JERRY RICE
Jerry Rice is another thoroughly dedicated player that’s been
featured by Men’s Fitness in the past. As Rice remarks in the piece, he was obsessive about training, having teammates coming to practice with him during the off-season then overworking most of them. When it comes to the start of his pro playing days, despite a strong college career, several teams shied away from him due to his mediocre 40-yard dash speed (4.71 sec.), although the 49ers still picked him 16th overall.
Ignoring any possible doubts in his own potential, Rice probably became the most disciplined, explosive route runner in NFL history and his work ethic kept him going for 20 productive seasons, in which he played in more games than any other NFL wide receiver. In the end, his devotion to the game made him one of the best players of all time, setting the all-time records in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns while being selected to 13 Pro Bowls and winning three Super Bowls.
