Jerry Rice Quotations

There are a lot of young players here right now, and these guys are going to eventually learn as they go. Next year we can't use that as an excuse that we had so many young players on the team.

I think the thing about that was I was always willing to work; I was not the fastest or biggest player but I was determined to be the best football player I could be on the football field and I think I was able to accomplish that through hard work.

I'm really looking forward to the Hall of Fame ceremonies. It's going to be unbelievable - just crazy. I'm looking forward to thanking all the fans for inspiring me to go out there and play my best football each and every game.

To me it was never about what I accomplished on the football field, it was about the way I played the game.

I've grown over the years and I know how to adapt to situations, where I can go into a situation where there's a crowd of people and just take over. But pretty much I'm off to myself. And I'm totally committed to the game of football. That's why I've had so much success.

You know, I never looked down the road and said, 'Hey look, one day, the Hall of Fame.' It's always about playing each and every game 100 percent and I thank my teammates for getting me into the Hall because football is a team sport, not an individual sport.

I was just a small boy from Mississippi, and now little kids are going to identify with me through this game.

Like I said, repetition in practice and hard work.

I think I just went into a system that was willing to utilize me and gave me opportunities and I felt fortunate to be able to go to Oakland and put the silver and black on. I wanted to prove to everybody that I could still play.

My work ethic came from my parents and my fear of failure. I came from a small, predominantly black school and I didn't want to let them down.

Monday Night Football. That was everything to me because you get a chance to show everybody what you're capable of. It's only two teams on that Monday night.

I just want the same thing Joe Montana got when he was MVP. He got respect. He got commercials. He got everything

People would look at me weird. You know, like, 'Why is this guy's hands always in his pockets?' But I was embarrassed by the size of my hands.

If I should get selected into the Hall of Fame, I'd be able to say 'thank you' to all the legends that are in the Hall of Fame. And also say thank you to my teammates, and also to all the fans. It's going to be like a dream come true.

I think what people might not really know about me is that I'm really a shy individual. I've grown over the years and I know how to adapt to situations, where I can go into a situation where there's a crowd of people and just take over. But pretty much I'm off to myself. And I'm totally committed to the game of football. That's why I've had so much success.

I went out there to play my game for the fun of it and never based my career around records.

I'm used to performing under pressure, but that's playing football.

There is still a lot of football in me and I enjoy watching the players go out there and be the best players they can possibly be.

Defensive backs are the best players on the field. But when you get an exceptional player like a Deion Sanders or a Darrell Green - these guys are fast and they have very good technique. You have to work a little harder.

The things that are happening to me are unbelievable. I'm actually busier right now than when I played football. This is almost like I'm coming back out of retirement. It will be fun to see myself in the game.

I think it was fantastic being in the 49ers Hall of Fame.

Montana and I had a chemistry that was unbelievable. When I first came into the league he told me I added five years to his career, and I just think we complimented each other very well and were able to do some amazing things out on the football field.

My agent said, 'Jerry, Dancing With the Stars - they want you on there.' I said, 'Ain't no way. I'm not going to do that.' Then he came back to me again, and he kept putting pressure on me. I said, 'All right, I'll give it a try.'

My hat goes off to Drew and Cheryl. It's well-deserved.

I felt I came in and gave it my best shot and I still wanted to play. It didn't happen. I am still going to hold my head high and stay positive.

What you saw out there on the football field was an individual who loved the game.

I think what you saw out there on the football field was an individual who really just loved the game. I was just like a little kid. I enjoyed the hard work and the dedication and the preparation I had to make to try to be one of the best receivers to ever play the game. The first 10 years, my wife and I, we never took a vacation.

People are on to us right now. They're got our number. We have to regroup and start doing something a little more different. I'm not saying we're predictable, but when you've got the opponent out there calling out plays, and they know what's coming, then we've got a problem. They know what plays we're calling. They pretty much know what routes we're running. They pretty much have us down right now.

I think Jerry can still contribute, but it's got to be in the right situation.

Over the years, probably since I left San Francisco (in 2000), this is one of my best camps. I know exactly what to do on the football field out there. I know what is expected of me every practice, going full bore and setting an example for the younger guys. I'm having a lot of fun.

I think everybody knew he was going to be special, but we didn't know when. Just like Joe had a presence, Steve had a presence. It was different, but it was there. We just knew we were lucky to have two guys like that.

I think it was the right thing. I know how hard this was for him. He would like to play until he was 60 if he could.

To me it was never about what I accomplished on the football field, ... it was about the way I played the game.

I wanted to earn my position. I didn't want to have anything given to me. I came in here and competed, but those guys are playing well right now.

That's it for me. I'm done and I'm looking forward to the next phase in my life now.

People today are always on their cell phones, so I thought why not reach my fans this way. I will establish closer relationships with my fans using these mobile services,

The one thing about T.O. is that T.O. is very defensive,

I'm working more now than when I played football. It feels right.

I'm very happy I decided to take the chance.

I'm just going to take it and try to make the best of it. I've got to show them I can handle what they're going to throw at me.

I'm out the door. I'm on that team. Without a doubt.

If you have a chance, that's all you want. And I feel we have a chance.

I just told him, 'Hey, you've got to let it go. He's a hard worker and I think he wants success, but he's got to keep on pushing. When the opportunity is there, that's when you've got to take advantage of it.

I pretty much approach every season never thinking about what I accomplished the year before.

I never thought I would see this day. But it's here now and I feel pretty good about it.

I never thought I'd ever see this day.

This is a happy day for me. I think the tears that you see basically is that I have really enjoyed this ride. It's been really great, really fantastic.

It's a really good thing they're having this for free, especially for guys like me who don't have health-care insurance.

He's in another world right now. He's in that zone. He's seeing the field so well, he's not making mistakes, he's throwing strikes. It's remarkable what he's doing.

If he feels like you've crossed him or something like that ? that you've stabbed him in the back ? he doesn't forget that. As a professional athlete, you've got to be able to move on. You've got to put the team first.

I am very glad that I decided to take a chance.

Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't.

I think my secret is that there's no shortcuts for hard work, determination and having that don't give up attitude.

After I got disciplined I got introduced to football and then after that everything just took off for me. I had a lot of role models: the teachers, the coaches. Watching them give so much to so many students so they can be successful in life basically just ingrained in me that I think it's more gratifying for me to give back and than just to receive.

The Enemy of the best is the good. If you're always settling with what's good, you'll never be the best.

Once you get your education it's going to open up so many doors for you. And the sky's the limit. So that's what I want to deliver to students.

I had that hunger, that desire, to be successful and I wasn’t going to let anything stand in my way.

I want to do a good job. I'm just learning and I just want to have fun with it.

The chemistry between a quarterback and a receiver is almost like a dance.

I think with my hands, it was catching a lot of footballs and working with my father during the summer because he would always make me. My father was a bricklayer so I was a helper. My job was to make sure that he had bricks to lay.

My first experience with football was not very good because I didn't plan on playing football. I was just playing hookie one day and I was a sophomore and decided not to go to class. And the principal - normally he does his rounds and I thought I had him down pretty good where he was going to be - he sort of walked up behind me and scared me. He noticed I could run real fast. So that's how I got introduced to football.

I was always in search of a perfect game and I never got it.

They never clocked me on my way to the end zone. They never caught me because I ran scared.

I have been blessed with a long and healthy career as a professional athlete and as I move forward into the next stage of my life, chiropractic care will continue to be an important part of my game.

I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.

I do a lot of running, and I do it every day. I run on a track, I run hills and I work the stair-stepper extremely hard. I do some type of cardio every day. In addition, I have a passion for golf, and that helps me stay fit, too.

The game of life requires the edge that chiropractic care provides,

The same thing I applied to football, I applied to trying to be an actor and hopefully it came off well.

We have seen some of the greatest athletes fall because they have tried to take shortcuts. I'm not going to call any names but we talk about guys that was like at the top of their game that people just idolized. They looked in awe and all of a sudden you see them just come tumbling down because they want to take shortcuts. I think it's more rewarding when you do it the old fashioned way.

Lynn Swann was an idol. It would amaze me how he could fly through the air and make those catches. I'll never forget the one versus Dallas. It was the greatest catch I've ever seen.

The absolute worst thing a receiver can do is worry about not catching the ball or about getting hit.

Coming from the South, I just felt you had to work just a little bit harder. It was not going to be handed to you. I'd get the letters from all the major schools but no one came out to talk to me face to face until this small, dominant black school, Mississippi State Valley University sent a coach out to me. I had a chance to talk to him and he said, 'Hey Jerry, we're going to be doing some great things at Mississippi Valley State University and we would love to have you there.'

I could barely speak after I was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. I was going to play for the defending Super Bowl champions.... I immediately thought of all the great players on the team. I was in awe, as I had watched these soon-to-be legends play on television. They epitomized for me what football was all about: the love of the game, the professional approach, and the desire to win.

I want people to know if they have any hurting in their back, or any tingling or anything like that, go see a chiropractor and help yourself feel better about your body and take some of that pain away.

I used to help out my father, a bricklayer, in the summer. I'd catch the bricks (that were dropped). And it made me strong, catching those bricks. I wouldn't change anything about it. That's why I'm where I am today. Really.

Most injuries require chiropractic care. It works better for me than anything else.

When you begin to lose the fire a little bit and if you're not giving 100 percent out there, then it's time for you to leave because you'll end up getting hurt - I want to be able to walk away on top.

Chiropractic was the key to keeping me in the game.

I played the game for 20 years, and I think that kept me on the football field, being adjusted. Getting hit so many times, being all out of whack, and going in to see my chiropractor kept me back on the football field.

As a fan, you want to be able to go to a football game, you want to feel secure, you want to be able to just watch the game, root for your team, and that's the way it should be.

I had to work hard and hit the books because the opportunity to play in the NFL is not really that big, so I knew I needed something to fall back on. That's the message I want to send to those kids when I talk to them in person and let them know the most important thing is getting your education.

I think just what my parents instilled in me was hard work and being able to always go out there and focus and be 100%. I took that work ethic into the NFL and everyday I always gave 100% and never wanted anything to be handed to me. I wanted to earn it. And every time I stepped on that football field during practice I wanted to leave that football field with learning something about what the practice was about for me that day.

Not wanting to disappoint is what pushed me to be successful.