Jerry Rice remembers unforgettable Super Bowl plays
Over the past five decades, 19 NFL franchises have brought home at least one Lombardi trophy. Wide receiver Jerry Rice helped earn three Super Bowl titles for the San Francisco 49ers.
The MVP of Super Bowl 23 has now assembled a list of some of the greatest Super Bowl moments in his new book, "50 Years, 50 Moments: The Most Unforgettable Plays in Super Bowl History."
On "CBS This Morning" Tuesday, Rice revealed who stole the number one spot - quarterback Joe Namath of the New York Jets, who was named MVP after leading the Jets to victory in Super Bowl III.
"His rookie season, he had surgery and the doctor told him 'you got four years of professional football,'" explained Rice. "And for him to be able to win a Super Bowl...man he was unbelievable."
Rice gave the title of "greatest catches of all time" to David Tyree's iconic "helmet catch" in the 2008 Super Bowl. In the last two-minutes of the game, the New York Giants wide receiver caught the ball from quarterback Eli Manning mid-air, pinning it against his helmet and leading his team to the winning touchdown.
"If he drops that ball, that game is over. So I think that really impacted the Super Bowl," Rice said.
An MVP-player himself, Rice said he was motivated to play the "best football" by failure, quoting the words of Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi.
According to Rice, "when [Lombardi] got the job, he said, 'I've never been associated with losing, I'm not about to now. If you guys are losers, there are Greyhound buses leaving every hour.'"
Rice, who is the only player to score three touchdowns in a Super Bowl game twice, also did not shy away from giving himself a mention in his book, taking the number 28 spot for most unforgettable play.
When asked how he had developed "soft hands" for the ball, Rice explained: "They had this myth out there that I learned how to catch football from catching bricks. No, you have to be able to cradle the ball and the receivers that really have confidence, they utilize their hands."
Rice also said both the management of the organization as well the individual talents of the players were crucial for the success of a team.