Ernie Holmes

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Ernie Holmes
No. 63
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born:(1948-07-11)July 11, 1948
Jamestown, Texas, U.S.
Died:January 17, 2008(2008-01-17) (aged 59)
Beaumont, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school:Burkeville Independent School District
College:Texas Southern
NFL draft:1971 / Round: 8 / Pick: 203
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:84
Games started:58
Player stats at NFL.com

Earnest Lee Holmes (July 11, 1948 – January 17, 2008) was an American football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "Fats", he was selected by the Steelers in the eighth round of the 1971 NFL Draft and won two Super Bowl titles with the team. He spent all but one season of his career in Pittsburgh, retiring in 1978 after a stint with the New England Patriots.[1]

Early life[edit]

Holmes was born in Jamestown, Texas, and was raised on his family's farm, attending school in Wiergate[2][3] Holmes played college football at Texas Southern University.

Professional career[edit]

Holmes was selected by Pittsburgh Steelers in the eighth round of the 1971 NFL Draft.[4] He was part of the legendary Steel Curtain defense along with fellow linemen Joe Greene, Dwight White, and L. C. Greenwood. While quarterback sacks were not an official NFL statistic until 1982, the Steelers credit Holmes with a career total of 40, eighth on the franchise's all-time list. This includes team-high totals of 11 in 1974 (including a stretch of six consecutive games with a sack, which ties him with Greene and Greg Lloyd for the longest such streak in team history)[5] and 10.5 in 1975.[6]

"Ernie was one of the toughest players to ever wear a Steelers uniform, at his best, he was an intimidating player who even the toughest of opponents did not want to play against."

— Steelers chairman Dan Rooney[7]

He was intensely fierce on the playing field and was often characterized as the most feared man on the Steelers defense.[citation needed] Prior to his third season in 1973, Holmes had an emotional breakdown while driving on the Ohio Turnpike on March 16, firing shots at a police helicopter as it pursued him.[8][9][10] He was charged with shooting at a Highway Patrol heli-pilot. Holmes was found in a field near his abandoned car in Goshen Township, Mahoning County, Ohio.[11][12] When apprehended, he threw his gun away and put his hands up. He was given five years' probation. Diagnosed with acute paranoid psychosis, he was believed to be depressed and having marital troubles.[13]

Holmes played six seasons with the Steelers before being traded due to on-going weight problems in 1978 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he failed to make the team coming out of preseason.[14] He played three games for the New England Patriots that season before retiring.

Holmes' number 63 was later issued to All-Pro center Dermontti Dawson. The number has since been taken out of circulation as being "unofficially retired" in honor of Dawson, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

Other activities[edit]

Following the end of his NFL career, Holmes became a wrestler and actor.[15] He made one film appearance in 1985's Fright Night as a bouncer killed by Chris Sarandon's vampire character. The following year, Holmes appeared in WrestleMania 2 and made other appearances as a professional wrestler.[16][17] He also appeared in an episode of The A-Team.

Personal life and death[edit]

Until his death, Holmes lived in Texas on a ranch near Wiergate, a small town with a population of 461 near the Louisiana border, where he had his own church and was an ordained minister.

Holmes died in a one-car accident near Beaumont, Texas on the night of January 17, 2008. He was driving alone when his car left the road and rolled several times, about 80 miles (130 km) from Houston, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety dispatcher. Holmes was thrown from his car and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. He had not been wearing a seat belt.[18][19]

Holmes was buried at the Pine Hill Cemetery in Jamestown, Texas.

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1985 Fright Night Bouncer #2

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Ernie Holmes Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  2. ^ "Ernie Holmes Bio". IMDB. Retrieved 2014-06-18.
  3. ^ "Fear of failure drove Holmes". April 7, 2010.
  4. ^ "ProFootball Reference". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  5. ^ "Ernie Holmes". Steelers.com. Retrieved 2014-06-18.
  6. ^ "Steelers Records" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-25.
  7. ^ "Ernie Holmes, member of Steel Curtain, dies at 59". January 18, 2008.
  8. ^ "Steelers' Holmes held in shooting of Ohio officer". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 17, 1973. p. 1.
  9. ^ "Steeler held in shooting spree". Pittsburgh Press. March 17, 1973. p. 1.
  10. ^ "Steeler Ernie Holmes held after helicopter shot at". Montreal Gazette. UPI. March 17, 1973. p. 30.
  11. ^ Thomas, William; Mangan, Dennis B. (March 17, 1973). "Pittsburgh gridder held in shooting". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). p. 1.
  12. ^ "Arrest pro gridder after pilot shot". Lewiston Evening Journal. (Maine). Associated Press. March 17, 1973. p. 14.
  13. ^ "Kindness for Weakness". SteelersDepot.com. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 2014-06-18.
  14. ^ "The 1978 Buccaneer draft review".
  15. ^ "Ernie Holmes, 59, preacher, former Pittsburgh Steeler".
  16. ^ "Ernie Holmes". wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  17. ^ "A Complete History of WrestleMania Personalities Dying Before the Age of 60". Complex Sports. April 5, 2013.
  18. ^ "Holmes, Anchor in Steelers' 'Steel Curtain,' dies in car wreck - NFL.com". www.nfl.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  19. ^ "Ernie Holmes, 59, N.F.L. Lineman, is Dead". The New York Times. 20 January 2008.

External links[edit]

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