Simeon Rice's name was a source of terror for NFL quarterbacks during an era of peak competitiveness for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now that name will be displayed permanently on the façade of the Buccaneers' home, Raymond James Stadium, as the franchise honors another one of its all-time greats.
On Monday, the Buccaneers announced that Rice will become the 16th person inducted into the Ring of Honor at Raymond James. His name will join those of 15 other Buccaneer legends on the stadium walls this season during a halftime ceremony when Tampa Bay plays the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, November 30.
"During his Hall of Fame-worthy 12-year career, Simeon Rice established himself as one of the most dominant pass rushers in NFL history and is immensely deserving of his place as the 16th member in the Buccaneers Ring of Honor," said Buccaneers Owner/Co-Chairman Bryan Glazer. "Simeon arrived in Tampa prior to the 2001 season and immediately elevated our defense into one of the greatest of all-time. He left an indelible mark on our franchise, and we look forward to honoring and celebrating his great career this upcoming season."
One of the greatest pass-rushers in franchise history, Rice was also one of the most feared quarterback hunters of his era. In an eight-year period from 1998-2005, including five seasons in a Tampa Bay uniform, Rice racked up a league-leading 101.5 sacks, outpacing such contemporaries as current Pro Football Hall of Fame members Michael Strahan and Jason Taylor. Rice finished his NFL career with 122.0 sacks and recorded eight seasons in which he hit double digits in that category. That is tied for the seventh most 10+-sack seasons in league history, behind only six members of the Hall of Fame.
Rice joined the Buccaneers as an unrestricted free agent signing in 2001 after five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, who had made him the third overall pick in the 1996 draft. He quickly proved to be the final piece to the puzzle of what would become one of the most legendary defenses of all time, leading the team in sacks and surpassing double digits in each of his first five seasons in Tampa. That made Rice just the fifth player in league history to surpass 10 sacks in five consecutive seasons for the same team.
That defense peaked in just Rice's second season with the Buccaneers leading the NFL in a long list of categories, including points allowed (12.3) and yards allowed (252.8) per game. Rice led that defense with 15.5 sacks during the regular season, then had four more in the Buccaneers' postseason run to their first Super Bowl title, including two in Super Bowl XXXVII.
With his induction, Rice becomes the eighth figure from that Super Bowl team to make it into the team's Ring of Honor, joining fullback Mike Alstott, cornerback Rondé Barber, linebacker Derrick Brooks, owner/president Malcolm Glazer, head coach Jon Gruden, safety John Lynch and defensive tackle Warren Sapp. The other eight members of the Buccaneers' Ring of Honor are head coach Bruce Arians, head coach Tony Dungy, tight end Jimmie Giles, tackle Paul Gruber, defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, head coach John McKay, defensive end Lee Roy Selmon and quarterback Doug Williams.
In addition to his five seasons in Arizona (1996-2000) and six in Tampa (2001-06), Rice also saw action with the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts in 2007. He played in 174 games with 161 starts and, in addition to those 122 sacks, also recorded 472 tackles, five interceptions, 59 passes defensed, 34 forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries. He played in and started seven postseason games, adding 23 tackles, 7.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two passes defensed. Rice was selected for Three Pro Bowls and was a three-time Associated Press All-Pro selection, including a first-team choice during the 2002 Super Bowl season. Rice was also the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1996.
