Jerry Rice retired as the leader in a number of statistics. His 1,549 receptions were 448 receptions ahead of the second place record held by Cris Carter. His 22,895 receiving yards were 7,961 yards ahead of the second place spot held by his Raiders teammate Tim Brown. His 197 touchdown receptions were 67 scores more than Carter's 130, and his 207 total touchdowns were 32 scores ahead of Emmitt Smith's second place spot of 175.

To get an idea of how massive his 22,895 receiving yards are, if Rice had not gained any other yards on rush attempts or kick returns, his 22,895 receiving yards would still rank him second place on the NFL's list all-purpose yard leaders (category based on combination of rushing, receiving, kick/punt return yards, and interception/fumble return yards).

But perhaps even more than his records, Rice will always be remembered for his supreme work ethic and dedication to the game. In his 20 NFL seasons, Rice missed only 17 regular season games, with 14 of them occurring in a single year (the 1997 season when he tore his knee ligaments), and the other 3 occurring in the strike shortened season of 1987. His 303 games are by far the most ever played by an NFL wide receiver, and are only 51 games behind the NFL record.

In 1999, he was ranked number 2 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. Only Jim Brown was ranked ahead of him, and Rice -- 35 places ahead of the next-highest-ranked player then active, Deion Sanders -- would play another five seasons. TSN made a list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players the same year, and revised that list in 2005, with some significant changes, reflecting subsequent achievements by players still active in the 1999 to 2004 seasons. They have not done the same for football; if they do revise their list, a very good case could be made for Rice at number one.