NFL
Jerry Rice Learned How to Catch a Football by Snagging Bricks
Bob Garcia has spent eight years covering sports professionally, and he ed Sportscasting in 2019. Bob excels at covering the NFL, NBA, and NASCAR for Sportscasting while also working to build knowledge and expertise in other sports, as well. His lifelong ion for sports led to Bob earning a bachelor's degree in journalism and hitting the hardwood to play basketball in his spare time. Bob keeps up to date on the latest sports news by reading the work of industry insiders such as Adam Schefter, Ian Rapoport, Adrian Wojnarowski, Dave McMenamin, Todd Archer, Gary Klein, and Brad Turner. His work has appeared previously at ClutchPoints, About.com, and Sports Out West, where he attended games, press conferences, and media events as a Los Angeles Lakers beat reporter for four years.
Get to know Bob Garcia IV betterPublished08 May 2020
49ers player reached stardom, his path to the football field was nothing short of unique. This was especially true concerning the shocking way Rice learned to catch a football.
Jerry Rice learned to catch a football by grabbing bricks
Born in Starkville, Mississippi, Rice’s impeccable work ethic motivated him to perform at a high level at a young age. His father, a brick mason, taught him how to catch a football during the summer in a surprising way: Rice had to snag bricks his thrown to him, reports AOL.com.
Rice explained, “During the summer, my father would take me to work with him. He was a brick mason. My brother and I, we had developed this technique where you throw the bricks up, they were separated, and I was snatching them in the air. So, the myth about me learning to catch footballs from catching bricks, that’s where it came from.”
The fact that Rice applied his method of catching bricks to grabbing a football is nothing short of remarkable. It provided him with a different perspective on catching, which many players never experienced. It’s part of what made Rice such a dynamic athlete and one of the most sure-hand catchers in the NFL.
Jerry Rice’s NFL career
Rice entered the NFL after a historic campaign at Mississippi Valley State. It didn’t take long for the promising wideout to become a critical piece of the puzzle to the 49ers’ success with the Seattle Seahawks.
That saw him record historic numbers over his illustrious career that spanned two decades. The 60-year-old still holds NFL all-time records for receiving yards (22,895), receptions (1,549), and touchdown catches (197). Rice also still holds records for the most career touchdowns from scrimmage (207) and career all-purpose yards (23,546).
Beyond that, the three-time Super Bowl champion is a 13-time Pro Bowler, 10-time First-Team All-Pro selection, and two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
