Priest Anthony Holmes #31 Position:  Running Back Birthdate:  October 7, 1973 Birthplace:  Fort Smith, Arkansas Height:  5'9"   Weight:  213 College:  University of Texas NFL Experience:  6 years Bio courtesy of and modified from kcchiefs.com (the official website of the Kansas City Chiefs Personal: Priest Holmes led Marshall High School in San Antonio, Texas to the Class 5A title game with 2,031 rushing yards rushing and 26 total TDs as a senior, despite missing the final four games with a deep thigh bruise.  He also earned Offensive Player of the Year honors from the San Antonio Light.  He totaled 4,080 rushing yards in his prep career. Priest is single with two sons, De’Andre and Jekovan.  He splits his residence between Leawood, Kansas and San Antonio, Texas. College: Holmes played in the final seven games of the 1992 season as a true freshman and finished with 34 carries for 191 yards.  He won the USA Today Fabulous Freshman honorable mention honors. As a sophmore in 1993, Priest started twice and put up 39 carries for 237 yards with two TDs.  He started 5 of 12 games, rushing 120 times for 524 yards and 5 TDs as a junior in 1994.  Just as he was truly starting to come into his own, Holmes tore his ACL during the 1995 spring practice - forcing him to sit out the season. As a senior in 1996, Holmes had 59 carries for 324 yards with 13 TDs, the sixth highest single season TD total in school history.  He ran for 120 yards and three touchdowns in the Big 12 Championship game upset over third ranked Nebraska.  Holmes rushed for over 100 yards in three straight games (vs. Pitt, Louisville, and TCU), the first time since 1980 (Lam Jones) a UT back accomplished this feat.      Holmes concluded his collegiate career at Texas with 252 carries for 1,276 yards (5.1 YPC avg.) with 20 TDs.  Holmes majored in Sport Management at the University of Texas. Professional Career: Overview:   • Sensational seventh-year running back attempting to follow up his two incredible campaigns with the Red and Gold • Enters his third campaign in Kansas City after signing with the Chiefs as an unrestricted free agent from Baltimore on April 21st of 2001 • His arrival in Kansas City in 2001 came and went with relatively little national fanfare, but by the conclusion of the year many of the NFL’s top pundits were proclaiming him as one of the best free agent acquisitions in the entire league • Talented Texan simply enjoyed a monster 2001 & 2002 season, finishing the 2001 campaign with the NFL rushing title; and probably would have been the 2002 leader if a late season hip injury did not bench him • Joined Chiefs Hall of Fame inductee Christian Okoye as the only other Kansas City player to lead the NFL in rushing and also joined the company of Chiefs Hall of Fame enshrinee and fellow Texas native Abner Haynes who paced the AFL with 875 ground yards in ‘60 as the only other player in team history to lead the league in rushing • His 1,555 ground yards in 2001 surpassed Okoye’s previous single-season franchise record of 1,480 established in ‘89 • Becomes the first player in Chiefs history to break the 1,000-yard rushing plateau in back-to-back seasons • Became the first undrafted player to win the NFL rushing title since San Francisco’s Joe “The Jet” Perry did it in ‘54 • Needed just 327 carries to pace the league in rushing in 2001, marking the fewest totes necessary to achieve that goal since Detroit’s Barry Sanders won the title with 307 carries in ‘96 • Literally rewrote a fistful of other pages in the Kansas City record book, as well as earning a plethora of richly-deserved postseason accolades, including his initial Pro Bowl invitation, the Chiefs Derrick Thomas MVP Award and All-Pro honors from AP • Became the first Kansas City RB to receive a Pro Bowl nod since Marcus Allen following the ‘93 campaign • Supremely confident all-around performer whose passion and enthusiasm for the game unquestionably rubs off on his teammates • Regarded as a true locker room leader, quickly became one of the most popular and inspirational players on the Chiefs roster after forging a similar reputation with his teammates in Baltimore • Was voted as the Chiefs offensive captain • Simply provides Kansas City a true home-run hitter in the backfield, regardless of how you describe his style • Is truly a threat to take the ball all the way every time he touches the pigskin, but some of his more remarkable runs come when he inexplicably turns would-be losses into gains • Truly humble competitor typically credits his offensive line and one of the league’s most talented lead blockers in FB Tony Richardson for much of his success • Though not as decorated as Marshall Faulk of St. Louis, does possess an explosive build and style similar to Faulk’s • Provides Kansas City with a multi-purpose threat out of the backfield, making him a key cog in the Chiefs offensive setup • Former rookie free agent initially made a name for himself in Baltimore as an accomplished pass catcher, hauling in a franchise-record 13 passes in a single game for the Ravens in ’98 • Paced the NFL with 52 runs of 10+ yards in 2001, blowing away Barry Word’s previous Chiefs single season record of 29 in ‘90 • Owns three 1,000-yard campaigns, becoming the first Ravens runner to ever post a 1,000-yard season when he piled up 1,008 yards in ’98 • Accepted a reduced role in Baltimore in 2000 to allow Jamal Lewis to blossom which helped pave the way for the Ravens march to a victory in Super Bowl XXXV • Saw action in four career postseason games including a start in Baltimore’s Super Bowl XXXV victory vs. the N.Y. Giants (1/28/01) • Owns 14 carries for 45 yards (2.6 avg.) and one reception for four yards in the playoffs •Originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Baltimore in ’97.   2002 (Kansas City):   In a season that was up and down for the Kansas City Chiefs, Priest Holmes was anything but inconsistent. Holmes finished 3rd in the entire league for rushing yards with 1,615. Other facts on the season include: • Started and played in 14 games • Averaged 5.2 yards/carry on 313 attempts for 1,615 rushing yards • Longest run from scrimmage was a 56 yard run against Denver in week 14 • Only fumbled the ball once in 313 attempts • Carried the ball for more than 20 times in 11 out of the 14 games he played in • Had 30 attempts for 180 yards against New England & 31 attempts for 104 yards against Buffalo • Had 21 rushing TD’s • Caught 70 balls for 672 yards for an average of 9.6 yards/catch and 3 TD’s • Was compared many times to having the style of play, work ethic, and talent of Marshall Faulk • Longest reception was for 64 yards against Seattle on 11/24/02 – this was also his best game with 197 rushing yards – and TD’s (2 rushing and 1 receiving) 2001 (Kansas City):   • Started all 16 games at RB • Received the club’s Derrick Thomas Award as the Chiefs 2001 Most Valuable Player and was named the club’s offensive captain for the season • Earned his initial Pro Bowl berth, as well as first team All-Pro honors from AP and College and Pro Football Newsweekly • Garnered All-AFC accolades from Pro Football Weekly and Football News, as well as second team All-AFC mention from Football Digest • Also received a spot on Howie Long’s All-Tough Guy Team • Won the NFL rushing title with 327 carries for 1,555 yards (4.8 avg.) with eight TDs, breaking Christian Okoye’s single-season Chiefs rushing record of 1,480 yards set in ‘89 • Accounted for 77.4% of the Chiefs total rushing yards, the highest percentage by an individual RB in team history • Also caught 62 passes for 614 yards (8.0 avg.) with a pair of scores, making him just the third Chiefs RB to break the 60-reception barrier in a single season, while his 614 receiving yards were the most ever by a Kansas City RB • Led the NFL and set a Kansas City record with 2,169 total yards from scrimmage, joining Marshall Faulk (St. Louis) as the only other player in the league to top the 2,000-yard plateau in 2001 • His 2,169 combined net yards were a Chiefs record, as were his 389 total touches from scrimmage • His 327 carries were the most since Okoye had a club-record 370 in ‘89, while his eight rushing scores were the most by a Chiefs RB since Donnell Bennett had eight in ‘99 • Led the NFL with 52 runs of 10+ yards, crushing Barry Word’s previous KC record of 29 in ‘90 • Tied with Ahman Green (Green Bay) for the league lead with 11 runs of 20+ yards • Was the only player with four of the NFL’s top 27 single-game rushing performances this season • Tied for the NFL lead with seven 100-yard rushing games, just one shy of Okoye’s franchise-best eight in ‘89 • His 10 total TDs were the most by a Chiefs RB since Marcus Allen had 11 in ‘97 • Registered 101 first downs (80 rushing, 21 receiving), a figure topped only by Faulk (110) in the NFL • His 4.8 yards-per-carry average tied for top honors among all AFC RBs with 100+ carries • Ended the season tied for seventh in the AFC among non-kickers with 60 points • Made his inaugural start in a Chiefs uniform vs. Oakland (9/9), producing seven carries for 21 yards • Had eight carries for 30 yards vs. the N.Y. Giants (9/23) • Earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after producing 225 total yards at Washington (9/30), the third-highest yardage tally of his career and the fifth-highest single-game total in Chiefs history.  Ran the ball 23 times for 147 yards, tying a career high with two TDs and adding five receptions for 78 yards with one score.  Became the first Chiefs player to have three TDs in a game since WR Sylvester Morris did it vs. San Diego (9/17/00) and the first RB since Bam Morris vs. San Diego (11/22/98) • Rushed 17 times for 42 yards and caught seven passes for 58 yards at Denver (10/7) • Boasted a 20-carry, 150-yard performance vs. Pittsburgh (10/14), tying a career high with two rushing TDs • Produced 15 carries for 85 yards at Arizona (10/21), including a season-long 41-yard run, the fifth-longest of his career • Had 15 carries for 55 yards vs. Indianapolis (10/25) • Established season highs with 30 carries for 181 yards (6.0 avg.) with a TD at San Diego (11/4). His yardage tally was the fourth-best effort in Chiefs history and highest tally ever recorded by any opponent against the Chargers • Carried the ball 18 times for 71 yards at the N.Y. Jets (11/11) • Toted the ball 26 times for 120 yards vs. Seattle (11/25) to top the career 3,000-yard mark. Added three receptions for 70 yards, including 55 on a screen play to give him 190 total yards on the day, his fourth-highest career tally • Registered 18 carries for 76 yards and a season-high eight receptions for 100 yards vs. Philadelphia (11/29), making him just the ninth Chiefs RB to ever post a 100-yard receiving game and the first since Todd McNair had 111 yards at San Diego (12/23/90) • Became the first KC player since QB Joe Montana in ‘94 to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors twice in the same season when he registered a career-high 277 total yards at Oakland (12/9), the highest figure in the NFL for the entire year and the third-highest single-game effort in Chiefs history. Had 28 rushes for 168 yards with a TD, breaking the 1,000-yard barrier in the process. Hit that milestone in the 12th game of the season, making him the second-fastest Chiefs player to accomplish that feat, trailing only Christian Okoye who did it in 11 games in ‘89. Added five receptions for a career-high 109 yards (21.8 avg.), including a career-long 67-yard TD reception, Kansas City’s longest play from scrimmage on the season. Joined Abner Haynes, Joe Delaney and Tony Reed as the only other RBs in team history to record a rare 100-yard “double-double” and was the only RB in the NFL to accomplish the feat in 2001 • His 643 yards from scrimmage over a three-game span (190 yards vs. Seattle, 176 yards vs. Philadelphia and 277 yards at Oakland) were the most in the NFL over a three-game span within one season since the late Walter Payton had 746 yards over a three-game stretch in November of ‘77 • Racked up 29 carries for 121 yards with a TD vs. Denver (12/16), making him the first Chiefs RB to record back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since Barry Word had 114 yards at Houston (9/20/92) and 125 yards vs. the L.A. Raiders (9/28/92). His 289 rushing yards over a two-game span were the most in Chiefs history since Mike Garrett had 293 yards (101 vs. Denver 10/29/67 and 192 vs. the N.Y. Jets on 11/5/67). It marked his second-highest total in consecutive games since he had 330 yards in back-to-back games (227 at Cincinnati on 11/22/98 and 103 vs. Indianapolis on 11/29/98) while with Baltimore • Had 23 carries for 80 yards vs. San Diego (12/23). Accumulated 261 rushing yards in two games vs. the Chargers, the third-highest combined tally ever by a Chiefs RB against one opponent in one season • Carried the ball 27 times for 91 yards with a TD and caught seven passes for 53 yards at Jacksonville (12/30) • Rushed 23 times for 117 yards at Seattle (1/6/02), breaking Okoye’s club single-season mark of 1,480 rushing yards on a 22-yard run in the second quarter. Added six catches for 52 yards, breaking McClinton’s Chiefs RB record of 590 receiving yards with a 17-yard catch in the second quarter   2000 (Baltimore):   • Played in all 16 regular season games with two starts • Was the Ravens second-leading rusher behind Jamal Lewis, getting 137 carries for 588 yards (4.3 avg.) to rank 14th in the AFC • Caught 32 passes for 221 yards, as well • Ranked second on the team with 49 first downs • Started at Pittsburgh (9/3), rushing 27 times for 119 yards • Opened the following week vs. Jacksonville (9/10), producing 10 carries for 54 yards in a 39-36 come-from-behind victory • Had six carries for 25 yards at Miami (9/17) • Accounted for 99 yards from scrimmage vs. Cincinnati (9/24), gaining 51 yards on eight carries, adding four receptions for 48 yards • Rushed 20 times for 82 yards at Cleveland (10/1) • Had a season-long 21-yard rush at Washington (10/15) • Had five rushes for 30 yards vs. Tennessee (10/22) • Rushed three times for eight yards at Cincinnati (11/5) • Carried the ball five times for 19 yards vs. Pittsburgh (10/29) • Had two catches for 15 yards in a 24-23 win at Tennessee (11/12), the Titans first-ever loss in Adelphia Coliseum • Registered 13 totes for 64 yards vs. Dallas (11/19), including 47 yards in the second half as the Ravens set a team record with 250 rushing yards • Produced 17 carries for 64 yards and a TD vs. Cleveland (11/26), carrying the ball on 12 consecutive plays in the fourth quarter • Had seven carries for 16 yards in the club’s playoff-clinching 24-3 win vs. San Diego (12/10) • Carried the ball four times for 28 yards at Arizona (12/17) • Made a season-long 27-yard catch vs. the N.Y. Jets (12/24), one of three receptions for 40 yards • Carried the ball 18 times for 45 yards in four postseason games • Had five carries for six yards in the club’s 21-3 AFC Wild Card win vs. Denver (12/31), the first postseason victory in club history • Saw reserve duty in a 24-10 AFC Divisional Playoff win at Tennessee (1/7/01) • Produced nine carries for 31 yards (3.4 avg.) in the AFC Championship Game at Oakland (1/14/01) • Started in Baltimore’s Super Bowl XXXV victory vs. the N.Y. Giants (1/28/01), producing four carries for eight yards   1999 (Baltimore):   • Had his season curtailed by a knee injury, playing in just nine games with four starts • Finished the year with 89 carries for 506 yards (5.7 avg.) with one TD, getting 412 of those yards over the final five games • That 5.7 yards-per-carry average was second in the NFL among ball carriers with at least 80 carries behind only Pittsburgh’s Richard Huntley (6.1) • Also caught 13 passes for 104 yards and a TD • Accounted for 26 first downs • Topped the 100-yard barrier in a pair of games and had a 95-yard effort, as well • Rushed 12 times for 52 yards in the season-opener at St. Louis (9/12) • Did not start vs. Pittsburgh (9/19) while nursing a sprained right knee, rushing once for two yards • Was inactive vs. Cleveland (9/26), at Atlanta (10/3) and at Tennessee (10/10) while recovering from a sprained right MCL • Did not play vs. Kansas City (10/21) or vs. Buffalo (10/31) • Saw action spelling Errict Rhett in the fourth quarter of a 41-9 win at Cleveland (11/7) • Saw brief action in the backfield at Cincinnati (11/21), but did not carry the ball • Entered the game in the second quarter vs. Tennessee (12/5) after a rib injury to Rhett, racing a team-record 72 yards on a second quarter run to set up a field goal to finish the day with nine totes for 100 yards • Returned to the starting lineup for the season’s final four games, beginning at Pittsburgh (12/12) when he ran 18 times for 130 yards (7.2 avg.) with a TD • Caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Tony Banks vs. New Orleans (12/19), his first career scoring reception • Had 13 carries for 59 yards and a one-yard reception vs. Cincinnati (12/26) • Finished the season rushing 16 times for 95 yards and catching a season-high six passes for 43 yards at New England (1/2/00).   1998 (Baltimore):   • Saw action in all 16 games, starting the final 13 games of the season • Rushed 233 times for 1,008 yards with seven TDs, becoming the initial Ravens rusher to ever top the 1,000-yard barrier • Led the team with 64 first downs • Also topped the club with 43 receptions, getting 260 yards on those catches • Had five special teams tackles, as well • Recorded four 100-yard rushing games and added a 99-yard effort • Got his first six NFL carries for 23 yards in the season-opener vs. Pittsburgh (9/6) • Gained three yards on a fourth-quarter rush at the N.Y. Jets (9/13) • Recorded two solo punt coverage stops and two kickoff coverage stops for a career-high four special teams tackles at Jacksonville (9/20) • Exploded for 27 carries and 173 yards with two TDs in his first NFL start vs. Cincinnati (9/27), earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts • Caught a franchise-record 13 passes for 98 yards vs. Tennessee (10/11) • Made his third start at Pittsburgh (10/18), getting 23 carries for 76 yards to go with six receptions for 42 yards • Racked up 27 carries for 99 yards vs. Oakland (11/8) • Set a team record and career high with 227 rushing yards at Cincinnati (11/22), the highest single-game rushing total of the season in the NFL and the fourth-highest in the ’90s. Piled up that yardage tally on a personal-best 36 carries, tying a team record • Had 22 carries for 103 yards and scored two TDs vs. Indianapolis (11/29) • Lost two fumbles vs. Minnesota (12/13), snapping a streak of 156 touches without a fumble • Closed out his first 1,000-yard season with a 132-yard, one-TD effort vs. Detroit (12/27).   1997 (Baltimore):   • Played in seven games as a rookie • Finished the year with two tackles on special teams, plus a 14-yard kickoff return • Saw first career action at Tennessee (9/21), returning the opening kickoff of the second half 14 yards and recorded a special teams tackle • Made his second special teams tackle of season by taking down Tyree Davis on Greg Montgomery’s free kick after a safety vs. Seattle (12/7).   Copyright © 2002 AWS PriestHolmes.com is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Priest Holmes, the Kansas City Chiefs or the NFL