with every game, starting with the first game of the season against Joliet Catholic and their star running back, Mike Alstott. In the state championship game, with Mt. Carmel trailing, Simeon had a sack that caused a turnover which gave the team the momentum to mount a comeback victory. Throughout the season, Coach Lenti advocated for schools to recruit Simeon, but few listened. Simeon wound up at the University of Illinois for college. College career After three days of practice, University of Illinois defensive coordinator Denny Marcin told Rice’s parents that their son was destined for greatness. He knew what greatness looked like after coaching Lawrence Taylor at North Carolina. In the third game of the season, Rice sacked Houston quarterback Jimmy Klingler three times and was named ABC’s Player of the Game. That season, he had 9 sacks, a school record for a freshman and was voted the Big Ten rookie of the year. Simeon’s sophomore season was a disappointment for him and the team. Meanwhile, he studied hard and picked up extra credits in an attempt to graduate early. His junior season the team finished 6-5. Rice was a member of what was considered the best linebacker group in the country. His fellow linebacker Dana Howard won the Butkus award for best linebacker in the country. Kevin Hardy, another linebacker on the team, was named the team MVP. Rice had 16 sacks, a school record, and was named a 2nd team All-American. Perhaps his finest game of the season was against Washington State. He had 5 sacks, blocked a field goal, and recovered a fumble. By November, teams were devising special blocking schemes to keep Rice out of the backfield. 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. With this information, Rice decided to stay for his senior year. The school attempted to create buzz for Rice to be considered for the Heisman Trophy, but that buzz was killed by their inability to score points. The team finished 5-5-1, but Simeon had another fine season with 12.5 sacks. That season, he became the Big Ten’s all-time sack leader and finished his degree