Jacqueline Bernice Mitchell, also known publicly as Jackie Mitchell or Jacqueline Rice, is best known as the former wife of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice. Their marriage lasted from 1987 until their divorce was finalized in 2009, and they had three children: Jaqui, Jerry Rice Jr., and Jada. People.com
Unlike Jerry Rice, whose football career is well documented, Jacqueline has a much smaller public record. That makes careful sourcing particularly important. Online profiles sometimes make precise claims about her birth date, education, career, finances, and current personal life, but strong independent reporting has not established many of those details.
What is well documented is her long connection to the Rice family, a life-threatening medical emergency in 1996, and her later participation in occasional public discussions about family life.
Quick Bio
| Quick Bio | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Jacqueline Bernice Mitchell |
| Also Known As | Jackie Mitchell, Jacqueline Rice |
| Known For | Former wife of NFL legend Jerry Rice |
| Former Husband | Jerry Rice |
| Marriage | 1987–2009 |
| Children With Jerry Rice | Jaqui Rice Gold, Jerry Rice Jr., Jada Rice |
| Public Profile | Known mainly through her marriage to Jerry Rice, family connection, and documented public appearances |
Jacqueline Bernice Mitchell and Jerry Rice
Jacqueline and Jerry Rice married in 1987, relatively early in Rice’s extraordinary NFL career. The San Francisco 49ers had selected him in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft, and he went on to become one of professional football’s most accomplished receivers. The Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted Rice in 2010 and records career totals including 1,549 receptions, 22,895 receiving yards, and 208 total touchdowns. Pro Football Hall of Fame
Jacqueline therefore spent much of their marriage alongside Rice during the most celebrated period of his professional career. A Sports Illustrated photo archive, for example, includes the couple together in January 1988 after Rice received an NFL MVP award. Sports Illustrated
Their marriage eventually ended after roughly two decades. Reporting says Jacqueline filed for divorce in 2007, and the divorce was finalized in 2009. Sporting News
The 1996 Health Crisis That Nearly Took Her Life
One of the best-documented events in Jacqueline’s own public story occurred following the birth of the couple’s youngest daughter, Jada, in May 1996.
Contemporary reporting from the San Francisco Examiner, republished by SFGate, said serious complications developed during the delivery and that Jackie began hemorrhaging. She was subsequently transferred to Stanford Hospital while Jerry Rice was excused from a 49ers minicamp to remain close to her. SFGATE
Another contemporary report described her condition as so serious that there were periods when doctors feared she might not survive. SFGATE
Jerry Rice discussed the experience years later in an interview with Graham Bensinger. The interview’s published summary says Rice recalled his former wife “clinging to life” after the delivery and described helping her recover following approximately three months in a coma. Graham Bensinger
Her recovery continued well beyond the initial emergency. In February 1997, an Examiner report described Jackie attending a golf event while still using crutches as she recovered from the complications. SFGATE
The episode matters because it is supported not only by later celebrity-biography sites, but also by contemporary reporting and Jerry Rice’s own later account.
Their Three Children
Jacqueline and Jerry Rice had three children together.
Their eldest daughter, Jaqui Rice Gold, was born in 1987 and later became a businesswoman. Recent reporting identifies her as the co-founder and CEO of G.O.A.T. Fuel, a company developed with her husband and father. People.com
Jerry Rice Jr., born in 1991, followed his father into football before later moving into real estate. Their youngest daughter, Jada, was born in 1996 and has worked in the insurance and financial-services field, according to People. People.com
These adult children’s careers provide more recent context for the family, while Jacqueline herself has maintained a comparatively lower media profile.
What Is Known About Jacqueline Mitchell Today?
Reliable current information about Jacqueline’s day-to-day life is limited, and that distinction matters.
She has not disappeared completely from public view. In 2023, an episode of The 5th Quarter podcast was promoted as an interview with Jackie Rice, identified as Jerry Rice’s former wife, discussing subjects including life before and after the NFL, family, faith, and finances. Amazon Music
However, there is not enough strong evidence to confidently publish many of the personal details repeated across biography websites. Precise claims about her current relationship status, wealth, residence, exact birth date, or other private matters should therefore not be presented as fact without stronger documentation.
That narrower approach gives readers a more dependable picture: Jacqueline Bernice Mitchell was Jerry Rice’s longtime wife and the mother of three of his children, but she also became part of a major sports-era story in her own right when she survived severe complications following childbirth in 1996.
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FAQs
Who is Jacqueline Bernice Mitchell?
Jacqueline Bernice Mitchell, also known as Jackie Mitchell or Jacqueline Rice, is the former wife of NFL Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice. They were married from 1987 to 2009. People.com
How many children do Jacqueline Bernice Mitchell and Jerry Rice have?
They have three children together: Jaqui Rice Gold, Jerry Rice Jr., and Jada Rice. People.com
What happened to Jacqueline Bernice Mitchell in 1996?
She suffered life-threatening complications after giving birth to Jada in May 1996. Contemporary reports described severe hemorrhaging and an extended hospital recovery, while Jerry Rice later said she spent about three months in a coma. SFGATE
When did Jacqueline Bernice Mitchell and Jerry Rice divorce?
Jacqueline filed for divorce in 2007, and the marriage was finalized in 2009. Sporting News
Is Jacqueline Bernice Mitchell a public figure today?
She has made occasional public appearances and participated in a 2023 podcast discussion, but reliable reporting about her present-day personal life remains limited. Amazon Music
