Jesse Holley facts for kids
Holley in the 2009 preseason
|
|||||
| No. 16 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | January 8, 1984 Roselle, New Jersey, U.S. |
||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 213 lb (97 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Abraham Clark (Roselle, New Jersey) |
||||
| College: | North Carolina | ||||
| Undrafted: | 2007 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
|
|||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
|
|||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
|
|||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||
Jesse Holley (born January 8, 1984) is an American former professional football player. He played as a wide receiver. Jesse was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2007. He played both college football and basketball at the University of North Carolina. He also won a reality TV show called 4th and Long in 2009.
Contents
Early Life and High School Sports
Jesse Holley grew up in Roselle, New Jersey. He went to Abraham Clark High School. There, he was amazing at football. He holds the school records for most catches (106), receiving yards (1,449), and touchdown catches (27).
Jesse also played quarterback in five games. In his junior year, he caught 44 passes for 865 yards. He scored 13 touchdowns that season. Besides football, Jesse was a star in basketball. He averaged 20 points per game. He even broke the school's all-time scoring record in basketball.
College Career at North Carolina
Jesse Holley played both basketball and football at the University of North Carolina. He was part of the 2004–05 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team that won the National Championship. This was a huge achievement!
In football, Jesse played in all 12 games as a freshman. He had 12 catches for 168 yards. He also scored two touchdowns. He joined the basketball team as a backup guard. He scored 11 points in 15 games during his freshman year.
During his sophomore year, Jesse became a starting receiver. He played in all 12 games. He was second on the team with 30 catches for 456 yards. He scored two touchdowns. One amazing play was a 45-yard touchdown catch. It happened with only 36 seconds left. This play helped his team win 31–24 against Wake Forest University. He also played his last basketball season. He scored 13 points in 10 games. He was part of the 2005 National Championship team.
As a junior, Jesse started every game again. He led his team with 47 catches for 670 yards. He scored one touchdown. He was one of the top receivers in the league. In his senior year, Jesse had 37 catches for 466 yards. He scored two touchdowns. He finished his college football career with 126 catches and 1,760 receiving yards.
Professional Football Journey
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄8 in (1.88 m) |
208 lb (94 kg) |
4.65 s | 1.55 s | 2.70 s | 4.40 s | 6.98 s | 34.5 in (0.88 m) |
9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
18 reps | |||
| All values from Pro Day | ||||||||||||
Cincinnati Bengals
After college, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Jesse Holley in 2007. He played in preseason games. He had 3 catches for 25 yards. He was later released but then joined the Bengals' practice squad. A practice squad is where players train with the team. They can be called up to the main team if needed.
BC Lions
In 2008, Jesse signed with the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League. He was with the team for a short time. He was released after their first preseason game.
Dallas Cowboys and 4th and Long
Jesse Holley won a football reality TV show called 4th and Long. The show was hosted by famous football player Michael Irvin. Winning the show earned Jesse an invitation to the Dallas Cowboys training camp. Before the show, Jesse worked as a security guard. He also sold cell phones in North Carolina.
On July 21, 2009, he officially signed with the Cowboys. He caught a pass in a preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. He also returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings. The Cowboys released him after the preseason. However, he joined their practice squad. He spent the rest of that year there.
In 2010, Jesse signed a new contract with the Cowboys. He was again waived but then joined the practice squad. He was later moved to the main team. He played mostly on special teams. Special teams are groups of players used for kicking plays. He made 16 tackles on special teams that season.
In the 2011 preseason, Jesse had three catches for 51 yards. He made the 53-man roster as the fifth receiver. This meant he was officially on the main team.
On September 18, 2011, Jesse had a huge game against the San Francisco 49ers. He was the team's third receiver that day. He made his first official NFL catch for 11 yards. He made two more catches during the final drive of the game. These catches helped the Cowboys tie the game and go into overtime. In overtime, Jesse made an amazing 77-yard catch. This play set up the game-winning field goal. It was a very important moment in his career!
For the 2011 season, he had 7 catches for 169 yards. This averaged to 24.1 yards per catch. He was not re-signed by the Cowboys after the season. He was dealing with a knee injury.
New England Patriots
Jesse Holley signed with the New England Patriots on June 11, 2012. He was released on September 1. After that, he decided to retire from professional football. He wanted to focus on recovering from his knee injury.
Life After Football
Jesse Holley is the younger brother of Jamel Holley. Jamel is a former mayor of Roselle, New Jersey. He is also a current politician in the New Jersey General Assembly.
After retiring from football, Jesse started a new career in media. In 2013, he joined KRLD-FM. This station covers the Dallas Cowboys games. He helps with pre-game and post-game shows. He also contributes to other shows and podcasts at the station. In 2023, Jesse launched his own podcast. It is called "Unfiltered With Jesse Holley." It talks about the Dallas Cowboys and other NFL topics.
