Mike Holmes left a mark on the Texas Southern football program that may not ever be forgotten.
The two-way safety/wide receiver set standards that are surprisingly still in tack more than 50 years since Holmes played for the Tigers. He remains TSU’s career interceptions leader with 20 picks from 1969-1973. And he is the last TSU player to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft when the San Francisco 49ers took him with the 18th overall pick in 1974.
Holmes, now 73, played safety and wide receiver in the NFL, CFL and USFL in a professional career that spanned from 1974-1983. In his life after playing, Holmes is well known as a former director for Major League Baseball’s RBI program here in Houston.
The former Galveston Ball standout and two-time All-SWAC honoree will be one of 24 inductees going into the Texas Southern University Sports Hall of Fame in October.
The Defender recently caught up with Holmes while he was playing a game of dominoes at a YMCA in the area and here is what he had to say in between and sometimes during slapping bones, keeping score and a whole lot of smack talking.
Defender: What does this mean for you going into the TSU Hall of Fame?
Holmes: It means that all the work I’ve done within Texas Southern, NFL and high school, everybody has been well appreciated. The word respect means a lot to me. It’s a great day for me because I’m in position now because this is something that has never happened within my family. I’m in six Hall of Fames at this point. The biggest thing is people respect you for what you’ve done on the field and off the field.
Defender: What does TSU mean to you and what did your time there mean?
Holmes: TSU is place that gave me an opportunity to achieve in life. It gave me an education, it gave me an opportunity to play sports and at the same time, it has been well appreciated by me. And anything I can do for TSU, provided it makes sense, I’m here to help out.
Defender: What do you remember about your playing days at TSU?
Holmes: My years at TSU, we had a lot of success, a lot of great times. I can’t say too much because my wife may have a bug on me (laughter). Those were four beautiful years I spent at TSU. I had an opportunity to meet people from different areas, different cities, and different states. I got a chance to travel while playing and I had never had the opportunity. Friendship means something and I was able to build those kind of friendships and those friendships still last today. I can get on the phone and call some my teammates now and we talk about old times that we had over at Texas Southern University.
Defender: Do you have a favorite memory from your time at TSU?
Holmes: I would say no because the four years I was there I accomplished a lot of stuff at TSU. My first year, I was able to play on the football team. I was probably the last freshman to start on the football team because back then freshmen weren’t allowed to play varsity ball. That year, I was freshman of the year and the next year I was there, I played wide receiver. Every year, it was always moving up to where I was able to achieve a lot of things.
Defender: How surprised are you that your 20 career interceptions still stand?
Holmes: My question is why? This is way back in 1973. So what have they been doing from 73 up until now. I’m still the career interceptions leader at TSU. Haven’t nobody come close to it yet.
Defender: What was your mentality as a football player back then?
Holmes: My belief was in order for us to win, I had to do something. The part that I did was intercepting the football. Putting the ball into the end zone when I played wide receiver.
TSU Road to the Sports Hall of Fame
This past spring, TSU announced it has reinstated its Texas Southern University Sports Hall of Fame for the first time since 1996. The school selected 24 former student athletes, coaches and contributors for induction to the 2024 Class. The Defender will feature one of the inductees each month as we move toward the Homecoming induction week in October.
Here is the list of inductees:
| Dave Bethany Donovan Carl Campbell Sonja Dixon Clyde E. Duncan, Sr. Willie Ellison Dr. Dwalah Fisher Charlie Frazier Thomasina Garza Dr. Kevin Granger, Sr. John Harvey Karen Hawkins Ernie Holmes | Mike Holmes Dr. Jesse Hurst Chantel Jefferson Shonda Johnson Homer Jones Robert Moreland Dr. Roderick “Rod” Paige Donald Narcisse Darlene Hale-Stowers Michael Strahan Nerissa Redo James West |
|---|
Defender: What was it like being a two-way player back then?
Holmes: I was one on of the players who never left the field. We talk all this stuff about Deion Sanders. We did that a long time ago. I had an issue. I didn’t want to leave the field. So me and the coach had a good understanding. If you want to win, you’d better keep me on the field.
Defender: How did your time at TSU prepare you for what was to come?
Holmes: Every year we had different individuals that you play with. At the end of the day you have to set yourself a goal. And my goal was to make it to the NFL. How do you make it to the NFL? You’ve got to have some stats. I made sure when I was on the field at the end of the day when they said MVP, my name came up. Throughout my career, I accomplished a lot and didn’t know it until you look back and it’s down on paper.
Defender: What was your reaction when you learned you are going into the TSU Sports Hall of Fame?
Holmes: There wasn’t no emotion. It was just understanding what people are trying to do and why they are trying to do it. At the same, if you go along with the guidelines, win, lose or draw, my name had to come up. I’m already in five Hall of Fames. It’s no emotion because we know as I knew, if you are going to do things right, my name has to come up because I’ve been there before.
Defender: Is this induction a little more special because of what it means?
Holmes: Am I excited or want to be excited? It’s not that with me. Because I’ve traveled on that road. If this would have happened six years ago, now I’m excited. I finally made the grade. But now it’s not making the grade, it’s doing the right thing because the credentials are there.
