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http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14381605/where-now-st-louis-rams-wide-receiver-isaac-bruce
Where are they now? Isaac Bruce, Super Bowl XXXIV champion
Isaac Bruce is the most prolific wide receiver in Rams history and ranks ninth on the NFL career receptions list. Brian Bahr/Getty Images
11:59 AM ET
ESPN.com will catch up with a notable sports figure from yesteryear every Thursday in its "Where Are They Now?" series.
Claim to fame: Isaac Bruce was a cornerstone of the St. Louis Rams' famous Greatest Show on Turf offense, teaming with Marshall Faulk, Kurt Warner and Torry Holt to light up scoreboards around the league on a weekly basis.
Bruce was drafted out of Memphis State by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the 1994 draft, and he quickly established himself as one of the league's most reliable receivers. He relocated to St. Louis with the Rams in 1995 and ultimately played 14 seasons with the franchise. He was named to four Pro Bowl teams, including three in a row when the Rams led the NFL in both points and yardage from 1999 to 2001. He caught six passes, including the 73-yard game-winning touchdown, in Super Bowl XXXIV and recorded five receptions when the Rams narrowly lost Super Bowl XXXVI.
Bruce played his final two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, but he returned to St. Louis to announce his retirement in June 2010. At the time, he ranked second in receiving yards (15,208), fifth in receptions (1,024) and ninth in touchdown catches (91) in NFL history. He currently ranks fourth, ninth and 12th in those categories, respectively. Bruce is the career leader in each of those three categories for the Rams franchise, and the team retired his No. 80 jersey in October 2010.
Prior to his retirement, Bruce held the distinction of being the last active NFL player who had competed for a Los Angeles-area franchise.
Catching up: Bruce, 43, lives in South Florida with wife Clegzette and their daughters, 6-year-old Isabella and 9-month-old Charis. He opened the Bruce Zone gym in Fort Lauderdale last year, with a keen interest in personal training and injury avoidance and rehabilitation. He enjoys performing youth ministry work at his church, Words of Life, in North Miami Beach.
He maintains a charitable organization, the Isaac Bruce Foundation, which focuses on educational opportunities and promoting fitness and healthy lifestyles. The foundation began in 2006 and is based in the St. Louis area, but it also annually awards scholarships to students from the University of Memphis and Broward County, Florida. In addition to scholarships, the foundation provides financial assistance to students who need transportation to college -- a situation he was in when he traveled to attend junior college in Los Angeles.
"When I award the scholarships every year, I totally enjoy calling up the winners and just hearing the screams of excitement and the rejoicing on the other end of the phone," Bruce said. "I truly enjoy that. Those are moments I'll always cherish and remember."
For the past two seasons, Bruce has also volunteered as wide receivers coach at his alma mater, Dillard High in Fort Lauderdale. "I want to help the kids mature into young men," Bruce said. "At the same time, they can learn some skills as far as playing wide receiver -- playing the position and getting open."
Bruce played host to Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith and Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson at the Isaac Bruce Foundation's annual Gridiron Gala in September. Courtesy Roger Brandt
Quotable: "If I have to sit down and pay to get in, I'd pay to watch DeSean Jackson. ... [Odell Beckham Jr.] is pretty good. A.J. Green, he's good. But I'd pay to watch Jackson."
What's next? Bruce would like to play a role in an NFL ownership group, and he has interest in the business side of urban renewal in American cities. In the meantime, he will stay happily busy with his family, gym and foundation work.
"I think there are big things out there that have my name on it, and I plan on grabbing them with two hands," Bruce said.
Exactly what you would expect from one of the most prolific wide receivers in NFL history.
Have a suggestion for a "Where Are They Now?" subject? Tweet to the writer @tnn95.
Where are they now? Isaac Bruce, Super Bowl XXXIV champion
Isaac Bruce is the most prolific wide receiver in Rams history and ranks ninth on the NFL career receptions list. Brian Bahr/Getty Images
11:59 AM ET
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ESPN.com will catch up with a notable sports figure from yesteryear every Thursday in its "Where Are They Now?" series.
Claim to fame: Isaac Bruce was a cornerstone of the St. Louis Rams' famous Greatest Show on Turf offense, teaming with Marshall Faulk, Kurt Warner and Torry Holt to light up scoreboards around the league on a weekly basis.
Bruce was drafted out of Memphis State by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the 1994 draft, and he quickly established himself as one of the league's most reliable receivers. He relocated to St. Louis with the Rams in 1995 and ultimately played 14 seasons with the franchise. He was named to four Pro Bowl teams, including three in a row when the Rams led the NFL in both points and yardage from 1999 to 2001. He caught six passes, including the 73-yard game-winning touchdown, in Super Bowl XXXIV and recorded five receptions when the Rams narrowly lost Super Bowl XXXVI.
Bruce played his final two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, but he returned to St. Louis to announce his retirement in June 2010. At the time, he ranked second in receiving yards (15,208), fifth in receptions (1,024) and ninth in touchdown catches (91) in NFL history. He currently ranks fourth, ninth and 12th in those categories, respectively. Bruce is the career leader in each of those three categories for the Rams franchise, and the team retired his No. 80 jersey in October 2010.
Prior to his retirement, Bruce held the distinction of being the last active NFL player who had competed for a Los Angeles-area franchise.
Catching up: Bruce, 43, lives in South Florida with wife Clegzette and their daughters, 6-year-old Isabella and 9-month-old Charis. He opened the Bruce Zone gym in Fort Lauderdale last year, with a keen interest in personal training and injury avoidance and rehabilitation. He enjoys performing youth ministry work at his church, Words of Life, in North Miami Beach.
He maintains a charitable organization, the Isaac Bruce Foundation, which focuses on educational opportunities and promoting fitness and healthy lifestyles. The foundation began in 2006 and is based in the St. Louis area, but it also annually awards scholarships to students from the University of Memphis and Broward County, Florida. In addition to scholarships, the foundation provides financial assistance to students who need transportation to college -- a situation he was in when he traveled to attend junior college in Los Angeles.
"When I award the scholarships every year, I totally enjoy calling up the winners and just hearing the screams of excitement and the rejoicing on the other end of the phone," Bruce said. "I truly enjoy that. Those are moments I'll always cherish and remember."
For the past two seasons, Bruce has also volunteered as wide receivers coach at his alma mater, Dillard High in Fort Lauderdale. "I want to help the kids mature into young men," Bruce said. "At the same time, they can learn some skills as far as playing wide receiver -- playing the position and getting open."
Bruce played host to Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith and Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson at the Isaac Bruce Foundation's annual Gridiron Gala in September. Courtesy Roger Brandt
Quotable: "If I have to sit down and pay to get in, I'd pay to watch DeSean Jackson. ... [Odell Beckham Jr.] is pretty good. A.J. Green, he's good. But I'd pay to watch Jackson."
What's next? Bruce would like to play a role in an NFL ownership group, and he has interest in the business side of urban renewal in American cities. In the meantime, he will stay happily busy with his family, gym and foundation work.
"I think there are big things out there that have my name on it, and I plan on grabbing them with two hands," Bruce said.
Exactly what you would expect from one of the most prolific wide receivers in NFL history.
Have a suggestion for a "Where Are They Now?" subject? Tweet to the writer @tnn95.
