Corey Holmes facts for kids

Corey Holmes, born on November 19, 1976, is a former professional Canadian football player. He played as a running back and was also a kick returner. Corey Holmes was part of the Saskatchewan Roughriders team that won the Grey Cup in 2007. He was also named a CFL All-Star twice and won the Special Teams Player of the Year award two times. In 2005, he was recognized as the West Division's Most Outstanding Player. After his football career, he became the mayor of Metcalfe, Mississippi.

College Football Career

Corey Holmes went to Mississippi Valley State University. He played football for the Delta Devils during his senior year. He was named an all-Conference and all-American Player of the Year in the SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference).

During that year, he ran for 1,167 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. He was the top scorer for his team with 60 points. He also played on special teams, which are groups of players used for specific plays like kickoffs and punts. In 2014, Corey Holmes was honored by being added to the Mississippi Valley State Hall of Fame.

Professional CFL Career

Playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders

Corey Holmes joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders on June 8, 2001. In his first year, he played in one game. He carried the ball once for three yards. He also returned two kickoffs for 48 yards and four punts for 42 yards. For the rest of that season, he was either a backup player or on the practice team.

In 2002, Holmes had a fantastic year. He scored seven touchdowns, which was the most on his team. He also gained 1,035 yards from kickoff returns and 1,023 yards from punt returns. He was chosen as a Western Division all-star. He also won the Special Teams Player of the Year award. His teammates voted him as the Most Valuable Player for the Roughriders.

In 2003, Corey Holmes played in only 10 games because of injuries. Even with less playing time, he was still nominated for the Most Outstanding Special Teams Player award. He was healthy enough to play in the playoffs that year. The 2004 season was very good for Holmes. He played in all 18 regular season games and both playoff games. He ran for 635 yards and caught passes for 536 yards. He led the league with 2,704 combined yards (total yards from rushing, receiving, and returns). He was nominated for the Most Outstanding Special Teams Player award for the third year in a row. He was also named Special Teams Player-of-the-Week in week 17.

The 2005 season was Corey Holmes' best year for statistics. He started the season by scoring a touchdown on the opening kickoff. He finished the year with 899 rushing yards and 523 receiving yards. He also had 1,157 kickoff return yards and 835 punt return yards. Holmes set a Roughrider record for combined yards with 3,455. This was the third-highest total in CFL history. He was named the CFL's Special Teams Player of the Week four times. He also won the CFL's Most Outstanding Special Teams Player award. He was nominated for the Most Outstanding Player award in the Western Division. He was chosen as a CFL all-star. His teammates nominated him for the Tom Pate Memorial Award, and fans voted him the Riders' Most Popular Player.

Time with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On April 12, 2006, Corey Holmes was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He was traded along with another player, Scott Gordon. In return, the Roughriders received the first pick in the 2006 CFL draft, which they used to choose Kerry Joseph. Holmes suffered a knee injury in 2006. He played in only ten games that season. He ran for 369 yards and scored one touchdown. He also caught 33 passes for 263 yards. He had 125 yards from punt returns and 72 yards from kickoff returns.

In 2007, Holmes played in eight games for the Tiger-Cats. He ran for 74 yards and caught passes for 53 yards. He also had 424 yards from kickoff returns and 74 yards from punt returns.

Return to the Saskatchewan Roughriders

On August 19, 2007, Corey Holmes was traded back to the Roughriders. He returned with Chris Getzlaf, and the Tiger-Cats received Jason Armstead. Holmes played in nine regular season games for the Roughriders in 2007. He ran for 73 yards and scored two touchdowns. He also caught ten passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns. He gained 411 yards from punt returns and 584 yards from kickoff returns.

Holmes also played in his first Grey Cup game that year. He had nine punt returns for 83 yards and two kickoff returns for 43 yards. The Roughriders won the 95th Grey Cup championship against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

After the 2007 season, the Roughriders released Holmes on January 29, 2008. This decision was not popular with fans because he was very well-liked. The team released him because they were over the salary cap, which is a limit on how much money teams can spend on player salaries. Holmes said he was earning $165,000 per year and was due a $30,000 bonus. By releasing him, the Roughriders did not have to pay the bonus.

Corey Holmes ended his football career as a record holder for the Roughriders. He is the team's all-time leader in punt return yards (3,440) and kickoff return yards (4,077). He also holds the record for kick return touchdowns with seven. He is fourth all-time in club history with 11,378 combined yards.

Life After Football

After his playing career, Corey Holmes became a coach. During the 2008 season, he coached receivers and defensive players at Washington School in Greenville, Mississippi. He helped the Washington Generals football team win the 2008 Mississippi State AAA football championship. His coaching contract was not renewed after that season.

On June 2, 2009, Corey Holmes was elected mayor of Metcalfe, Mississippi. He won against Shirley Allen, who had been mayor for 16 years. Holmes received 222 votes, while Allen received 146 votes. He served as mayor for eight years. In 2017, he was replaced by Walter McDavid Jr.