Priest Holmes

Priest Anthony Holmes (born October 7, 1973) is a former American football running back who played eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Texas. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 1997.

Holmes earned a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV over the New York Giants. After rushing for just over 2,000 yards in four seasons in Baltimore, Holmes experienced breakout success after signing with the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent in 2001. During his seven-year stint with the Chiefs, Holmes was a three-time All-Pro, three-time Pro Bowl selection and was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2002. Holmes sat out the 2006 season with a neck injury, and after a brief comeback attempt in 2007 retired from the NFL. Holmes was also inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Honor and the Texas High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

Holmes was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Although he carries the last name of his biological father, he never met the man, only seeing him for the first time at his funeral. He was raised in San Antonio, Texas by his mother Norma, and stepfather Herman Morris. Holmes was raised in a military household as his stepfather was an aircraft technician at Kelly Air Force Base for 20 years. When he was 13, Holmes spent a summer in Detroit, Michigan, working for his grandfather’s lawn care service. Working with much older men for 12 hours a day, six days a week, Holmes learned the work ethic that later shaped him as a football player.