MADDEN, Miss. -- Once again, Jerry Rice sees his route. And the NFL receiving great hopes this one will play a part in his life after football.

Rice, a native of Crawford, is shopping a reality show to several networks. "The Underdog" would focus on Rice helping to motivate people and communities.

"You never think that it will come to an end," Rice, 43, said of his football career. He said being a contestant on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," which pairs competitors of varying celebrity and skill with professional dancer-partners, helped raise his profile outside football.

"I reached a whole different audience by being on that show -- people that might have not been into sports or anything like that," he said. "I hear a lot that I am a dancer. I am a football player. It's amazing how many people tuned into that show. It took me to a whole different level."

Showing the same commitment to dancing on the show as he did during 20 years in pro football, Rice and his dance partner, Anna Trebunskaya, came in second to Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke.

"I almost pulled it off," Rice said while attending the unveiling of the XBox 360 game "Madden NFL '07" in rural Madden.

Rice holds most of the significant NFL receiving records. He won three Super Bowls during 16 years with the San Francisco 49ers and was the Super Bowl MVP in 1989.

The third season of "Dancing With the Stars" premieres Sept. 12. Contestants will include Tucker Carlson of MSNBC, talk-show host Jerry Springer and three-time Super Bowl champion Emmitt Smith.

On the Net:

ABC: http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancing/