Jerry Rice is arguably the greatest receiver of all-time, even though he didn’t quite possess the same “measurable” physical gifts as more heralded players such as Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson.

Rice is alleged to have run a pedestrian (for a wide receiver) 4.71 forty-yard dash time at the NFL combine in 1985, although those numbers have been disputed by former Dallas Cowboys GM Gil Brandt, who said Rice timed a lot faster than the numbers that have been thrown around for decades.

“We timed Jerry in the 40 nine times,” Brandt said according to the San Jose Mercury-News, “and he never got under 4.55.”




Rice was never a huge fan of the 40-yard dash anyway, and preferred to show off his speed in games by catching passes over the middle and taking them the distance.

“The 40 is overrated,” Jerry Rice said. “I never ran a good 40, but they couldn’t catch me.”

In November 2020, Rice’s son Brenden, a highly regarded former prospect in his own right, ran a glorified 40-yard dash of his own in the middle of a game against Stanford in Boulder, Colorado, for his first-ever college TD.

 




 

In the second quarter with Colorado leading 7-6, Rice streaked down the left sideline, running free thanks to a blown coverage by the Cardinal defense.

Buffaloes quarterback Sam Noyer found Rice in stride, and Rice showed off his family’s trademark hands by reaching back and hauling in the pass en route to the endzone.

The historic first-ever Rice TD can be seen at the 47-second mark below.




Brenden Rice Turns in Solid Second Season with Buffaloes 

Following his highlight reel first play with Colorado, Rice went on to score one other touchdown in 2020.

In 2021, he caught 21 balls for 299 yards and three touchdowns with Colorado.