Hall of Fame
A fierce pass rusher on the defensive line, Justin Rice (Grand Island, Neb.) was a true NWU student-athlete earning All-America recognition on the field and in the classroom.
Rice was a two-time NAIA All-American honorable mention selection at defensive end, garnering the recognition in both 1995 and 1996. He then became the first NWU football player to be a 3-time CoSIDA Academic All-American earning 1st-Team honors in 1995-96 and 2nd-Team in 1994.
The product of Grand Island Northwest High School, Rice set a new school record for quarterback sacks. He finished his career with 26.0 sacks, a record that still stands today. He led the NIAC in sacks with 9.5 as a junior.
He earned 1st-Team All-NIAC honors in both his junior and senior seasons. Rice was honorable mention All-NIAC in his sophomore season. He broke onto the scene as a freshman in 1994 earning NAIA Division II National Player of the Week recognition after having two sacks, a blocked punt and blocked PAT against Concordia.
Rice was awarded a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship at the conclusion of his career. He also garnered NAIA Scholar Athlete honors twice.
