Inductees

Ask Isaac Bruce about his storied career and the first thing he’ll tell you is pretty simple: He was successful only because others were great.

Quarterback Kurt Warner, lineman Orlando Pace, running back Marshall Faulk. The list goes on, with no mention of himself, the receiver who starred in jersey No. 80.

“From 1994 being in (Los Angeles) and then making the transition to St. Louis, I took a lot of punches,” Bruce was quoted as saying once. “As far as winning was concerned, I didn’t experience much of it (early). But I was fortunate to see all of those guys come in and see them become All-Pros or Pro Bowlers and Super Bowl champions. Just having them in the huddle, that made me feel better about my career.”

Bruce was one of the greatest players in the National Football League, starring for the then-St. Louis Rams’ “The Greatest Show on Turf” era of the late 1990s and early 2000s, and it’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted Bruce with the Class of 2018.

He was a second-round draft pick, the 33^rd overall selection of the 1994 NFL Draft, and went on to play 16 seasons. At the time of his retirement after 2009, Bruce ranked second all-time with 15,208 yards receiving, trailing only Jerry Rice.

Even eight years later, Bruce ranks fifth in NFL history in that department, while also ranking 13th in receptions (1,204) and 12th in touchdown catches (91).

After all, Bruce led the Rams to two Super Bowl appearances, including a nail-biter of a victory against the Tennessee Titans in January 2000. In that game, Bruce hauled in six catches for 162 yards (third-most in Super Bowl history) and caught a TD pass – a 73-yard reception that proved to be the game-winner with 1:54 remaining.

Overall, he had eight 1,000-yard seasons and 10 seasons with 60 more receptions. In fact, among the 27 wide receivers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Bruce ranks fourth in receiving yards, seventh in receptions and eighth in touchdowns. He also was a four-time Pro Bowl selection.

All of which easily explains why the Rams retired his No. 80 jersey in 2010.

“He took a level of excellence and a standard he set for himself throughout his career and worked toward that, a standard higher than anybody else’s,” Mike Martz was quoted as saying that day to media. Martz was the offensive coordinator of the 1999 team and head coach in 2002 when the Rams return to the Super Bowl. “He is the standard of how that position is supposed to be played.”

Bruce grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but played college football out West for two L.A.-area jucos. He then transferred to the University of Memphis, where in in only two seasons he hauled in 113 receptions for 1,586 yards, third most in program history. He also scored 15 touchdowns.

It was in that season when he set Memphis records for most receptions in a game (10), a season (74) and had the fourth-most yards receiving in a game (147). His 113 receptions are second-most in program history, and his 1,054 yards receiving that year set the school record.

Those numbers, combined with his National Football League career, might lead some to thump their chests. Not Bruce.

“I can talk about myself,” Bruce once said on ESPN. “But when I was on the field, there’s a time and place for everything. I was all for my team, and I wanted to make sure if I had the energy and, where I wasn’t getting the football enough, I wasn’t going to take it out on my team.”

He later added, “I wanted to take out my energy on the guy covering me.”

His Rams years became incredible with the arrival of Faulk, Pace and then quarterback Trent Green, whose injury led to Kurt Warner’s Cinderella story.

“For years, I called myself the best,” Bruce said. “As far as intangibles, as far as receivers are concerned, I checked every box. I played hard when I had to play hard and did everything I was asked to do.”

These days, Bruce is giving back through the Isaac Bruce Foundation, which teaches the importance of a healthy lifestyle with a focus on education.

“It’s been going strong since 2006,” Bruce said. “I’m very, very pleased with it.”