HBCU Football: 10 of the best players of all time
By Dante Pryor
10. Jerry Rice, WR, Mississippi Valley State
Widely regarded by many as the greatest football player in NFL history, Jerry Rice is possibly the greatest wide receiver at any level setting both collegiate and professional record. Though there was some controversy about Rice’s 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine, fellow wide receiver John Taylor (who could have also made this list) said of Rice, “I never saw a defender catch him from behind.”
Before Rice was rewriting the NFL record book, the Crawford, Miss., native was doing the same on the Mississippi Delta. Rice played for Mississippi Valley State under HBCU legend Archie Cooley. Under “Gunslinger” Cooley, the Delta Devils were the first teams to use a no-huddle, spread offense.
Rice had 66 receptions, and 1,133 yards, and seven touchdowns as a sophomore as he and quarterback Willie Totten began the run their version of spread offense known as the “Satellite Express”. In 1983, Rice set records for receptions (102) and receiving yards (1,450) to break those records in 1984.
In 1984, Rice had 112 receptions and 1,845 yards with an NCAA record, 27 touchdowns an all-division record. The 1984 MVSU team had one of the best offensive seasons in college football history, scoring 628 points in 11 games (57.1 per game). In 2010, Rice was part of the inaugural class of the Black College Football Hall of Fame.