Gruden Goes Somewhere Fast; Coach To Win: His young enthusiasm leads Tampa Bay to football's peak.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)

Byline: MICHAEL MINK

Jon Gruden has one message for his players: They can -- and will -- excel on the football field. He challenges them to do exactly that every day.

Just ask the man many consider the game's greatest player ever, Jerry Rice.

Two years ago Rice, then 38, was leaving the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent and looking for a new team. He only had to look across the bay to the Oakland Raiders, with whom he signed. Gruden was then the Raiders' head coach.

"The main reason why I went to the Raiders is because of Jon Gruden," Rice said recently. "I felt I needed someone with a lot of intensity, and he pretty much challenged me every day."

That intensity comes from his drive: At 39 (he was just 34 when the Raiders named him their head coach in 1998), Gruden's work habits are already legendary. His typical day begins at 3:17 a.m. and doesn't end until midnight.

With a lifetime winning percentage above .600, Gruden's dedication has paid off throughout his career. It culminated this past season, his inaugural one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when he led them to their first National Football League championship.