Earl Holmes facts for kids

Earl L. Holmes (born April 28, 1973) is a former American football player and coach. He played as a linebacker, a defensive position, in the NFL. Later, he became a head coach at Florida A&M University. Earl Holmes was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1996 NFL draft. In 2005, he was honored by being added to the FAMU Hall of Fame.

Playing Football: Earl Holmes's Career

College Star at Florida A&M

Earl Holmes played college football for the Florida A&M Rattlers from 1992 to 1995. He became the school's all-time leader in tackles. A tackle is when a defensive player stops an offensive player who has the ball. Holmes was chosen for the All-MEAC First-team three times. He holds the school and MEAC record with 509 total tackles.

During his last year in college, he made 171 total tackles. In one game against Southern University, he made 30 tackles. He also earned honors as an All-American player in 1994 and 1995. In 1995, he was named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Playing in the NFL

After college, Earl Holmes was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1996. He played in the NFL for 10 seasons. He played for the Steelers from 1996 to 2001. Then, he played for the Cleveland Browns in 2002. Finally, he played for the Detroit Lions from 2003 to 2005.

Holmes was known as a strong middle linebacker. He was very good at stopping players who were running with the ball. During his time with the Steelers, he made 547 tackles. He also had 9.5 sacks, which means he tackled the opposing team's quarterback behind the line of scrimmage.

In 2002, with the Cleveland Browns, he had one of his best seasons. He made 128 tackles and helped the Browns reach the playoffs. Throughout his entire NFL career, he played in 140 games. He made a total of 958 tackles. Steelers fans even gave him the nickname "The Hit Man."

Coaching Football: Earl Holmes's Career

Becoming a Coach

In 2009, Earl Holmes returned to Florida A&M University. He joined the coaching staff under head coach Joe Taylor. He worked his way up and became the defensive coordinator in 2012. A defensive coordinator is in charge of the team's defense.

Later in 2012, Coach Taylor retired. Earl Holmes was then named the interim head coach. This means he was temporarily in charge. On January 11, 2013, he was officially named the head coach of the Florida A&M Rattlers football team.

Head Coaching Record

Earl Holmes served as the head coach for Florida A&M until October 28, 2014. During his time as head coach, his team's overall record was 6 wins and 16 losses.