Mike Powell / Getty Images file

Jerry Rice helped the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl XXIX victory in 1995.

His workout routine was legendary, and that’s what helped make Jerry Rice a legend in his own time as the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions, yardage and touchdowns. That dedication and determination led to Rice having arguably the best years of his career after the age of 30, when many wide receivers are retired.

Here are the numbers for the seasons in which Rice turned 31, 32, 33 and 34: In 1993, he caught 98 passes for 1,503 yards and 15 touchdowns. In 1994, he caught 112 passes for 1,499 yards and 13 touchdowns. In 1995, he caught 122 passes for 1,848 yards and 15 touchdowns. In 1996, he caught 108 passes for 1,254 yards and eight touchdowns. No wonder Joe Montana and Steve Young had Hall of Fame careers as the quarterbacks who had the luxury of throwing to Rice during his San Francisco years.

Then, after missing all but two games of 1997 with an injury, he came back in 1998, at age 36, to grab 82 passes for 1,157 yards and 9 touchdowns. After leaving the 49ers following the 2000 season, Rice had three productive seasons with the Oakland Raiders when he was aged 39, 40 and 41.

Honorable mentions:
John Stockton-Karl Malone: Forever linked, so we’ll link them here. Nary a dropoff in production during their 30s. Malone averaged 20 and 10 in his third decade; Stockton led league in assists four times and never averaged less than 7.5.

Barry Bonds: One of the few great athletes who actually was better in his 30s than he was in his 20s. Bonds was 37 when he set the all-time single-season home run record of 73. During his third decade, Bonds never hit fewer than 32 homers.

Mark Messier: Cemented his status as a hockey legend by leading the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years in 1994 when he was 33. Remained a respected and productive player in this grueling sport until he was 40.

Joe Montana: Earned Pro Bowl honors four times after his 30th birthday and led the 49ers to Super Bowl titles at age 32 and age 33. Was still prolific when he played his final two seasons in Kansas City, leading them to the AFC title game when he was 37.

Jack Nicklaus: Another athlete who seemed to get better with age (and in his case, with better equipment). The Golden Bear won eight majors when he was in his 30s: two Masters, one U.S. Open, two British Opens and three PGAs.

Andre Agassi: At age 33, Agassi became the oldest player ever to be ranked No. 1 in the world. His signature moments were his epic matches at the U.S. Open — against Pete Sampras in 2000 and against James Blake and Roger Federer in 2005, at age 35.

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