Condredge Holloway
Encyclopedia
Condredge Holloway Jr. was a star quarterback
for the University of Tennessee
and later in the Canadian Football League
.
in Huntsville in 1962, becoming the first African American
employee of NASA.
Surprisingly, football wasn't Holloway's favorite sport; he preferred baseball. After starring as a high school player at Lee High School
in Huntsville, he was drafted as a shortstop
by the Montreal Expos
in 1971; Holloway was Montreal's first pick, and he was the fourth player selected overall. However, Holloway's mother, insisting her son attend college, refused to sign the contract (Condredge was 17, too young to sign a contract under Alabama law) and instead he went to Tennessee. In so doing Holloway became the first African-American to start at the quarterback position in an SEC school.
On the field Condredge Holloway became one of the most dynamic players in school history, and off the field he became one of the most respected.
In his three seasons (1972-74) as a starter, Holloway directed the Vols to the 1972 Astro-Bluebonnet, 1973 Gator and 1974 Liberty Bowls and an overall record of 25-9-2. He ended his career with the best interception-to-attempt ratio in Tennessee history, throwing just 12 interceptions in 407 collegiate attempts.
appearances from 1972–74, Holloway was drafted by the NFL in 1975—but only in the twelfth round, as a Defensive back
, by the New England Patriots
(few pro teams had African-American quarterbacks at that time). Instead, Holloway went to Canada
, playing for the Ottawa Rough Riders
starting in 1975. Later, he moved to the Toronto Argonauts
, capturing the CFL's Most Outstanding Player award in 1982 and guiding the Argos to a Grey Cup
championship the following season—Toronto's first title in 31 years. Holloway finished his career with the BC Lions
and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
in 1999.
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
and later in the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
.
Early years and College
Condredge Holloway was born to Condredge Holloway, Sr., and Dorothy Holloway. Condredge's grandfather on his father's side was born a slave, but was emancipated as a child in 1865. Dorothy was hired to work at the Marshall Space Flight CenterMarshall Space Flight Center
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. The largest center of NASA, MSFC's first mission was developing the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program...
in Huntsville in 1962, becoming the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
employee of NASA.
Surprisingly, football wasn't Holloway's favorite sport; he preferred baseball. After starring as a high school player at Lee High School
Lee High School (Huntsville, Alabama)
Lee High School is a four-year public high school that serves students in grades 9-12 from Huntsville, in Madison County, Alabama in the United States, as a part of Huntsville City Schools.-History:...
in Huntsville, he was drafted as a shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
by the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
in 1971; Holloway was Montreal's first pick, and he was the fourth player selected overall. However, Holloway's mother, insisting her son attend college, refused to sign the contract (Condredge was 17, too young to sign a contract under Alabama law) and instead he went to Tennessee. In so doing Holloway became the first African-American to start at the quarterback position in an SEC school.
On the field Condredge Holloway became one of the most dynamic players in school history, and off the field he became one of the most respected.
In his three seasons (1972-74) as a starter, Holloway directed the Vols to the 1972 Astro-Bluebonnet, 1973 Gator and 1974 Liberty Bowls and an overall record of 25-9-2. He ended his career with the best interception-to-attempt ratio in Tennessee history, throwing just 12 interceptions in 407 collegiate attempts.
Canadian Football League
After leading the Volunteers to three bowl gameBowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
appearances from 1972–74, Holloway was drafted by the NFL in 1975—but only in the twelfth round, as a Defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
, by the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
(few pro teams had African-American quarterbacks at that time). Instead, Holloway went to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, playing for the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
starting in 1975. Later, he moved to the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
, capturing the CFL's Most Outstanding Player award in 1982 and guiding the Argos to a Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
championship the following season—Toronto's first title in 31 years. Holloway finished his career with the BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
Canadian Football Hall of Fame
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
in 1999.