Former Longhorn Priest Holmes should’ve been 2020 HOF Finalist
The 2020 Pro Football Hall-of-Fame finalists for induction for the 2020 class didn’t include former Longhorn stud RB Priest Holmes.
Among the more than 100 modern-era players that were initially nominated for the 2020 Pro Football Hall-of-Fame class, only one was a very prominent former member of the Texas Longhorns football program. But that member of the Texas program didn’t make it into the final cut of 2020 Pro Football Hall-of-Fame inductees, as of Jan. 2. That one player that is also a former Longhorn that was nominated to be inducted for the 2020 Pro Football Hall-of-Fame class is legendary running back Priest Holmes.
Between 1992 and 1996, Holmes was left terrorizing opposing run defenses either in the Southwestern Conference or the Big 12.
The Big 12 was formed for the final year of his eligibility on the Forty Acres, when Holmes rushed for 324 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. That was a down season, though, for Holmes as he usually rushed for at least 400 yards per year during his Texas career.
Holmes didn’t produce much during his tenure in a Longhorns uniform. But he did breakthrough in a big way early on in his NFL career. He was an undrafted free agent signed by the Baltimore Ravens following the 1997 NFL Draft.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYtXZd3Q5d4
According to Pro-Football Reference, Holmes slots 31st among NFL running backs all-time for Hall-of-Fame monitor rating. He also ranks in the top 30 in rushing/receiving touchdowns all-time among running backs, top 50 in career rushing yards, and in the top 40 in rushing yards per game.
What Holmes has riding for him a 2002 AP Offensive Player of the Year selection, three Pro Bowl selections, three All-Pro honors, and one Super Bowl ring. He won a Super Bowl during his initial stint in the NFL with the Ravens. He got the Kansas City Chiefs into the playoffs a number of times, but that team wasn’t ever able to capitalize once playoff-time arrived.
There’s plenty of accolades that Holmes has going for him to eventually get into the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame, but he won’t get in with the 2020 class. He didn’t get in with a group of modern-era finalists that includes safety Troy Polamalu, running back Edgerrin James, wide receiver Torry Holt, and defensive back Steve Atwater.
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The next former Longhorn to work his way into the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame very well could be Holmes. There’s Hall-of-Fame inductees that are going to have less accolades than he does working in their favor.
It’s just too bad that a string of injuries during the early-to-mid 2000’s with the Chiefs wound up derailing the promising twilight of an NFL career that Holmes had waiting for him.