Week 2 Inductee: Shaquille O'Neal (Player) & Pat Summitt (Coach)
Back again for another installment of "Boomer's Wall of Fame", to enshrine another athlete and coach.
First up, being enshrined into the player's section of the Wall of Fame....WR Jerry Rice.
Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice, was the closest to a favorite player of mine in the NFL growing up. I leaned towards the whole team (Browns/Cardinals), rather then an individual player, in regards to the game of football. Number 80, Jerry Rice was arguably the greatest wide receiver ever to play in the NFL, some would even go as far as saying "best" NFL Player ever. If you go solely on records, forget about the debate, you will find Jerry Rice at the top, of most of the major all-time receiver stats. Mr. Rice has the record of most touchdown's scored in the NFL (208), career receptions (1,549), and career receiving yards (22,895), numbers that most people have said to be "untouchable". Rice also had one of the best work-ethics when it came to his craft of catching the football and he was a true "gym rat". Jerry Rice was also fortunate to play the major of his career with a pretty good franchise, the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers also had one of the greatest Quarterback's of all-time to get Rice the football, Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana. During his time in the Bay Area, Rice was a part of three Super Bowl Championships, including being named the Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XXIII. The 13x Pro Bowler, Rice also played for the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks at the end of his career. Jerry Rice was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010, and will forever be one of my favorite wide receiver's to ever play the game of football. It is my pleasure to inducted Jerry Rice into the Boomer Wall of Fame.
The coach this week to be enshrined into Boomer's Wall of Fame....Tony Dungy.
Tony Dungy
Having the privilege of becoming the Head Coach of two franchises in the NFL over his coaching career (Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1996-2001; Indianapolis Colts 2002-2008), Coach Tony Dungy was the ultimate winner on and off the field. Graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1976, he would play three season in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers & San Francisco 49ers, before beginning his long coaching career. Dungy spent the first half of his coaching career as an asst. coach with the Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings, before landing the top job down in Tampa. His years with the Bucs, Coach Dungy record was 54-42 with a 2-4 playoff record, including getting the Bucs to the NFC Championship Game following the 1999 NFL season. He turned around a franchise that was one of the worst before he took it over and developed a great coaching philosophy that the players and coaches around him bought into. In 2002, after being fired by the Buccaneers, Coach Dungy found himself in Indianapolis, were he would become the Colts Head Coach, and eventually lead them to becoming Super Bowl XLI Champions. Coach Dungy's record in Indy was 85-27, with a 7-6 mark in the playoffs, those dam Patriots always seemed to be in his way. Overall, Coach Dungy collected 139 wins as a Head Coach and become the first African-America Head Coach to win the Super Bowl. Tony Dungy also won a Super Bowl as a player with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII. After his retirement in 2008, Dungy continues to work and be involved with the NFL and you can catch him on Football in America on Sunday Nights during the season. His off the field accomplishments are just as important he would say as his on the field achievements. He has written multiple books (in which I have read three of) sharing his beliefs and philosophy on coaching and living a life of good faith. Coach Dungy, it is my honor to induct you into Boomer's Wall of Fame.
