Week, the first time he received that award. Also, during the same year, he was selected to his first
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players.
The format has changed ...
. In Week 17 of the 2009
NFL season, Rice caught six receptions for 112 yards, along with two touchdowns. This helped to complete a 44–7 rout of the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
and help the Vikings to a 12–4 regular season record. This was enough for them to secure the #2 seed in the
NFC playoffs.
Coming off a bye week in the first round of the playoffs, Rice and the Vikings played host to the
NFC East
The National Football Conference – Eastern Division or NFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It has four members: the Dallas Cowboys, New Yo ...
champions
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
in the NFC
Divisional Round of the playoffs at the
Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League's (NFL) ...
. Rice played exceptionally well against the Cowboys, catching six passes from Brett Favre for 141 yards and three touchdowns.
Hip surgery and 2010 season
Rice suffered a hip injury in the previous season's
NFC Championship against the
Saints
In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...
. He was supposed to have surgery in the off-season during the spring to repair it. He did not go through with it during the off-season, fearing its effect on his performance. On Monday, August 23, 2010, three weeks into the next season's training camp, he decided to go through with the surgery and was unable to play with the Vikings until November. Rice underwent a "pick" procedure similar to microfracture knee surgery to repair joint cartilage damage. Doctors poked holes in the hip bone, making it bleed to generate cells that would reconstitute themselves as replacement fibrocartilage to fill the damaged gap. To compensate, the Vikings signed free agent wide receiver
Javon Walker, whom Brett Favre played with in Green Bay, as well as trade for wide receiver
Greg Camarillo
Greg Camarillo ( ; born April 18, 1982) is a former American football wide receiver.
He played college football at Stanford. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2005.
Camarillo also played for the Miami Dolp ...
, formerly of the Miami Dolphins. The Vikings traded for wide receiver
Randy Moss from New England, whom they released after four games. Sidney Rice was activated from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. He made his 2010 season debut on November 21 against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
in the Metrodome with three catches for 56 yards. Rice went on to have a role in the Vikings' late-season victory over the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
, with 105 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and before sustaining a concussion during
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
game. This left him unable to play in the season finale, a loss against the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
. He finished the 2010 season with 17 receptions for 280 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in six games.
Seattle Seahawks
2011 season
After the lifting of the NFL lockout, Rice agreed to terms on a five-year, $41 million contract with the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
. The contract guaranteed Rice $18.5 million over its duration. He was reunited in Seattle with offensive coordinator
Darrell Bevell and quarterback
Tarvaris Jackson, a member of the Vikings during Rice's tenure there.
Rice was placed on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
on November 30, 2011. In the 2011 season, Rice finished with 32 receptions for 484 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in nine games. He had two games going over the 100-yard mark on the season.
2012 season
On October 14, 2012, in Week 6, Rice caught the game-winning touchdown from a 46-yard pass from rookie quarterback
Russell Wilson
Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He has primarily played for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Sea ...
to beat the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
by a score of 24–23. In Week 10, against the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
, he had two receiving touchdowns in the 28–7 victory. On December 2, in Week 13, Rice caught the game-winning touchdown from Russell Wilson in overtime, as the Seahawks edged past the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
23–17 at
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side, Chicago, Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears from the National ...
; he caught six passes for 99 yards and the one touchdown, keeping the Seahawks in contention for a wild-card berth with a 7–5 record. Rice finished the 2012 season with 50 receptions for 748 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.
2013 season
In Week 3, against the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
, Rice had two receiving touchdowns in the 45–17 victory. In a Week 8 game against the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
, Rice tore his
ACL, rendering him out for the remainder of the season. Rice finished the 2013 season with 15 receptions for 231 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in eight games. Without Rice, the Seahawks would win
Super Bowl XLVIII
Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2013 Denver Broncos season, Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2013 Seattle Seahawks season, Seattle Seahawks to ...
after defeating the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
by a score of 43–8.
In February 2014, the Seahawks released Rice. He agreed to re-sign with Seahawks on a one-year contract on April 16, 2014.
Retirement
On July 23, 2014, Rice announced his retirement from professional football due to multiple concussions throughout his career.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
References
External links
*
South Carolina Gamecocks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Sidney
1986 births
Living people
American football wide receivers
South Carolina Gamecocks football players
Minnesota Vikings players
National Conference Pro Bowl players
Sportspeople from Gaffney, South Carolina
People from Pickens, South Carolina
Players of American football from South Carolina
Seattle Seahawks players