KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former Kansas City Chiefs running back Priest Holmes will be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011 on today in Springfield, Missouri.
He will become the fourth Chiefs running back to be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen (2001), Christian Okoye (2003) and Curtis McClinton (2007).
“Priest’s tremendous work ethic and perseverance took him from unheralded beginnings as an undrafted free agent to one of the most electrifying and productive offensive players to ever play for the Chiefs,” Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “On behalf of my family and the entire Chiefs organization, we congratulate Priest on this well-deserved honor.”
Holmes played in 65 regular season games with 63 starts for Kansas City. He was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press after producing 1,615 rushing yards in just 14 games in 2002.
Holmes became just the third Chiefs player to lead the league in rushing when he racked up 1,555 yards during his debut campaign with Kansas City in 2001.
In addition to his rushing exploits, Holmes also caught 246 passes for 2,360 yards (9.6 avg.) with seven TDs. He ranks first in team history with 1,521 touches from scrimmage and is second in team annals with 24 career 100-yard rushing games.
Holmes also started one postseason contest against Indianapolis on Jan. 1, 2004, rushing 24 times and setting Chiefs single-game postseason records with 176 yards and two TDs. He finished the day with 208 combined net yards from scrimmage, the third-highest tally in Chiefs postseason history.
Holmes originally joined the Chiefs as an unrestricted free agent from Baltimore in 2001. He averaged a league-high 130.0 scrimmage yards per game and ranked second in the NFL by averaging 93.4 rushing yards per game from 2001-07.
Holmes scored 83 touchdowns from 2001-05, the second-highest total in the NFL during that time span. He scored 62 rushing TDs from 2002-04, the second-best three-year mark in NFL history. He owns a host of Chiefs single-season records, including marks for points (162 in 2003), receptions by a running back (74 in 2003) and yards from scrimmage (2,287 in 2002).
In total, Holmes saw action in 113 career regular season games (82 starts) with Baltimore (’97-00) and Kansas City (2001-07). He carried the ball 1,780 times for 8,712 yards (4.6 avg.) with 86 TDs and caught 339 passes for 2,962 yards (8.7 avg.) with eight scores.
Holmes also saw duty in five playoff contests (two starts), rushing 42 times for 221 yards (5.3 avg.) with two TDs and captained a Baltimore squad that captured a victory in Super Bowl XXXV against the New York Giants.
Holmes entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Baltimore in ’97 after a stellar collegiate career at the University of Texas. He is enshrined in the University of Texas Hall of Honor after registering 252 carries for 1,276 yards (5.1 avg.) with 20 TDs during his career with the Longhorns. He prepped at Marshall High School in San Antonio, Texas.