JockBio: Priest Holmes Facts

Priest Holmes

Priest gained more than 4,000 yards in his high-school career.
Priest’s four TDs in the Sun Bowl tied UT’s bowl-game mark, set by Bobby Layne almost 50 years earlier.
Priest’s signing bonus with the Ravens in 1997 was $2,500.
Priest was so quiet in his rookie year with the Ravens that opposing teams wondered if there was “something wrong” with him. Rob Burnett of the Miami Dolphins thought Priest was a mute.
When Priest made the Baltimore starting lineup in 1998, he brought DeAndre east and enrolled him in a private school. Jekovan stayed in Texas with his mom.
Until he reached the 1,000-yard plateau in 1998, Priest drove the same car (an ’88 Mustang) he bought in high school.
When Priest was told he made the Pro Bowl in 2001, he was so overjoyed he offered to take all of his teammates to Hawaii with him. A dozen Chiefs took him up on his offer. He and fellow KC Pro Bowl pick Will Shields split the cost.
Priest was the first undrafted back to lead the NFL in rushing since 1954, when Joe “The Jet” Perry gained 1,049 yards for the San Francisco 49ers.
In 2002, Priest became the first Chief to be named AP Offensive Player of the Year.
Priest’s 2,287 total yards in 2002 were the most ever for a player over a 14-game span.
In 2002, Priest broke Abner Haynes’s franchise mark for touchdowns in a season. The record had stood for 40 years.
In 2002, Priest became the first Chief to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.
Priest says Lawyer Milloy of the Bills is the hardest tackler in the NFL. Lee Flowers, Rodney Harrison, Eric Brown and Brian Dawkins round out his Top 5.
During the offseason, Priest keeps his pass-catching skills sharp with a special JUGS machine. He also swims laps underwater to boost his endurance.
Priest still uses visualization techniques to improve his performance. He often stays after practice on Saturdays to run through the next day’s plays in slow motion, imagining the chaos around him and how he will react to what develops on the field.
By all accounts, Priest is an unusual first name. To this day, however, his mother won’t tell him why she chose it—other than she liked the way it sounds.
Priest credits San Antonio trainer Bay Bay McClinton with getting his hip back to 100%.
Priest’s cousin, Henry Burris, was a star quarterback at Temple Uniuversity. He was the starting QB for the CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2000, and played six games for the Bears in 2002.
Priest runs a camp for underprivileged kids in San Antonio. He heads his own charitable organization, Team Priest. The official web site is www.teampriest.com.
Priest's favorite off-field activity is playing chess. His favorite movie is "The Five Heartbeats.'
Priest's father is M. Sgt. in the military. He was deployed to Iraq in January of 2004. Priest says he thinks about him for or five times a day.
Besides chess, Priest also loves to play Scrabble.

Bobby Layne, 1948 Exhibit

Joe Perry, 1956 Topps

Abner Haynes, 1960 Fleer