One ACL tear and an All-American Honor
- Mason Tovani
- May 1
- 5 min read
Updated: May 2
By Mason Tovani

“Am I not good anymore?”
Miles Rice, former striker of Chico State, was honest in his assessment of himself one game after returning from an ACL tear at the end of his junior season. He wondered if a new reality set in as a footballer post injury, despite being cleared to play.
Set to graduate this spring, Rice was the guy the team looked to when they needed a goal and in a season in which there was a real possibility he would have to forgo, he found the back of the net 13 times for his team. The first two, one being a game winner, came in his second match against Seattle Pacific, a game in which the team trailed 1-0.
Maybe his teammates look elsewhere for a goal, considering Rice’s minutes were considerably reduced early on in the season. Or maybe it was no shock to anyone in a Wildcat uniform that 46 minutes was enough time for a player like Rice to dust off the cobwebs and return to former glory.
“Ok. I’m back,” he said.
It was a balancing act for Rice to come back. There was the obvious concern the coaching staff, trainers and Rice himself shared with what returning to the field too soon could look like.
“The injury was either going to define me or I would define the injury. I couldn’t be afraid of it, if it was going to hurt,” Rice said. “I made a promise to the core guys that there was no way I was not going to make it for the last year and just watch them play it without me.”
Earlier in the conversation Rice noted his small stature in his youth, there was a short list of colleges willing to bring him into their programs. It isn’t out of the ordinary for athletes to have to put on size and muscle in order to play at the next level but it speaks to the mindset in which Rice has operated since high school.
“We’ve been friends since we came to Chico. Hearing him tell me about the young, small kid he was in high school to an All-American, it’s just inspiring,” said Dawson White.
White, who came into the program at the same time is one of the core guys a part of the group chat that Rice made his promise to. They were around each other everyday, seeing the highs and lows of his recovery. The times where it looked like the timetable would be pushed back and the moments where Rice was going heavier on the squat machine.
“It was insane, it doesn’t really happen, you know some guys are out for years with that,” White said. “He tore his ACL in an NCAA game in December and was back seven months later for pre-season.
“There were so many obstacles that he had to navigate through that were out of his control but he was relentless.”
Despite the end result working in Rice’s favor to return to the field, he was candid about the difficulties of the recovery. Even sharing the fear when he tweaked his knee during the process and thought he’d have to take a few steps back in rehab.
It makes sense that his teammates wanted him out there for their final season. Simply put, he scores goals. In his four year career at Chico State Rice tallied 27 goals and landed himself in the top 10 of goals scored in the program's history.
It seems too simplistic to say that was the only reason the team patiently awaited his return to play. It wins games and as competitors that is most important. Especially after a deep playoff run the year prior, the team needed Rice to get to where they wanted to go.
But for Head Coach Felipe Restrepo it was the human element of Rice that he raved about. He spoke about Rice’s aforementioned resilience and determination but he gleamed in pride of the person Rice was throughout his time in the program.
“He pulls on the heartstrings, he got an opportunity at Chico and he took full advantage of that,” Restrepo said. “In the weight room and on the field, in our program he’s been a shooting star.”
Restrepo was with Rice in Chicago when he was awarded his All-American honor. They spent time exploring the city in the snow, doing the riverwalk, eating Chicago style pizza, popping in and out of stores. Recognized for the biggest achievement in his soccer career that weekend and Rice was most excited about the moments outside of the ceremony.
“My biggest takeaway from that whole experience was being in a massive city while it was snowing, it felt like I was in a Christmas movie.
“It felt good to be honored and walk across the stage — looking back on it, it was very cool but in the moment I was very starstruck and overwhelmed by the size of the convention,” Rice said.
Restrepo said one of the fundamental principles of the program he has been leading for 17 years is that of service. Most importantly serving the community and the people within it.
“It is first and foremost one of our core values, we talk about family, community and career,” Restrepo said. “We have a saying, ‘being men built for others,’ and who does it better than Miles.
“We do a lot of community work and it never fails, the young kids and the families when they see me the first person they ask about is Miles.”
It is the strong alumni who still support this program, the community members who show up to games and donate to the athletics department that Restrepo credits to the culture of togetherness that has long been sustained.
It is why he was consistent in echoing the importance of his teams making a lasting impact on the Chico State campus and the community around it.
The reality is Rice is just one of the many players who donned the Chico State red and white, he is one of the many who scored goals at the University Soccer Stadium. And while Restrepo highlighted those achievements the subject of Rice’s character was what he spoke about for nearly 20 minutes.
“He kind of epitomizes the culture and I can’t thank him enough for it — he leaves an impression on you,” Restrepo said.
After graduating this spring, Rice is set to work toward becoming a firefighter. Continuing on with that ‘men built for others’ mantra.
However, a new opportunity presented itself and Rice is working to make the most of it. Sacramento Republic, a part of the USL Championship invited him to a trial two weeks ago and while he hasn’t signed a contract yet he is training and now traveling with his near hometown professional organization.
Just like when there were few colleges showing interest coming out of high school, Rice is aware of the scarcity of the situation he is in now.
“I want to finish school but if I get the opportunity to play, I am not shutting that down,” Rice said.
Comments