Players are ranked on how much impact from my perspective, that they have had during the 1990's. It's completely based on their individual performance on the field, during the regular season, the playoffs, and including any Super Bowl they may have taken part in. Players that have performed well in critical games, or during the critical part of games will get recognition for doing so. However, winning is a team effort, and although players will be recognized for their part in any win or loss, it ultimately will not affect their ranking. There are plenty of stats to sift through, and there are certainly other variables that could either support or oppose the results of this list, but having watched hundreds or maybe even thousands of games, I believe that my standards will prove to be an accurate assessment in almost every account.
I decided to rank them by position up to ten, then a ranking of all positions to ten. The time period begins March of 1990, through March of 2000. Eligibility is as follows; Players must have performed on the field during three different seasons within the time frame listed above. With much anticipation I give you the greatest NFL players of the 1990's.
QUARTERBACKS
1. STEVE YOUNG
2. BRETT FAVRE
3. JOHN ELWAY
4. DAN MARINO
5. WARREN MOON
6. JIM KELLY
7. TROY AIKMAN
8. DREW BLEDSOE
9. RANDAL CUNNINGHAM
10. MARK BRUNELL
HALFBACKS/ TAILBACKS
1. BARRY SANDERS
2. EMMITT SMITH
3. TERRELL DAVIS
4. THURMAN THOMAS
5. JEROME BETTIS
6. MARSHALL FAULK
7. EDDIE GEORGE
8. CURTIS MARTIN
9. RICKY WATTERS
10. CHRIS WARREN
WIDE RECEIVERS
1. JERRY RICE
2. CRIS CARTER
3. MICHAEL IRVIN
4. STERLING SHARPE
5. ANDRE REED
6. HERMAN MOORE
7. TIM BROWN
8. ANDRE RISON
9. HAYWOOD JEFFIRES
10. IRVING FRYAR
TIGHT ENDS
1. SHANNON SHARPE
2. BEN COATES
3. JAY NOVACEK
4. BRENT JONES
5. WESLEY WALLS
6. KEITH JACKSON
7. FRANK WYCHECK
8. ERIC GREEN
9. MARK CHMURA
10. MARV COOK
FULLBACKS
1. MIKE ALSTOTT
2. KIMBLE ANDERS
3. LARRY CENTERS
4. DARRYL JOHNSTON
5. KEITH BYARS
6. JOHN L. WILLIAMS
7. CHRISTIAN OKOYE
8. SAM GASH
9. TOM RATHMAN
10. CHARLES WAY
OFFENSIVE TACKLES
1. WILLIE ROAF
2. TONY BOSELLI
3. RICHMOND WEBB
4. LOMAS BROWN
5. ERIK WILLIAMS
6. GARY ZIMMERMAN
7. JONATHAN OGDEN
8. JIM LACHEY
9. ANTHONY MUNOZ
10. BRUCE ARMSTRONG
OFFENSIVE GUARDS
1. RANDAL MCDANIEL
2. LARRY ALLEN
3. STEVE WISNIEWSKI
4. MIKE MUNCHAK
5. BRUCE MATTHEWS
6. NATE NEWTON
7. WILL SHIELDS
8. RUBEN BROWN
9. GUY MCINTYRE
10. JIM RITCHER
CENTERS
1. DERMONTII DAWSON
2. BRUCE MATTHEWS
3. MARK STEPNOSKI
4. KENT HULL
5. KEVIN GLOVER
6. BART OATES
7. TOM NALEN
8. TONY MAYBERRY
9. DON MOSEBAR
10. JEFF CHRISTY
DEFENSIVE ENDS
1. REGGIE WHITE
2. BRUCE SMITH
3. NEIL SMITH
4. CHRIS DOLEMAN
5. LESLIE O'NEAL
6. WILLIAM FULLER
7. CLYDE SIMMONS
8. MICHAEL STRAHAN
9. CHARLES HALEY
10. RICHARD DENT
DEFENSIVE TACKLES
1. JOHN RANDLE
2. CORTEZ KENNEDY
3. MICHAEL DEAN PERRY
4. RAY CHILDRESS
5. CHESTER MCGLOCKTON
6. WARREN SAPP
7. DANA STUBBLEFIELD
8. BRYANT YOUNG
9. JERRY BALL
10. DARRELL RUSSELL
[3-4 OLB] EDGE RUSHERS
1. DERRICK THOMAS
2. GREG LLOYD
3. KEVIN GREENE
4. PAT SWILLING
5. BRYCE PAUP
6. CORNELIUS BENNETT
7. CHARLES HALEY
8. RICKEY JACKSON
9. DARRYL TALLEY
10. SIMON FLETCHER
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
1. JUNIOR SEAU
2. DERRICK BROOKS
3. CHAD BROWN
4. JESSIE ARMSTEAD
5. KEN HARVEY
6. SETH JOYNER
7. WILBER MARSHALL
8. MO LEWIS
9. WILLIAM THOMAS
10. PETER BOULWARE
INSIDE LINEBACKERS
1. HARDY NICKERSON
2. MIKE SINGLETARY
3. ZACH THOMAS
4. RAY LEWIS
5. SAM MILLS
6. CHRIS SPIELMAN
7. JESSIE TUGGLE
8. KEN NORTON JR.
9. PEPPER JOHNSON
10. BRYAN COX
CORNER BACKS
1. DEION SANDERS
2. ROD WOODSON
3. AENEAS WILLIAMS
4. DARRELL GREEN
5. ERIC ALLEN
6. TERRY MCDANIEL
7. DALE CARTER
8. CRIS DISHMAN
9. ERIC DAVIS
10. TY LAW
SAFETY'S
1. DARREN WOODSON
2. STEVE ATWATER
3. LEROY BUTLER
4. RONNIE LOTT
5. CARNELL LAKE
6. MERTON HANKS
7. TIM MCDONALD
8. EUGENE ROBINSON
9. ERIC TURNER
10. LAWYER MILLOY
PUNTERS
1. RICH CAMARILLO
2. DARREN BENNETT
3. MATT TURK
4. REGGIE ROBY
5. TOM TUPA
6. SEAN LANDETA
7. GREG MONTGOMERY
8. ROHN STARK
9. CRAIG HENTRICH
10. CHRIS GARDOCKI
KICKERS
1. MORTON ANDERSEN
2. JOHN CARNEY
3. GARY ANDERSON
4. NICK LOWERY
5. PETE STOYANOVICH
6. JASON ELAM
7. JASON HANSON
8. JOHN KASAY
9. NORM JOHNSON
10. CHRIS JACKE
TOP TEN PLAYERS OVERALL OF THE 1990'S
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| Derrick Thomas |
His pass rushing specialty continued on the professional level as he amassed 10 sacks as a rookie for the Chiefs in 1989. He also added 75 tackles that season to earn Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Following the season, Thomas was named to the first of nine straight Pro Bowls.
The 6'3", 243-pound linebacker showcased his talent in a big way during his second NFL season. He recorded a league-leading and team record 20 sacks that included an NFL record seven sacks in a game versus the Seattle Seahawks on November 11, 1990. He also recorded a team high six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 63 tackles, five pass deflections and 35 quarterback pressures. His season-long performance earned him All-Pro recognition for the first time, an honor he would receive two other times during his career.
His extraordinary pass rushing skills continued throughout his 11-season career that was tragically cut short by his death following an automobile accident shortly after the 1999 NFL regular season.
No player amassed more sacks during the decade of 1990s than the 116.5 sacks by Thomas. He finished his career with 126.5 sacks which was the fourth highest total by a linebacker in NFL history. Thomas had 10 or more sacks in a season seven times and recorded multi-sack games 27 times during his 169-game career.
In addition to his career sack total, Thomas also forced 45 fumbles, had 19 fumble recoveries, scored four touchdowns on fumble returns and added three safeties. His lone interception, which he returned for 20 yards, came during his final season in 1999.
Thomas, a member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s, was named first-team All-AFC seven times during an eight-year stretch from 1989 through 1996.
His contribution to the Chiefs franchise was nearly immeasurable. Prior to his arrival in Kansas City, the team had made just one playoff appearance since 1971. In the 11 years that Thomas anchored the defense, the Chiefs finished first or second in the AFC West ten times, made seven playoff appearances, and won three division titles. -(www.profootballhof.com)
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| John Elway |
In almost storybook-like fashion, the veteran quarterback directed his team to a 31-24 victory over the heavily favored Green Bay Packers. It was Denver’s first Super Bowl victory. Elway would go on to lead his team to a second Super Bowl win a year later, capturing game Most Valuable Player honors in the process.
A first-round draft choice of the Baltimore Colts in 1983, Elway was immediately traded to the Broncos for two veteran players and a 1984 first-round pick. As the Broncos signal caller, Elway almost at once became one of the most feared quarterbacks in the league. From 1983 through 1998, he led his team to five victories in six AFC championship games and two Super Bowl wins. Elway’s record 47 fourth quarter game-winning or game-tying drives are legendary. In the 1986 AFC title game, Elway engineered a 98-yard come-from-behind touchdown drive to tie the Cleveland Browns and send the game into overtime. The Broncos went on to win 23-20. Today, the Elway-led fourth-quarter rally is simply referred to as “The Drive.”
The versatile Elway is the only player in National Football League history to pass for more than 3,000 yards and rush for more than 200 yards in the same season seven consecutive times. He was only the second quarterback in NFL history to record more than 40,000 yards passing and 3,000 yards rushing during his career. At the time of his retirement, he ranked second all-time in three of the game’s most significant passing categories, passing yards (51,475), attempts (7,250), and completions (4,123).
Indicative of his versatility, Elway was responsible for 334 touchdowns (300 passing; 33 rushing and one receiving) generating 4,771 of the 5,806 points (82.2%) scored by the Broncos during his 16-year tenure with the club. Selected to play in nine Pro Bowl games, Elway was a first- or second-team All-Pro choice three times and a first- or second-team All-AFC choice five times. In addition to his all-league honors, he was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1987, AFC Offensive Player of the Year in 1993, and Super Bowl XXXIII Most Valuable Player. -(www.profootballhof.com)
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| Emmitt Smith |
8. Emmitt Smith The Dallas Cowboys were rebuilding when they selected Florida
running back Emmitt Smith in the first round of the 1990 draft. After a holdout
during all of training camp and preseason of his rookie season, Smith reported
to the Cowboys in time for the start of the regular season. He wasted no time
in proving he was going to be a huge part of the team’s future.
Smith rushed for 937 yards and
scored 11 touchdowns to earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and the first
of eight career Pro Bowl nods. He followed that season by rushing for a
league-leading 1,563 yards. Smith won four rushing crowns during a five-year
span as he added titles in 1992, 1993, and 1995. He also led the NFL in rushing
touchdowns three times and contributed 277 pass receptions during that same
five-season period.
His best year came in 1995 when
he recorded career highs for rushing yards (1,773), rushing touchdowns (25),
and receptions (62).
Not surprisingly, Smith’s
impact on the team helped nurture the Cowboys back to the top of the NFL. The
Cowboys, with their star runner leading the way, won three Super Bowls over
four seasons from 1992 to 1995. Smith was named first-team All-Pro in each year
during that four-year period. In 1993, he was named the NFL’s MVP and followed
that by earning Most Valuable Player honors in the Cowboys’ 30-13 win over the
Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII.
After narrowly missing the
1,000-yard mark as a rookie, Smith embarked on a record run of 11 straight
seasons with 1,000 yards rushing. His streak came to end in Smith’s final
season in Dallas in 2002 when he missed the 1,000-yard mark by a mere 25 yards.
However, that season was highlighted by one particular game against the Seattle
Seahawks on Oct. 27, 2002. In that contest, Smith supplanted Walter Payton as
the NFL’s all-time rushing leader.
Smith, who was named to the
NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990's, finished his 226-game career by playing two
final seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He retired with a career total of
18,355 yards and a NFL record 164 rushing touchdowns. He also added 515
receptions for 3,224 yards and 11 touchdowns.
-(www.profootballhof.com)
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| Junior Seau |
7. Junior Seau Junior Seau is considered by many as one of the best linebackers
in NFL history. He played 13 years with the San Diego Chargers and 3 years with
the Miami Dolphins. As a Charger, Seau was elected to 12 consecutive Pro Bowl
appearances. After one day of retirement in 2006, Junior answered a call by the
New England Patriots and returned to the NFL as number 55 on the Patriots team.
2009 marked Seau’s 20th consecutive season. He was the defensive co-captain for
the Patriots in 2007 during their 18-0 run to perfection.
In 1990, Junior was the
Chargers’ top pick and the fifth player selected overall in the NFL Draft. He
was the team leader and the heart of the Chargers’ defense from 1990-2002. He
was voted the Chargers’ Most Inspirational Player in 1997 and 2002, and was the
NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year twice (1998-99).
In 2009 Seau was selected for
the All-Time Greatest Chargers Team during the team’s 50th Anniversary Season.
Junior was named to the Chargers 40th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2000; the
Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-Decade Team for the ’90s, and the NFL Alumni
Association’s Linebacker of the Year. He was selected as the True Value NFL Man
of the Year in 1994 and led the Chargers to Super Bowl XXIX.
He was named the AFC
Co-Defensive Player of the Month for September 2002, has been a first-team
All-Pro pick by the Associated Press six times during his career, and was a
second-team selection on two occasions. He received the Miami Dolphins Don
Shula Leadership Award for 2 consecutive years. Seau was inducted into the USC
Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2010, Junior was named one of the top 50 High School
athletes in San Diego for the past 50 years by a panel of the California
Interscholastic Federation’s San Diego Section.
-(www.juniorseau.org)
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| Brett Favre |
Brett Favre played 16 seasons in Green Bay. During his time in Green Bay, Favre was the first NFL player to win three consecutive AP MVP awards. The only player to win four AP MVP Awards is Peyton Manning. He helped the Packers appear in two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl XXXI. Favre also started every Green Bay Packers game from September 20, 1992, to January 20, 2008.
Favre is the only quarterback to have led a team to victory over all thirty-two teams in the league since the NFL first expanded to 32 franchises in 2002. Favre is one of four quarterbacks to lead the league in touchdown passes four times. The others are Johnny Unitas, Len Dawson and Steve Young. In addition, Favre owns a number of team records, having printed his name into almost every passing category in the annals of Green Bay Packers history. Most recently, he set the team record for consecutive completions with 20 on November 22, 2007, against the Detroit Lions. Favre is also the first known player to be a grandfather while active in the NFL.
Since first being named the starter of the Green Bay Packers before playing the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 27, 1992, Brett Favre has never missed a game. He is currently in first place for the most consecutive starts by a quarterback in the NFL and one of only five quarterbacks to have started over 100 consecutive games in NFL history. He failed to finish a game due to injury on only six occasions since taking control of the Packers as quarterback. Besides Favre, there is only one other active streak of 100 or more games among quarterbacks, that of Peyton Manning. Since the beginning of Favre's consecutive start streak, 212 other quarterbacks have started in the NFL, 12 of them being back-ups to Favre at one point. Among his former backups are: Don Majkowski, Ty Detmer, Kurt Warner, Mark Brunell, Steve Bono, Doug Pederson, Matt Hasselbeck, Danny Wuerffel, Aaron Brooks, J.T. O'Sullivan, and current Packers starter Aaron Rodgers. Two veteran backups to Favre never started another NFL game: Jim McMahon, and T.J. Rubley. The consecutive starts streak is widely considered one of the most notable streaks in sports, so much so that the Pro Football Hall of Fame has as an exhibit displaying the jersey Favre wore during his record breaking 117th consecutive start as a quarterback, and a section of their website devoted to what the Hall of Fame calls an "Iron Man".
In 2009, Favre surpassed Jim Marshall for starts at any position with his record-breaking 271st start as a quarterback as the Vikings played the Lions.
-(www.officialbrettfavre.com)
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| Deion Sanders |
More of that spectacular play continued throughout his 14-season, 188-game career. Sanders who spent time with five different NFL teams scored a total of six touchdowns on punt returns, three TDs on kickoff returns, and returned nine interceptions for scores. The multi-faceted athlete also returned one fumble for TD and had 60 receptions for 784 yards and 3 TDs during his career with the Falcons (1989-1993), San Francisco 49ers (1994), Dallas Cowboys (1995-99), Washington Redskins (2000) and Baltimore Ravens (2004-05). In all, he recorded 53 career interceptions including five with the Ravens when he returned to the field after a three-year retirement.
A member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s as both a cornerback and a punt returner, Sanders led the NFL in punt returns in 1998 with a 15.6 average. He also led the NFC in kickoffs in 1992 and interceptions in 1991 and 1993.
Despite his electrifying talents as a return man, Sanders was more widely regarded as a "shutdown corner" during his career. He was named first-team All-Pro nine times at cornerback in addition to receiving All-NFL acclaim by some media outlets as a kick returner in 1992 and as a punt returner in 1998. He was also elected to eight Pro Bowls during his career.
Sanders retired second all-time in interception return yardage (1,331) and tied for second for most interceptions returned for a touchdown in a career (9) and a season (3). His career-high 303 yards gained on interception returns with the 49ers in 1994 was third best ever in the NFL at the time of his retirement. He also returned three picks for touchdowns (74, 93, 90 yards) that season to become the first player ever to have two 90-yard interception returns for touchdowns in the same season. He was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year.
Sanders won two Super Bowls during his career. He started at right cornerback for the 49ers in their 49-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX and at left cornerback in the Cowboys 27-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX. -(www.profootballhof.com)
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| Steve Young |
In 1987, Young was traded to the San Francisco49ers where he served as the backup to Hall of Famer Joe Montana. After seeing limited action in his first four seasons with the 49ers, Young stepped into the starting role in 1991 after Montanasuffered an injury. Young wasted little time in taking command of the 49ers offense. Despite a knee injury that forced him out of five games that season, Young passed for 2,517 yards and 17 touchdowns to post a league high 101.8 passer rating – the first of four straight passing titles. Young added two more passing titles in 1996 and 1997 to tie him with the legendary Sammy Baugh as the only quarterbacks in history to win six NFL passing crowns.
His finest season came in 1994 when he posted a then-record 112.8 passer rating by completing 324 of 461 passes for 3,969 yards and 35 touchdowns. Young also added seven rushing touchdowns as he guided the 49ers to a NFC West title with a 13-3 record. The team then coasted through the post-season. In the NFC championship game that year, Young threw two touchdowns and rushed for one as the 49ers downed the Dallas Cowboys 38-28. He topped off the year with an incredible performance in San Francisco 's 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. Young passed for 325 yards and threw a Super Bowl record six touchdowns. He also was the game's leading rusher with 49 yards on five carries. For his efforts, he was named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player.
During his NFL career, the left-hander threw for 3,000 or more yards six times and had 20 or more touchdown passes in a season five times, and posted a passer rating of 100 or higher six times. Aside from his passing ability, Young was a constant threat as a runner. He ran for 4,239 yards and scored 43 rushing touchdowns.
Young, one of the most accurate passers in league history, was named All-Pro in 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1998 and earned All-NFC honors three times. The two-time league MVP also was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times.
-(www.profootballhof.com)
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| Reggie White |
3. Reggie White Reggie White earned the nickname "The Minister of
Defense" as a senior at Tennessee. The moniker surely had to do with
something more than the fact that he became an ordained minister at the age of
17. That became instantly apparent when he began his pro football career.
White, who spent two seasons in
the ill-fated United States Football League, made a memorable debut in the
National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4 of the 1985
season. He collected 2.5 sacks, and deflected a pass that was intercepted and
returned for touchdown. Despite the fact he played in only 13 games that
season, White tied for the team lead with 13 sacks and was named the NFL's
Defensive Rookie of the Year. The following season, White picked up 18 more
sacks to earn his first of an astounding 13 straight Pro Bowl trips.
In 1987, White recorded one of
the finest seasons ever posted by a defensive lineman. In the season debut
against the Washington Redskins, he sacked quarterback Doug Williams, stripped
the ball, and then picked it up and raced 70 yards for the first of his two
career touchdowns. In just 12 games during the strike-shortened season White
amassed 21 sacks to earn his first of two consecutive league sack titles.
In 1993, after recording 124
sacks in 121 games over eight seasons in Philadelphia, White became the first
big name free agent to switch teams. He joined the Green Bay Packers and
instantly helped turn the fortunes of the once-proud franchise.
The team steadily improved and,
in 1996, returned to glory with White leading the NFL's topped ranked defense
to playoff and Super Bowl victories. In Super Bowl XXXI he recorded a record
three sacks.
Reggie played two more years in
Green Bay. During that period he added 27 more sacks to his repertoire. After a
one-year "retirement", White returned for a final season with the
Carolina Panthers in 2000.
White retired as the NFL's
all-time sack leader with 198. He was named to the NFL's All-Decade Teams of
the 1980 and 1990's, the 75th Anniversary Team, and was voted first-team All-Pro
10 times in his 15-year career.
-(www.profootballhof.com)
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| Barry Sanders |
Sanders, after forgoing his senior season at Oklahoma State, made his pro debut just three days after signing with the Lions, who had made him their first-round pick and the third overall pick in the 1989 draft. He absolutely dazzled a Pontiac Silverdome crowd when he dashed for an 18-yard gain on his first carry as an NFL running back. But that was just the beginning. His 1,470 yards rushing that season, a-then Lions record, fell just 10 yards short of the league’s best for the year.
In 1990, Sanders, with 1,304 yards rushing, topped all ground gainers, something he would do again in 1994 (1,883 yards) and in 1996 (1,553 yards). His 44 receptions for 283 yards in 1994 gave him a combined 2,166 yards from scrimmage. The most impressive feat of his remarkable career, however, came in 1997, when he rushed for a league-best 2,053 yards and gained another 305 yards on 33 catches for an amazing 2,358 combined yards gained. That year, Sanders, who was named league Most Valuable Player, gained more than 100 yards rushing in an NFL record 14 consecutive regular season games.
Though not big by most standards, Sanders capitalized on his size by running low to the ground making him less of a target for would-be tacklers. His elusiveness and ability to reverse direction seemingly at will, often left defensive players grasping at air. “He makes you miss so bad, you kind of look up in the stands and wonder if anybody’s looking at you,” Atlanta Falcons cornerback D.J. Johnson once remarked. “You’ve got 60,000 people in there and you wonder if anyone saw you miss that tackle.”
A first- or second-team All-Pro ten consecutive seasons, Sanders became the first NFL running back to record five 1,500-yard rushing seasons, in addition to being the only back to do so in four consecutive seasons (1994-1997).
Selected to play in the Pro Bowl each of his 10 NFL seasons, Sanders held nearly every Lions’ rushing record and numerous all-time NFL records, at the time of his retirement. -(www.profootballhof.com)
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| Jerry Rice |
Rice gave a glimpse of what was to come when he averaged 18.9 yards per catch on 49 receptions for 927 yards and 3 TDs as a rookie. He also rushed six times and scored one touchdown on the ground.
In 1986, Rice recorded a season that began perhaps the finest stretch by any receiver in NFL history. That year, he caught 86 passes for a league-leading 1,570 yards. He also led the NFL in touchdown catches with 15. It marked the first of 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons for Rice who also recorded double-digit receiving touchdown totals in nine of the next 10 seasons.
The following year, Rice set the NFL record for touchdown receptions in a season with 22. His first of four seasons with 100 catches came in 1990 when he had an even 100 receptions to lead the NFL in that category. It marked the first of two receiving titles for Rice.
He led the NFL in receiving yards six times including a NFL record 1,848 yards in 1995. Rice also led the NFL in touchdown receptions six times.
No wide receiver in NFL history played more than Rice’s 20 seasons. By the time he retired after finishing his career with Oakland and Seattle, he was the most prolific wide receiver in NFL history with staggering career totals.
He owns virtually every significant receiving mark. Some of the more notable career records include receptions (1,549); receiving yards (22,895 yards); most 1,000-yard receiving seasons (14); total touchdowns (208); and combined net yards (23,546).
Rice has a hold on multiple NFL playoff and Super Bowl records. He played in eight conference championships and four Super Bowls. He earned three Super Bowl rings with the 49ers and was named the Most Valuable Player of San Francisco’s Super Bowl XXIII win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Rice, who was named first-team All-Pro 11 consecutive seasons and voted to 13 Pro Bowls, is also a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Teams of the 1980's and 1990's and NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team. -(www.profootballhof.com)
Honorable mention; Bruce Smith
