An All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection, Bruce amassed 15,208 receiving yards in his career (fifth all-time). He played the first 14 years with the Los Angeles / St. Louis Rams and won a Super Bowl ring with the team in Super Bowl XXXIV over the Tennessee Titans. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers. During his time with the Rams, he was the leading wide receiver of "The Greatest Show on Turf". In 2020, Bruce was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Bruce was selected in the 2nd round (33rd overall) by the Los Angeles Rams. He signed a 3-year, $1.75 million contract with the Rams on July 14, 1994. His first NFL reception was a 34-yard touchdown throw from Chris Miller at Atlanta on September 11, 1994. As a rookie, he finished with 21 receptions for 272 yards and three touchdowns. He earned the 1994 Carroll Rosenbloom Award, given to the team rookie of the year. He was also voted Rams Rookie of the Year by Orange County Sports Association and the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association.
Bruce moved with the team to St. Louis in 1995. In 1995, Bruce was named the NFC's week 1 Special Teams Player of the Week after blocking a punt that contributed to a Rams 17–14 win over the Green Bay Packers. He was the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for week 7 following a 10-catch, 191 yard, two-touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons in a 21–19 win. His total receiving yards for 1995 (119 catches for 1,781 yards) was second only to Jerry Rice's then record of 1,848 yards for one season, and is still the fifth most in a single season. In accomplishing this feat, Isaac Bruce surpassed former Houston Oilers WR Charley Hennigan's 34-year-old record of 1,746 set in 1961. Bruce's 119 catches also ranks 12th on the NFL's all-time single-season reception list. Bruce further broke four Rams' records, including most receiving yards, most receptions, most consecutive 100-yard receiving games (6) and most 100-yard games (9). Bruce made USA Today's All-Joe team, All-Madden, and All-Pro by Sports Illustrated and he was voted a first alternate to the Pro Bowl. He was also awarded the Rams MVP.
In 1997, Bruce missed the first six games due to injury. He finished the 1997 season with 56 recepitons for 815 yards and five touchdowns. In Atlanta on November 2, 1997, Bruce had another 200-yard game, totaling 10 catches, 233 yards and recording two touchdowns.
Prior to his injury in 1998 in a home game against the Minnesota Vikings, Bruce had 11 catches for 192 yards and an 80-yard touchdown. He appeared in five games in the 1998 season and had 32 receptions for 457 yards and one touchdown.
In 1999, Bruce was a second-team All-Pro and was voted to his second Pro Bowl. He caught 77 passes for 1,165 yards and 12 touchdowns as Rams had a 13–3 record and advanced to the Super Bowl. He also led Rams in receiving yards in the playoffs, with 317 yards on 13 catches with a team-high two touchdowns. Bruce caught Kurt Warner's 73-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XXXIV to give the Rams a 23–16 lead, which turned out to be the game winner.
Prior to the 2000 season, Bruce was re-signed by the Rams to a 7-year, $42 million contract extension. In 2000, Bruce was again a Pro Bowler and caught 87 passes for 1,471 yards and nine touchdowns. He became the first Rams receiver to earn back-to-back Pro Bowl invitations since Henry Ellard accomplished the feat for the 1988 and 1989 seasons. Bruce either led or was tied for the most receptions six times in 2000, led the team in receiving yards six times, and posted four 100-yard receiving games. That same year, Bruce and teammate Torry Holt became only the second WR duo from the same team to each gain over 1,400 yards in the same season (see Herman Moore and Brett Perriman).
In the 2001 season, Bruce totaled 64 receptions for 1,106 yards and six touchdowns. The Rams returned to the Super Bowl, losing to the New England Patriots, and Bruce made the Pro Bowl for the fourth time, becoming only the third receiver in franchise history to earn three consecutive Pro Bowl invitations (Elroy Hirsch 1951–53, Jim Phillips 1960–62). Bruce was voted offensive captain and became the franchise career leader in 100-yard receiving games (29), 1,000-yard seasons (5), and receiving touchdowns (56). He became just the second player in team history to post 500 career receptions vs. New York Giants on October 14, 2001. He caught five passes for 56 yards in a 20–17 loss to New England in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Bruce became the Rams' all-time leader in receptions in 2002 while posting his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season. That year, he led the team with seven touchdown receptions, and ended the season with 79 receptions for 1,075 yards. On his 30th birthday, Bruce had three fumbles in a game. Luckily for Bruce, he scored a game-winning touchdown and the game is almost forgotten because of 34–34 tie between the Falcons and Steelers the same day.
In 2003, Bruce missed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since 1998, finishing with 69 catches for 981 yards and 5 touchdowns, however, he became the Rams' all-time leader in receiving yards (10,461), passing his position coach Henry Ellard (9,761). That year Bruce made seven receptions for 116 yards in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game double overtime loss to Carolina on January 10, 2004, making him the only Rams player to have four career 100-yard postseason performances, breaking a tie with Tom Fears.
In 2004, Bruce caught 89 passes (fifth in the NFC, eighth in the NFL) for 1,292 yards (fifth in the NFL). He started the season with four consecutive 100-yard receiving performances, the first player to accomplish this feat since Houston's Charley Hennigan in 1963. Bruce nabbed a team-high nine catches for 170 yards and one touchdown at Green Bay on November 29, 2004.
With the retirement of Jerry Rice, Bruce entered 2005 as the NFL's active leader in career receiving yards; a foot injury caused him to miss 5 games, and he was passed by Marvin Harrison by the end of the season. Still, he became the 14th player in NFL history with 800 career receptions on December 11 at Minnesota. He finished the 2005 season with 36 receptions for 525 yards and three touchdowns.
On March 7, 2006, the Rams released Bruce rather than pay him a $1.5 million bonus; however, five days after releasing him, the Rams agreed to a three-year, $15 million deal with Bruce. The re-signing freed a reported $7.5 million in cap money for the Rams. That season Bruce started 15 of 16 games and notched his eighth career 1,000-yard receiving season with 1,098 yards on 74 catches with three touchdowns.
In week 15 of the 2007 season, he retook the lead in career receiving yards among active players from Marvin Harrison, and in the same game passed James Lofton to become third on the all-time list. In the 2007 season, Bruce caught 55 passes for 733 yards and four touchdowns, second on his team only to Torry Holt in all three categories.
On February 28, 2008, Bruce was released by the Rams after refusing to take a pay cut, which the Rams promised they would not do in a previous contract renegotiation.
On February 29, 2008, Bruce signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers, to reunite with his former offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Jerry Rice gave Bruce permission to wear the number 80 although the team had already retired it, however Bruce decided against it and instead wore 88.
After contemplating retirement in the offseason, he elected to return to the 49ers in 2009 for his 16th season, reasoning that he was there to "get in the playoffs again and win a Super Bowl".[50] He finished the 2009 season with 21 receptions for 264 yards in ten games. He was inactive for six of the final eight games. The 49ers went 8–8 and missed the postseason.
On June 7, 2010, Bruce was traded from the 49ers to the Rams so that he would be able to retire as a Ram. Bruce was the last member of the former first-tenure Los Angeles Rams to retire.
Bruce is a Christian. Bruce is nicknamed "The Reverend" because he wished to become one after he finished his football career; he also wanted to become a substitute teacher.
Bruce is married to Clegzette Bruce. They have two daughters.
Bruce is the elder cousin of Canadian Football League wide receiver Arland Bruce. Bruce is the younger cousin of NFL running back Derrick Moore.
Bruce is a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
Since 1996, Isaac Bruce has provided tickets to home games to various schools and youth organizations, including partnering with Haz-Waste to provide jerseys and limousine rides for children. He was a United Way spokesman in 1996–97 and United Way African American Leadership Giver from 1997 to 1999. In 2008, he recorded a public service announcement and personal voice message for the RESPECT! Campaign against domestic violence.
