NFL legend Jerry Rice says he is starting to weigh getting into coaching thanks to his longtime rival and short-time teammate Deion Sanders, according to a report.
Since being hired as head coach of Jackson State in Mississippi in 2020, Sanders has been making waves in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Last year, Jackson State achieved its first 11-win season, and the team won its first conference championship since 2007.
Rice was a college star at Mississippi Valley State, another SWAC school, which Jackson State defeated 28-19 in October.
It’s possible the success of Sanders – who also hauled an impressive recruiting class this year — has prompted Rice to think about coaching.
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Jerry Rice (80) and Deion Sanders (21) of the San Francisco 49ers at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. (Getty Images)
When asked by Sports Illustrated this month if he was interested in becoming a head coach, Rice said: “Not until Deion with Jackson State.”
“Because I felt like I played the game for such a long time. And I was so totally committed. And I just poured everything into my career, that I didn’t have anything left. Because, as a coach, you really don’t have a life. I mean, coaching. It is hard, man, it takes up the majority of your time,” Rice said.
“But yeah, it takes a total commitment. And you got to be all in. So, it started to cross my mind just a little bit, now,” he added.
Rice and Sanders were both rivals and teammates during their NFL careers. They played for the San Francisco 49ers during the 1994 season, and Sanders helped the team win Super Bowl XXIX over the San Diego Chargers.
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Both players also had different approaches the game, which led to tension during that season.
“I knew that Deion brought a lot of baggage, but I wanted him on the team because he could help us get to the Super Bowl,” the wide receiver previously said on NFL Network’s “Jerry Rice: A Football Life.”
The following season, Sanders left to join the rival Dallas Cowboys, and he won another Super Bowl.
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A connection between the two players continued last year, as Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who is Deion Sanders’ son, won the Jerry Rice Award, which is presented to the national freshman player of the year in Division I FCS.