Ernie Holmes
Encyclopedia
Earnest Lee "Ernie" Holmes, also nicknamed "Fats" (July 11, 1948 – January 17, 2008) was an American football
player who was most famous for his years with the Pittsburgh
Steelers
from 1972-77. He was part of the famous Steel Curtain
and played at defensive lineman. His fellow linemen during this period were Joe Greene
, Dwight White
, and L. C. Greenwood
. He won two Super Bowl
rings with them. Multiple Steelers players from the era have publicly stated that Holmes was as good as Joe Greene. While Quarterback sack
s were not an official NFL statistic during Holmes's career, the Steelers credit him 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) and 10.5 in 1975. He was intensely fierce on the playing field and was often characterized as the most feared man on the entire Steelers defense. However, Holmes was also characterized as wild, lacking personal discipline, and often out of control which led to his demise. At one point, both Holmes and his girlfriend at the time had an arrowhead
shaved onto their heads.
Holmes played college football at Texas Southern University
and was selected by the Steelers in the eighth round of the 1971 NFL Draft
. After growing impatient with his weight problems, the Steelers traded Holmes in 1978 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, where he failed to make the team coming out of preseason. He played three games for the New England Patriots
in 1978 before retiring. In the offseason preceding the 1973 season, Holmes had an emotional breakdown while driving on the Ohio Turnpike and fired shots at a police helicopter that was pursuing him in the course of a chase.
In 1986, Holmes appeared in WrestleMania 2
. He also made some other appearances as a pro wrestler. His weight ballooned to over 400 pounds after his playing career ended. Until his death, Holmes lived in Wiergate, Texas
, where he was an ordained minister.
Holmes's 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.
, and was believed to be very depressed and have troubles in his marriage.
on the night of January 17, 2008. Holmes was driving alone when his car left the road and rolled several times, about 80 miles (128.7 km) from Houston, a Texas Department of Public Safety dispatcher said.
He was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from his automobile and was pronounced dead at the scene the Texas DOT stated.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who was most famous for his years with the Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
from 1972-77. He was part of the famous Steel Curtain
Steel Curtain
The Steel Curtain was the nickname given to the front four of the famous defensive line of the American football team Pittsburgh Steelers during their 1970s dynasty years. This defense was the backbone of the Steelers dynasty, which won 4 Super Bowls...
and played at defensive lineman. His fellow linemen during this period were Joe Greene
Joe Greene (American football)
Charles Edward Greene, known as “Mean Joe” Greene, is a former all-pro American football defensive tackle who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. Throughout the early 1970s he was the one of most dominant defensive players in the National Football League...
, Dwight White
Dwight White
Dwight Lynn White was an American football defensive end who played for ten seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League and was a member of the famed Steel Curtain defense....
, and L. C. Greenwood
L. C. Greenwood
L.C. Henderson Greenwood is a former American football defensive end for the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers.-College career:...
. He won two Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
rings with them. Multiple Steelers players from the era have publicly stated that Holmes was as good as Joe Greene. While Quarterback sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s were not an official NFL statistic during Holmes's career, the Steelers credit him 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) and 10.5 in 1975. He was intensely fierce on the playing field and was often characterized as the most feared man on the entire Steelers defense. However, Holmes was also characterized as wild, lacking personal discipline, and often out of control which led to his demise. At one point, both Holmes and his girlfriend at the time had an arrowhead
Arrowhead
An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...
shaved onto their heads.
Holmes played college football at Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University is a historically black university located in Houston, Texas, United States....
and was selected by the Steelers in the eighth round of the 1971 NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
. After growing impatient with his weight problems, the Steelers traded Holmes in 1978 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
, where he failed to make the team coming out of preseason. He played three games for 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...
in 1978 before retiring. In the offseason preceding the 1973 season, Holmes had an emotional breakdown while driving on the Ohio Turnpike and fired shots at a police helicopter that was pursuing him in the course of a chase.
In 1986, Holmes appeared in WrestleMania 2
WrestleMania 2
WrestleMania 2 was the second annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
. He also made some other appearances as a pro wrestler. His weight ballooned to over 400 pounds after his playing career ended. Until his death, Holmes lived in Wiergate, Texas
Wiergate, Texas
Wiergate is a small unincorporated town in Newton County, Texas, United States, in the far eastern part of the state. It lies approximately northeast of Beaumont near State Highways 63 and 87...
, where he was an ordained minister.
Holmes's number 63 was later issued to All-Pro center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
Dermontti Dawson
Dermontti Dawson
Dermontti Farra Dawson is a former American football center in the National Football League. He played his entire career with the Pittsburgh Steelers....
. The number has since been taken out of circulation as being "unofficially retired" in honor of Dawson.
Shooting
On March 20, 1973, Holmes was arrested on the Ohio/PA Turnpike trying to shoot at a passing motorist. During the manhunt for Holmes a police officer was injured. He was diagnosed with acute paranoid psychosisPsychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
, and was believed to be very depressed and have troubles in his marriage.
Death
Holmes died in a one-car accident near Beaumont, TexasBeaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
on the night of January 17, 2008. Holmes was driving alone when his car left the road and rolled several times, about 80 miles (128.7 km) from Houston, a Texas Department of Public Safety dispatcher said.
He was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from his automobile and was pronounced dead at the scene the Texas DOT stated.