9/29/02

All eyes on former Longhorns running back duo

by John Bianco, Assistant AD/Media Relations Director

	Priest Holmes
	Ricky Williams

It was December 7, 1996, the first year of Big 12 competition, and all of the pregame talk had focused around the overmatched Texas Longhorns seemingly hopeless contest against the two-time defending National Champion and No. 3 Nebraska Cornhuskers. The few in attendance and watching on television that day knew what they were about to witness, and looking back, even less realized what they saw.

Not only did the three-touchdown underdog and unranked Longhorns pull off one of the stunning upsets in college football history with a 37-27 victory, but they did so with the help of what arguably now should be considered as one of the finest running back tandems in NCAA history.

Texas' backfield duo on that day was the perfect contrast in styles. There was the 6-foot, 225-pound fullback, Ricky Williams — the rapidly rising sophomore star, who in two short seasons, had displayed a rare combination of power and speed that made him one of the nation's premier backs. The eventual 1998 Heisman Trophy winner who broke the NCAA all-time rushing record as a senior, rushed for 1,272 yards and 12 touchdowns that season.

Alongside Williams was the 5-foot-10, 210-pound fifth-year senior, Priest Holmes, an explosive and elusive runner who could cut on a dime. Holmes, the 1994 Sun Bowl MVP, was coming off of knee surgery that sidelined him for the entire 1995 season and was used sparingly (59 carries, 324 yards, 13 TDs) in 1996.

On this day, Williams and Holmes started side by side and registered arguably the best game of their careers for very different reasons. Holmes, who made his mark with high-flying goal-line dives in being used primarily in those situations as a senior, rushed for 120 yards and three TDs on just nine carries against a Cornhuskers defense that ranked fourth nationally against the run. His 61-yard TD run sent a first-half message to Nebraska and his 11-yard TD run in the final minutes sealed its fate.

"There were three of us battling for playing time and we struggled some early that season, but once we got it all together, we went on to win the Big 12 Championship," Holmes said. "That was a great moment."

Williams managed just eight yards on seven carries and caught two passes for 21 yards, but his devastating blocking of Nebraska All-American DE Grant Wistrom was a key in the game. He provided a critical block on Holmes' 61-yard scoring dash and helped lead the way on the game-securing 11-yard dash.

"Priest was nothing short of amazing that day," Williams said this week. "He had the Nebraska defense on their heels all day and just kept making big play after big play. That's a game that I'll never forget."

	Priest Holmes, who led the NFL in rushing a season ago (1,555 yards) and was named to his first Pro Bowl, is second in the league with 386 rushing yards and has scored a NFL-best seven touchdowns this year.

This Sunday should to once again be a memorable day for the former Longhorns pair as Holmes' Kansas City Chiefs host Williams' Miami Dolphins at Arrowhead Stadium. Now, six years later, Williams and Holmes have a chance to play on the same field for the first time in their professional careers (Holmes' Baltimore Ravens hosted Williams' New Orleans Saints in 1999, but Williams missed the game with an injury). This time, few can argue that they are two of the hottest backs in the NFL. Williams has led the Miami Dolphins to a 3-0 start and tops the league in rushing with 394 yards. He has become the first back in Dolphins history to post three consecutive 100-yard games. Holmes, who led the NFL in rushing with 1,555 yards last season, is close behind with 386 yards this year.

They will be on opposite sidelines, but the eyes of Texas will be upon them and their Texas pride will be as evident as ever.

You can rest assured that Holmes' black Texas attaché case with his name proudly stitched across the side beneath the Longhorns logo will sit safely in his locker.

"He never goes anywhere without that bag and everyone knows it," Kansas City Chiefs publicist Pete Moris said.

Meanwhile, Williams' Longhorns security blanket will be the gray Texas T-shirt he wears proudly under his pads. Don't be surprised either to see Williams donning a Longhorns cap during the postgame press conference.

"Watching the Longhorns on TV is tough because I wish I was still there," Williams said. "That definitely was the best time of my life. I'm having a great time in Miami, but I really miss my time at Texas. That's why I like to wear my T-shirt on game day and keep the Longhorns close to my heart."

Two proud Longhorns and millions of Texas fans will watch along with NFL fans from coast-to-coast as Williams and Holmes continue to try to prove their critics wrong.

Thought to be too small by some and too slow by others and still seeking to prove he was over his knee surgery — despite his effort in the Big 12 Championship game — Holmes went undrafted in 1997. He made the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent that year and worked his way into the starting lineup in 1998. Holmes set a Ravens single-season rushing record that year (1,008 yards) and helped them win the 2000 Super Bowl. He signed with the Chiefs as a free agent in 2001 and went on to become just the second former Longhorn to lead the league in rushing. Holmes also earned a spot in the Pro Bowl.

"Priest has proven that he is one of the best backs in the NFL and I'm really excited that I'll have a chance to see him before the game and am anxious to watch him play in person again," Williams said. "He's won a championship, led the league in rushing and played in the Pro Bowl. That's where I want to be. I'm really happy for him, but I'd be lying if I told you I was surprised. He works as hard as anybody and has always been determined to be the best."

	Ricky Williams is off to the best start of his four-year NFL career. Williams has rushed for a league-leading 394 yards in helping the Miami Dolphins to a 3-0 start.

Williams' path was quite different. After claiming the 1998 Heisman Trophy, he became the first player in NFL history to be a one-player draft when Mike Ditka and the New Orleans Saints gave up all of their draft picks in a trade to select Williams. He struggled with injuries as a rookie, then became the first back in Saints history to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2000 (1,000 yards) and 2001 (1,245 yards). Voicing concerns that Williams wasn't the big-play back they needed, the Saints traded him for three draft picks to the Dolphins this past offseason.

In three games with Miami, Williams has proven to be the answer for a franchise that has sought for decades to re-establish its once-proud running game. He has averaged 5.8 yards per carry, registered a 53-yard TD run and has a 52-yard catch. In four NFL seasons, Williams

"I think that with him changing over to Miami, that has been an important switch for him," Holmes said. "It's going to really give him the opportunity to show what he can do."

A former Longhorns teammate from the 1996 Big Championship team, current Pittsburgh Steelers DT Casey Hampton, said their success has not been surprising.

"I think it's really amazing what those two guys are doing right now," Hampton said. "Everyone knows about how good Ricky was in college, but if Priest would have never got hurt, there's no telling what he would have done. It's just amazing two guys that were on the same team are having the type of success they are having right now in the NFL. This hasn't been a surprise at all to me. You could see what they were doing in college and tell that they were great players. I knew they could be special at this level."

On Sunday, Longhorns fans can take a moment to revel in what these two great backs have done and will do. It's a chance to watch a pair of the NFL's best that The University of Texas can claim as there very own, and in turn, Holmes and Williams and their Longhorns pride will do the same.