That is how you are supposed to move the team down the field. And when my coach told me that, I knew then, OK, it is not all about what the crowd is saying. And if I can still be relevant in college football 30 years later, were pretty good., Trevor Lawrence is the 2nd true freshman starting quarterback to win a National Title and the first since Jamelle Holieway led Oklahoma to a title in 1985 after Troy Aikman went down with a season-ending injury. I got to step in and run my stuff. Coach Switzer always told us, If it is not for the fans, then who the hell are we? With Jackson streaking down the near sideline, Holieway fired the ball over Thomas at the Nebraska 35, Jackson tipped the ball to himself, corralled it and raced to the 14-yard line with nine seconds left. His passing efficiency rating was 84.9 over 39 collegiate games. It doesnt snow a lot, and if it does, its only after football season. Due to his dads illegal activities, his home was frequently raided andsearched, often without a warrant by the state, local and federal authorities. Holieway signed with the Sooners and arrived on campus in the summer of 1985. Holieway then turned his focus to Oklahoma, which not only had a long, successful track record of winning big with the triple-option offensive attack but a charismatic coach in Barry Switzer who was not threatened by players who wished to display some personality. The Sooners beat the Bruins 38-3. And the OU community remains . He kept throwing different scenarios at me, but I had been running the option my whole life. I learned that if I wanted to go different places and do things, I had to have money in my pocket. I rushed for over 1,200 yards and passed for over 1,200 yards as a senior and got what we called the Baby Heisman, the city Player of the Year trophy. 1 and won its first eight games, which set up a Bedlam matchup against No. ''It's amazing that he's a true freshman. Hands down. Hed eventually go down in history as one of the best to ever play the position. It is not the same, just like everything in the world is. Man, Im always talking, said Holieway. Beginning at their own six-yard-line, the Sooners marched 94 yards, including a 4th-and-1 attempt at their own 15 where a Holieway fumble was negated by a Nebraska face mask penalty. I wish him much success. With future All-American linebacker Shane Conlan shadowing him on every play, Holieway never got his run game off the ground (12 carries, one yard). It was a very nice experience playing football with Jamelle and James! The flashy, charismatic and likeable true freshman from Los Angeles was jabbering away and . LAWRENCE, Kan. Jamelle Holieway is like every Sooner fan. Miami led by as many as 20 points that day in its 27-14 victory. On that afternoon of October 19 th in 1985, when Jamelle Holieway stepped into the crucible of the Miami game, replacing an injured Troy Aikman in the second quarter, his teammates didn't sense . Holieway finished his Sooner career with 2,713 yards rushing on 539 attempts (an average of 5.0 yards per carry) and 32 touchdowns. I played on some great youth teams and we won a lot, said Holieway. Keith Jacksons TD in the 85 natty was a thing of beauty. But with 9:18 remaining in the half, everything changed in an instant. Sorry Berry, I also thought Jamelle had the liver for dinner that night that Terry mentioned. Johnson andSwitzer once worked together as assistants at Oklahoma in the early 1970s and Jimmy later coached at in-state rival Oklahoma State, where he was winless in five tries against Switzers powerhouse Sooner program. And I had some success in moving the ball against them. Jamelle Holieway (born June 25, 1967) is an American former college and professional football player who was a quarterback for the University of Oklahoma.He led the Oklahoma Sooners to a national championship in 1985.. Jamelle Holieway is considered one of the greatest option quarterbacks in NCAA Division I-A history. Jamelle Holieway (born June 25, 1967) is an American former college and professional football player who was a quarterback for the University of Oklahoma.He led the Oklahoma Sooners to a national championship in 1985.. Jamelle Holieway is considered one of the greatest option quarterbacks in NCAA Division I-A history. In our practice film, I was taught if I saw their free safety start cheating over coming to the tight end, if that safety starts moving from the middle of the field down to the box, he is going to come on the blitz, Holieway said. People from all over will come by just to say hello because they know that I am in town. So, how much is Jamelle Holieway worth at the age of 55 years old? The early 1990s-era Oklahoma Sooners player was part of an alumni-led, word-of-mouth effort to fulfill the wishes of new Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables, who implored the fan base to show up to last Aprils Oklahoma spring game and stressed that former players, no matter the era, were not only welcome back but would be instrumental in what Venables was set to build in Norman. "My mom was my heart," Holieway said. I was back to Banning a year ago, Holieway said. Eric Bailey Oct 22, 2021 Oct 22, 2021 Updated Nov 27, 2022; 0; 1 of 2 . ''The part that entered my mind was, `It's your time.' And three, black. He is gone be Jamelle part II on this level :-D :-D, That great year in '85 I had just moved to the D.C. area after high school.Having spent a lifetime proudly celebrating any accomplishment the Sooners had I so needed that team in order to feel my ties were close,being so far from home.Just to see Coach Switzer in interviews describing this remarkablr young man was awe inspiring.The look in his eyes waxing lyrically about Holloway as only Coach Switzer does still thrills me as if it were yesterday.The Good Lord not gining any. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. In lieu of the impending matchup and the stakes involved for both teams, along with the historical opportunity . And Holieway says his three proudest moments are 1) winning the national championship; 2) graduating in four years and getting his political science diploma; and 3) sitting with Lee Roy Selmon during the 2000 national championship Orange Bowl, watching OU beat Florida State. I pushed myself. That would arrive November 23 against third-ranked Nebraska. I saw that little safety, I saw (Penn State safety Ray) Isom, No. Very nice blog, Berry. And maybe, hopefully, hes figuring it out. I wish him the best! unbelieveable talent, courage and decision making. http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/artic Jamelle is a personal friend of mie and he is currently living in Mcalster, OK, where he works for a home health care business, he is married to a very nice lady her name is Brandi. Let me tell you what really sparked everything, Holieway said. From that point forward, henever came out of the starting lineup. You can read it here. Judging by the practice routine in the week leading up to the game, one had to wonder if an appearance from Holieway was the plan all along. Aikman infamously suffered a broken leg in a home loss to Miami, and true freshman Jamelle Holieway came in and steered the Sooners to the 1985 national championship. On the defensive side of the ball, there was an embarrassment of riches headlined by three All-Americans defensive end Kevin Murphy, linebacker Brian Bosworth who would win the Butkus Award as the nations top linebacker, and tackle Tony Casillas, the eventual Lombardi Award winner asthe countrys premier interior defensive lineman. He now lives in McAlester, Oklahoma in rent reduced housing, refuses to work to support his wife and kids, along with the at least dozen kids he has with other women, outside his marriage, and lays around telling everyone how great he is because of his brief affiliation with OU. Through the air, he threw 257 times, completing 117 passes for 2,430 yards with 22 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. I met Mr Holieway at a little league baseball game he was very open to speaking and mentoring the kids on the team, which a lot of professional athletes wouldn't take a minute of their time to do! He is the only one who has silver shoes like nobody else. That threw me back, and then I saw Thomas Lott with the bandana. However, it looks like he has worked as a sales rep for an insurance company in Oklahoma -- and unfortunately has been arrested multiple times: in Eufaula, OK in 2007 on marijuana possession, (and possibly DUI since he was apparently driving and smoking at the time), November 2008 in Pontotoc County, OK for driving on a suspended license, and in 2009 in McAlester, OK for petty larceny and outstanding fines and warrants. City Player of the Year the Baby Heisman after a senior season in which the Pilots were L.A. City runner-up. Your email address will not be published. Jamelle Holieway. When we were growing up, playing in the street, we all wanted to be likethose great USC tailbacks, said Holieway. Lashar field goal later in the quarter. He talks about himself every chance he gets. On the last play of the regular season, Thompson broke his leg in a 7-3 home loss to seventh-ranked Nebraska. Ferragamo gave Holieway and his best friend, Leroy Holt, Bannings fullback, the keys to the team film room during the season. Heres whats interesting. As the kid from Los Angeles sat staring out of the window, dreaming about his future and the places that he would go one day, Switzer walked to the back of the plane and they started talking football. But now, it's a coin toss.''. Please pray that all goes well. He never thought about Aikman's shadow when he took over. In Oklahoma, it was totally different. A name both good and bad. With four daysleft until the start of another Oklahoma football season, we continue our countdown to Saturdays season-opening game. Those are good times.. You couldnt make that pivotal mistake. My mom was always working, and my uncle lived with us before my mom married my stepfather, so there was always somebody for me to come home to, but I stayed out in the street because there wasnt anything for me to do at home. Holieway likes the intelligence Hurts brings to the game. In looking at the history, it appears he paid the price for this scrambling ability -- a couple of leg injuries in his junior and senior seasons hampered the tail end of his college career, and possibly factored into limited success in the pros, with the Oakland Raiders from 1989-1990, and the CFL's BC Lions from 1991-1992. The Holieway-led Sooners would go on an epic run through the 1985 season, winning their next seven games after the Miami loss. I am hollering all my friends names and all like that, it was the ultimate.. Since then he has learned that he has heart disease and only about 15% of his heart is functioning. Holieway said gaining the team's confidence wasn't all that difficult, so long as he did his job. All the Sooners, we all try to stick together, Holieway told Stormin In Norman. If I could play Miami every game, me personally, I would have played them every game. Oklahomas bid for a second national title in three seasons was turned away by the Hurricanes, 20-14, and Holieway believes the outcome might have been different if he were healthy. He made me want to go put my damn helmet on one more time and play, Holieway said. I realized then that he was the coach for me. I knew that it was a national-televised game, Holieway said. Holieway began playing organized sports when he was around seven years old. ', Holieway also ranks first in program history in number of fur coats worn on the sideline with one, set during the victorious 1987 Oklahoma-Nebraska Game of the Century II clash in Lincoln, Neb.#Sooners https://t.co/AZe52GJby1 pic.twitter.com/DMgokqg4G4, Douglas Miles (@douglasmilesCRG) August 30, 2022. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. a brown fur coat. Holieway dazzled the college football world as a true freshman who mastered Oklahoma's dynamic wishbone attack and led the Sooners to the 1985 national championship. While Mitchel possessed both the superior size (6-foot-1, 195 pounds compared to 5-11, 175 for Holieway) and speed (a 4.27-second 40-yard dash vs. Holieways low 4.5), it was Holieway that gained the approval of Switzer through the split-second decision making he displayed in preseason scrimmages. Holieway's favorite moment of the 1985 season came in the Orange Bowl, when he tossed a perfect, 71-yard touchdown strike to Keith Jackson that gave Oklahoma a lead over the Nittany Lions for good. He feels a connection to Hurts, yet they've never met and he wondered if Hurts even knows who he was. Trailing41-35 with two minutes to go, in front of 35,000 spectators, Banning took control of the ball at their own 5-yard-line. Jamelle Holieway is one interesting person. ''It's amazing that he has the same initials,'' Holieway told The Associated Press by telephone. Thats probably where all my moves first came from. Holieway began running the option offense as a quarterback at the age of nine. I got in and I just matriculated down the field and I only got applause when we got the touchdown. NORMAN, Okla. (AP) Jamelle Holieway dazzled the college football world as a true freshman who mastered Oklahoma's dynamic wishbone attack and led the Sooners to the 1985 national championship. But the Watts riots in 1965 led to white flight and businesses being abandoned. One of his favorite adventures was taking the two buses over to The Forum, the home of the Los Angeles Lakers, and sneaking into the games. Regardless of how his life has gone in the days since his Sooner glory, Jamelle Holieway should always be remembered as one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all time. But maybe thats part of the problem. Though he takes a pounding, Holieway has missed only one game the last two years with an injury. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports. But the ironic thing about that is, here they did change, and my cousin (1990 national champion) Darian Hagan goes there a year later. To get some idea of Holieway's talent: he had taken over in his freshman season for the injured sophomore starter Troy Aikman, who eventually figured he would never be able to get his starting job back vs. Holieway, and transferred to UCLA (eventually having a Hall of Fame career as quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, winning the Super Bowl three times including once as the MVP). All I know is he was a good qb and nobody could stop him or ou that year. Jamie was the Best. I had some great coaches and mentors that took me under their wing, said Holieway. NORMAN, Okla. (AP) Jamelle Holieway dazzled the college football world as a true freshman who mastered Oklahoma's dynamic wishbone attack and led the Sooners to the 1985 national championship. Holieway was the first true freshman quarterback to lead his team to the national title.[1]. Middle class blacks scattered as well and in the early 1970s, the areas manufacturing base began an abrupt decline. He is atleast Vicks equal if not better. It is something that Coach Switzer, to be the great coach that he is because, for whatever reason, I practiced with No. The Tim Lashar kick at the end and (sophomore tight end) Duncan Parham going all wild, throwing his hands up like we just won everything, Holieway said. It was the days of the Grapes of Wrath, Switzer told Sports Illustrated in 1986. (Joe Skipper / Associated Press) By David Wharton Holieway capped the opening drive with a five-yard touchdown run, and a his 36-yard run set up an R.D. To me, that was Sooner Magic,' Holieway said. i agree, jamelle holieway is one of the greatest, most exciting college players of all time. It is all about how you are being a general amongst this team and moving down the field and getting us in the right plays. Watts riots in 1965 led to white flight and businesses being abandoned, we all to., which set up a Bedlam matchup against No has the same, like. 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