Simeon Rice
Encyclopedia
Simeon James Rice [ˈsɪmiən] (born February 24, 1974 in Chicago
, Illinois
) is a former American football
defensive end
, last playing in 2009. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals
third overall in the 1996 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Illinois
.
In his 12-year NFL career, Rice recorded 122 sacks, earned three Pro Bowl
selections and earned a Super Bowl ring
with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
in Super Bowl XXXVII
. He has also played for the Denver Broncos
, Indianapolis Colts
and New York Sentinels.
on Chicago's south side, the same school as Minnesota Vikings
quarterback
Donovan McNabb
and former NBA star Antoine Walker
.
, where he set the Big Ten Conference
record for career sacks with 44.5; the record was previously held by Mark Messner
of Michigan
with 36. As a junior, he set a school single season sack record with 16 sacks. He was also a two-time All-America
pick.
Due to his enormous size (6-5, 253 lb.) for a linebacker, his great speed (4.5 40-yard dash), and his outstanding pass-rushing ability Rice drew comparisons to Lawrence Taylor
.
team in 2002, but was edged out of the MVP voting by his teammate Dexter Jackson. He was placed on Injured Reserve midway through the 2006 season with a shoulder ailment. After he refused to take a pay cut, the Buccaneers released him.
to a one-year contract. Unhappy with playing time, he asked to be released.
suffered a season-ending Lisfranc fracture
of his foot. Rice appeared in just two games with Indianapolis before being released on November 27. He recorded one tackle and one sack with the Colts.
Rice left the NFL as the active leader in sacks with 122 which ranks 12th all-time. Rice was also the second fastest player to achieve 100 career sacks behind Eagles/Packers legend Reggie White
.
of the United Football League on August 27, 2009.
, Rice premiered his first movie as director, "When I Was King," two days before the 2011 Super Bowl in Dallas.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
) is a former American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
, last playing in 2009. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
third overall in the 1996 NFL Draft
1996 NFL Draft
The 1996 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 20–21, 1996...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
.
In his 12-year NFL career, Rice recorded 122 sacks, earned three Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selections and earned a Super Bowl ring
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the winners of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl...
with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
in Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season...
. He has also played for the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
and New York Sentinels.
Early years
He attended Mount Carmel High SchoolMount Carmel High School (Chicago)
Mount Carmel High School is an all boys, Catholic high school in the city of Chicago, Illinois. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, the school has been operated by the Carmelite order of priests and brothers since 1900...
on Chicago's south side, the same school as Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
and former NBA star Antoine Walker
Antoine Walker
Antoine Devon Walker is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League...
.
College career
Simeon Rice played outside linebacker at the University of IllinoisUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, where he set the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
record for career sacks with 44.5; the record was previously held by Mark Messner
Mark Messner
Mark W. Messner is a former American football defensive lineman and linebacker.Messner played college football at Michigan from 1985 to 1988. The lineman from Hartland, Michigan was the Wolverines' sack leader in 1985-1987. The 1985 defense has been described as the best defense in the history...
of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
with 36. As a junior, he set a school single season sack record with 16 sacks. He was also a two-time All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
pick.
Due to his enormous size (6-5, 253 lb.) for a linebacker, his great speed (4.5 40-yard dash), and his outstanding pass-rushing ability Rice drew comparisons to Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League...
.
Arizona Cardinals
Rice was drafted by the Cardinals with the 3rd overall pick of the 1996 NFL Draft. He recorded 12.5 sacks as a rookie, and in 1998 he helped the team reach the playoffs.Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rice signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent before the 2001 season and was on the winning Super BowlSuper Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
team in 2002, but was edged out of the MVP voting by his teammate Dexter Jackson. He was placed on Injured Reserve midway through the 2006 season with a shoulder ailment. After he refused to take a pay cut, the Buccaneers released him.
Denver Broncos
On September 3, 2007, Rice was signed by the Denver BroncosDenver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
to a one-year contract. Unhappy with playing time, he asked to be released.
Indianapolis Colts
On November 9, 2007, Rice was placed on waivers and claimed by the Indianapolis Colts three days later, one day after Colt defensive end Dwight FreeneyDwight Freeney
Dwight Jason Freeney is an American football defensive end who currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted in the 1st round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse University.-Early years:Freeney attended Bloomfield High School...
suffered a season-ending Lisfranc fracture
Lisfranc fracture
The Lisfranc fracture is a fracture of the foot in which one or all of the metatarsals are displaced from the tarsus.It is named after 18th- and 19th-century surgeon and gynecologist Jacques Lisfranc de St. Martin.-Causes:...
of his foot. Rice appeared in just two games with Indianapolis before being released on November 27. He recorded one tackle and one sack with the Colts.
Rice left the NFL as the active leader in sacks with 122 which ranks 12th all-time. Rice was also the second fastest player to achieve 100 career sacks behind Eagles/Packers legend Reggie White
Reggie White
Reginald Howard "Reggie" White was a professional American football player. He played 15 seasons as a defensive end in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers, becoming one of the most decorated players in NFL history...
.
New York Sentinels
After sitting out the 2008 season, Rice signed with the New York SentinelsNew York Sentinels
The New York Sentinels and Hartford Colonials are a currently inactive professional American football team that played in the United Football League in its 2009 and 2010 seasons...
of the United Football League on August 27, 2009.
Music/Film career
After football, Rice began a career in the entertainment industry. He started his own Hip-Hop/R&B record label, named "Lucid Dream Entertainment." Yashi, his younger sister, was his first signee. Yashi Rice has released her first single, titled "Serious." He also appeared in Slum Village video "Climax" along with Saafir and Gary Coleman. A 2009 graduate of the New York Film AcademyNew York Film Academy
New York Film Academy - School of Film and Acting is a film school andacting school based in New York City, Universal City, California, USA and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. NYFA offers short-term film-making and acting courses, as well as one- and two-year conservatory and Master of Fine Arts...
, Rice premiered his first movie as director, "When I Was King," two days before the 2011 Super Bowl in Dallas.