He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals third overall in the 1996 NFL draft.
In his 12-year NFL career, Rice recorded 122 sacks, forced 25 fumbles, recovered 8, and intercepted 5 passes.
His father knew that his son had the physical gifts of speed, size and strength to be a great athlete, but he insisted that Simeon understand the importance of hard work.
Before his senior season, Coach Lenti had a talk with Simeon and told him there was still time to be great at football, but he had to accept that he was better suited for defense.
Carmel trailing, Simeon had a sack that caused a turnover which gave the team the momentum to mount a comeback victory.
[1] After three days of practice, University of Illinois defensive coordinator Denny Marcin told Rice's parents that their son was destined for greatness.
That season, he had 9 sacks, a school record for a freshman and was voted the Big Ten rookie of the year.
After the season, Mel Kiper of ESPN said that Simeon may be the top pick in the draft if he decided to leave school early.
His head coach Lou Tepper called around to NFL teams that said that if Rice was selected in the first round, it would not be until the later half.
His intelligence, maturity, an unquestioned ability to rush the quarterback and a 4.5 second time in the 40 yard dash made Rice a sure-fire first round draft choice.
After a contract dispute that lasted through training camp, Rice signed a 4-year, $9.5 million deal.
Lining up at defensive end, Rice's first snap as a pro resulted in a tackle for a 2-yard loss on Indianapolis Colts running back Marshall Faulk.
Rice himself lost the admiration of the fans by playing semi-professional basketball for the Philadelphia Power of the USBL.
Gruden's high-energy style and the addition of Keenan McCardell and Michael Pittman to the offense helped the Buccaneers reach the Super Bowl.
They beat the Oakland Raiders 48-21 for the first Super Bowl victory in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' history.
He finished the second half of the season on injured reserve after requiring surgery for his left shoulder due to having bone chips that caused inflammation and soreness.
After sitting out the 2008 season, Rice signed with the New York Sentinels of the United Football League on August 27, 2009.
Yashi Rice, his younger sister and Legends Football League player, was his first signee.
[12] For the 2021 season, Rice joined WTSP in Tampa, Florida as a co-host for their pregame show The Blitz.
In four separate seasons, Rice had 14 or more sacks, a mark only exceeded by Reggie White, Bruce Smith, and Kevin Greene.
[5][16] Rice's son Jordan Caroline is a professional basketball player for Kaohsiung Jeoutai Technology.