Jerry Rice Attempts Second Career in Pro Golf

Jerry Rice

Former NFL wide receiver Jerry Rice will make his professional golf debut at a Nationwide Tour event in California today, turning a lifelong passion into reality.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime here,” Rice told the Associated Press. “You know I’m a competitor. I don’t want to go out there and have those players who are playing on the Nationwide Tour think this is a publicity stunt for attention. It’s not. … I have the opportunity to go out and prove to everybody I can play golf.”

Rice, 47, said he used to wake up at 4 a.m. so he could get to the driving range and hit golf balls before he was due at work with the San Francisco 49ers for 8:30 a.m. meetings. He’d return to the range after football practice.