This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/24/2016
If you thought NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice’s last football game occurred on January 2, 2005, as a member of the Seattle Seahawks, you would be wrong. Rice, the perennial All Pro wideout for the San Francisco 49ers, actually came back that spring and summer and competed for a roster spot on the Denver Broncos. He even participated in some pre-season action for the Broncos before deciding to hang up his cleats for good.
Speaking of cleats, this lot features one of Rice’s last game-worn pairs while he was trying out for the Broncos. The black, white and silver Nike Football cleats show preseason game wear and both come autographed in white paint pen by Rice on the rear right side. The left cleat is personalized “To Al,” while the right cleats has uniform “#19” underneath Rice’s signature, which is correct given his short stint in Denver. Long known for wearing number “80,” Rice was given the number 19 since longtime Bronco wideout Rod Smith wore number 80. Coincidentally "19" was the number former Niners Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana took when he joined the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of his prolific career. The pair of cleats are style-matched to 8/20/2005 game against 49ers. Shoes were taped during the game, so adhesive material remains on both shoes from where tape would have been removed adding to the likelihood that these were in fact those same cleats.
Autograph pre-certified by PSA/DNA.