Ray Rice To Wear Purple In NFL-Taken By baltimore

And with the 55th pick of the 2008 NFL draft the Baltimore Ravens select......Ray Rice-Running back Rutgers University..

With those words by the NFL's Gene Washington, the gathering of family, friends, coaches, teammates NRYTL erupted with celebration and hi-fives as Ray Rice became the highest New Rochellean to ever be drafted by a NFL team. Within twenty minutes Ray showed up at the gathering and made his way through the hug and the tears of well wishers,until succumbing himself to the overwhelming emotions of the long journey that began with a dream and NRYTL. Congratulations Ray! 4 Photos from Draft Day

Above and Beyond

By Dustin Semonavick

On the gridiron, junior running back Ray Rice is a hero to the thousands of fans that watch him week in and week out. Onlookers marvel at his playing ability, but to a group of local kids in his hometown of New Rochelle, N.Y., he is a hero for a completely different reason.

Like most top athletes Rice is encouraged to get out into his community and make an impact off the field, but to him the opportunity to affect the lives of the young kids in New Rochelle is something he relishes. Read more

Lohud Draft Day Story
Rutgers Draft Day story
Baltimore Ravens website
4/25/08 Rice Getting Ready For the Draft

Post Combine: Where Does Rice Go From Here
Rutgers running back Ray Rice made the trip out to Indianapolis and compared favorably with some of the top backs in the country. His performance at the NFL Combine didn't hurt him at all and in fact, may have boosted his status. Here's a breakdown of things following the extravaganza in Indy.
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Ray Rice Results at NFL Combine
Ray Rice had the fastest 3 cone drill time and the 3rd best 20 yard shuttle amongst all of the running backs at the 2008 NFL combine. Although he didn't have one of the fastest 40 yard dash times, this class of running backs is considered unusally fast and its been reported that Ray ran between 4.49 and 4.52 (still very fast). To view all of the results click here

Click here to view videos of combine

Rice Declares for 2008 NFL Draft
Two-Time All-America Running Back Leaves as RU’s All-Time Leading Rusher

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Two-time Rutgers All-America running back Ray Rice (New Rochelle, N.Y.) has elected to forego his final year of eligibility and enter the 2008 NFL Draft. The nation's third-leading rusher in 2007, Rice rushed for 2,012 yards and scored 25 touchdowns this season to lead Rutgers to its second-consecutive bowl victory.

Rice is the first player in the Greg Schiano era at Rutgers to leave school early and enter the NFL Draft. During Rice's three-year career in Piscataway, the Scarlet Knights won 26 games and appeared in three bowl games.

"I have always dreamed of playing in the NFL and I felt the time is right to pursue the opportunity to play at the next level," said Rice. Read more...

Will Ray Rice Go pro? Read More