Tony Rice (football)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tony Rice | |
|---|---|
 Tony Rice as featured on the cover of Sports illustrated |
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| Date of birth | September 5, 1967 |
| Place of birth | Spartanburg, South Carolina |
| Position(s) | QB |
| College | ND |
| Honors | 1989 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award 1989 4th in Heisman Trophy 1989 All-American Team |
| Team(s) | |
| 1991 1992 |
Saskatchewan Rough Riders (CFL) Barcelona Dragons |
Tony Rice (b. September 5, 1967 in Spartanburg, South Carolina) is a former professional American football player, playing quarterback in the Canadian Football League and World League of American Football. Rice is perhaps best remembered as the dynamic option quarterback of the University of Notre Dame's 1988 National Championship Team under coach Lou Holtz. Rice would play professional football for only two seasons for the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Rough Riders and the Barcelona Dragons of the World League of American Football in 1991 and 1992.
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[edit] Recruitment and Proposition 48
Rice entered Notre Dame in 1986 and was the crown jewel in Holtz's first recruiting class. Rice was one of the first (and few) Notre Dame players ever admitted under the NCAA rules of Proposition 48, which stated that in order to participate during his (or her) freshman year, an athlete must (1) be a high school graduate; (2) have a high school grade point average of 2.0 in an 11-course core curriculum; and (3) have scored 700 (out of a possible 1600) on the SAT or 17 (out of a possible 36) on the ACT. If he (or she) failed to meet those standards, the athlete would not be allowed to play or practice with a college team his (or her) freshman year. Because Rice failed to meet the required 700 on his SAT (he scored a 690), he was forced to sit out the entire 1986 season. Even with future NFL quarterback Steve Beurlein leading the offense the team struggled to a 5-6 record.
[edit] The 1987 season and Notre Dame's return to prominence
In 1987, Tony Rice became the starting quarterback for Notre Dame. The Irish would finish the season 8-4 and earn a berth to the Cotton Bowl where they would endure a 35-10 loss to 13th-ranked Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. Despite the loss the team showed dramatic improvement and would finish the year ranked #17, the team's first Top 25 finish since 1980.
The elusive, strong-armed Rice was a perfect fit for Holtz's ball control, run-oriented offense. Despite standing only 6'1" 200 lbs., he had great speed (4.5 40 yard dash time) for a quarterback, and tremendous strength, which made him an incredibly difficult player to contain. For the year he would finish with over 1,000 yards of total offense and 8 total TDs (663 yards, 1 TD passing and 337 yards, 7 TDs rushing).
[edit] The 1988 National Championship Season
1988 would see Notre Dame claim their first National Championship in 11 years. For the season the team would go a perfect 12–0 enroute to claiming the school'record eighth National Championshop since the AP poll began in 1936. The season would feature dramatic wins over top ranked opponents including Michigan, USC, and arch-rival Miami in addition to featuring several prominent future NFL players including Raghib Ismail, Ricky Watters, Chris Zorich, Derek Brown, Todd Lyght, Pat Terrell, Tony Brooks, Anthony Johnson, Andy Heck, Tim Grunhard and Rodney Culver. In all, 21 of the 22 starters on the 1988 National Championship team would who go on to play in the NFL, the lone exception being Tony Rice.
[edit] Matchup versus Miami
Miami was No.1 and Notre Dame No.4 when they met in South Bend on Oct.15. The Irish held a 31–21 lead in the third quarter, but the Hurricanes rallied to within 31–30 on a touchdown with 45 seconds left in the game. The Canes went for the two-point conversion and missed.
[edit] Matchup versus USC
Six weeks later, #1 Notre Dame visited #2 USC at the L.A. Coliseum (burial ground for many highly-regarded Irish teams). The USC team led by All-American and future Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner Rodney Peete was 10-0 and a truly formidable team. Entering the game Peete was leading the nation in passing and was a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy. Notre Dame would additionally be playing without leading pass receiver Ricky Watters, and leading rusher Tony Brooks, both of whom were suspended for arriving late to team meetings. Tony Rice would have a spectacular day, including a breathtaking 65 yard TD run which would seal the victory. The Irish would win the game handily 27-10 and propel them into the National Championship game.
[edit] Fiesta Bowl Win
Coming into the 1989 Fiesta Bowl, Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz insisted that his team couldn't pass the ball against West Virginia. Tony Rice simply smiled and agreed. But by the end of the game he had outplayed Mountaineer quarterback Major Harris by completing 7 of 11 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns.
Rice would finish the year with 1,176 yards and 8 TDs passing and 700 yards and 9 TDs rushing.
[edit] Personal
- Featured on a total four Sports Illustrated covers during the 1988 and 1989 seasons.
- Named the No. 41 athlete in South Carolina history by Sports Illustrated.
- Was the only starter on the 1988 National Championship Team never to play in the NFL.
- According to Don Yeager's Under The Tarnished Dome was easily able to throw the ball 75 yards.
- Took up darts at the suggestion of a Notre Dame fan to improve his accuracy throwing the football.
