If “Greatest Wide Receiver in Football History” were put to a vote, Jerry Rice would win unanimously. Statistically speaking, one can make the case he was the greatest football player ever. The San Francisco 49ers recognized his talent at Mississippi Valley State, trading up to take him with the 16th pick in the 1985 draft. Over the next 16 years he rewarded the Niner faithful with three Super Bowls. When he finally retired after 20 seasons, Rice held an unfathomable 38 NFL records. He remains the all-time leader in touchdowns (208) and TD catches (197), receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895) and yards from scrimmage (23,540).
In 1989, Rice teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Joe Montana for one of the greatest campaigns in team history. After snatching 82 balls for 1,483 yards and 17 TD's (both tops in NFL), Rice led the 14-2 Niners into the playoffs where they handily defeated the Vikings, Redskins and then the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV by the score of 55-10. All Jerry did in that game was record 7 catches for 148 yards and 3 TD's. Not a bad follow-up performance to his Super Bowl MVP the year prior. Presented here is a Jerry Rice game used helmet from that special championship season signed by nearly 50 team members. It comes directly from the personal collection of Rice's 49ers teammate, starting cornerback Eric Davis, with a letter signed by Rice himself confirming the gift.
According to Davis, this helmet was in Rice's rotation during the '89 season and, at some point during the early part of the 1990 season, he decided to officially "retire" it from game action. He got practically the entire team to autograph the outer shell, including Hall of Famers Rice, Montana and Steve Young as well as Roger Craig, Tom Rathman, John Taylor, Brent Jones, Steve Bono, Don Griffin, Eric Davis, Keena Turner, Michael Carter, Kevin Fagan, Pierce Holt, Bill Romanowski, Matt Millen, Harry Sydney, Spencer Tillman, Wesley Walls, Mike Sherard, Mike Wilson, Dexter Carter, Barry Helton, Mike Cofer, Jesse Sapolu, Steve Wallace, etc. Even Dwight Clark (RIP), who gave us "The Catch" and worked in the 49ers front office until 1998, has signed the helmet. The signatures are all done in black marker ranging 7-9/10 in strength.
The Schutt 'AiR' model helmet employs the brand's interior foam cushion and air bladder padding system. The gold shell is adorned with the era-appropriate 'SF' logo decal on either side and the 49ers' classic red and white stripes down the middle. A “49ERS” sticker covers the 'AiR' model stamp on the front rubber guard above the facemask. The rear has the manufacturer's warning label. Rice's iconic uniform number "80" is handwritten in black marker inside the left earhole. Inside the right earhole are two more manufacture sticker warning labels. The chinstrap is missing but both padded ear pads are present. The gray facemask with a double-bar cage is completely intact, with a few punctures from contact. All four mask clips are dated "89". Overall, the helmet shows solid game use with several scratches and contact marks. Helmets are sacred to many players, as this one surely was for Rice, and photos indicate he wore a couple different styles in 1989 and '89 employing both double and triple bar masks.
Includes LOA signed by Rice to Eric Davis. LOA from Beckett for autographs.