MIAMI, FL -- (Marketwire) -- 02/01/13 -- Before the NFL season even started, Ray Rice had a good feeling about the Ravens ending up in the Super Bowl. While at Jason Taylor's Foundation Event in February 2012, the running back told Class Act Sports:

"Let's get it done, Baltimore! We'll get them back next year," he said, referring to the Ravens' heartbreaking 23-20 loss to the Patriots. "We definitely have the talent. We've been there, we've scratched the surface. But the Ravens, we are going to be strong for the next few years to come."

And a year later, the Ravens find themselves in this weekend's Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers after a 28-13 win over the Patriots in this year's AFC Championship game.

ClassActSports.com caught up with Rice, a New Rochelle native and former standout at Rutgers University while covering Taylor's annual fundraiser event, which has raised over $2 million since its inception for children's programs and scholarships.

Rice, who has become one of the best backs in the league, had nine touchdowns on the ground and rushed for 1,143 yards this season, and talked about what having a guy like Ray Lewis as a teammate means to him. This was prior to Lewis announcing that this would be his last season.

"The thing about the game of football is that the relationships that you build while you are playing not only last while you are playing but last a lifetime. [Ray Lewis] became not only my mentor, but that father figure that I didn't get to have growing up. That's what he has been to me. You take football out of it, me and Ray Lewis are going to be tight," Rice told Class Act Sports exclusively.

Class Act Sports was founded in 2009 by Jared Ginsberg aiming to surpass typical websites by designing a brand of coverage, which goes above and beyond the industry standards. Class Act Sports also joined forces with former NFL safety Victor Green, who spent nine of his eleven years in the league with the New York Jets. The company promotes charitable work that current and retired athletes do to help children, families and communities in need. In its three years, Class Act Sports has worked with athletes such as Miles Austin, Joe Namath, Julius Erving, Jonathan Ogden, and Clark Gillies. For more information on this or any of the other events Class Act Sports covers, visit ClassActSports.com.

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