Andre Holmes (born June 16, 1988) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

. Originally signed by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2011, Holmes also played for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

. Holmes played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is a Private university, private, Conservatism in the United States, conservative, Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1844 by members of the Free Will Baptists. Women were admi ...

. He played for Hillsdale from 2007 to 2010 and holds the school's all-time record for receiving yardage. During his junior and senior seasons, he also set multiple Hillsdale records with 181 catches, 2,444 yards and 17 touchdowns. After completing his collegiate career, he was invited to play in the Texas vs. The Nation college football all-star game.

Early life

Holmes attended

James B. Conant High School James B. Conant High School is a public four-year high school located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 211, which also includes William Fremd ...

where he started at

for only one season. His football coaches were Dave Pendergast and Bill Modelski. He also participated in basketball where he was coached by Tom McCormack and Jeff Stewart. In

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

, he set PR of 6.85 meters in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

and 14.06 meters in

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the tr ...

. In addition, he was also a member of the 4 × 200m relay (1:29.66).

College career

Holmes accepted a football scholarship from

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

, where he was coached by Keith Otterbein. As a sophomore, he became a starter at

. As a junior, he started all 12 games, posting 77 receptions for 1,076 yards. As a senior, he set single-season school records with 104 receptions and over 1,300 receiving yards. He also had 11 touchdowns. He set a single-game school record in the team's first-round playoff game against

St. Cloud State University St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. In the fall of 2023, it ...

with 16 receptions, while tallying 208 yards and 2 touchdowns. Holmes finished his college career as the school's All-time receiver with 219 receptions for 3,092 yards. He was twice named ALL-GLIAC and a Division II

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honorable-mention. He was also a member of the

team, winning the GLIAC title in the outdoor

at the conference championships in 2006.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Holmes was signed as an

by the

after the

2011 NFL draft The 2011 NFL draft was the 76th installment of the annual National Football League draft, NFL draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Rad ...

on July 27, due to his small school background. He was waived on August 29. On September 5, 2011, the Cowboys signed him to their

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. He was promoted him to the active roster on December 9. He suffered a hamstring injury and did not play in the last 4 games of the season. Holmes was waived by the Cowboys on November 24, 2012. On November 27, the Cowboys signed Holmes to their practice squad, as a replacement to

Danny Coale Daniel Kinsman Coale (June 27, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Virginia Tech. Early life Coale was a versatile player for head coach Mark Gowin at Episcopal High School. He played wide receiver ...

, but he wasn't re-signed at the end of the season.

New England Patriots

Holmes was signed by

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

on January 8, 2013, to the practice squad. He was waived on May 10.

Oakland Raiders

Holmes was claimed off waivers by the

on May 13, 2013. On July 27, 2013, he was suspended for the first 4 games of the 2013 season due to violating the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy. After serving his suspension and being reinstated by the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

the Raiders activated him to their roster on October 7, 2013, filling the open roster spot after the release of quarterback

Matt Flynn Matt or Matthew Flynn may refer to: * Matt Flynn (American football) (born 1985), American football player * Matt Flynn (Australian footballer) (born 1997), Australian rules footballer * Matt Flynn (politician) (born 1947), American politician * ...

. On January 7, 2017, Holmes caught his first career postseason touchdown from quarterback

Connor Cook Connor Cook (born January 29, 1993) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and was their starting quarterback fr ...

in the Raiders' 14–27 wildcard round loss to the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

Buffalo Bills

On March 18, 2017, Holmes signed a three-year, $6.5 million contract with the

. On September 10, in the season-opening 21–12 victory over the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, he recorded his first touchdown as a Bill, a one-yard pass from quarterback

Tyrod Taylor Tyrod Di'allo Taylor (born August 3, 1989) is an American professional football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies and was selected by the Baltimore Rav ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on December 26, 2017, with a neck injury. During the 2018 season, Holmes played in over 70% of special team snaps for the Bills. On December 4, 2018, the Bills released Holmes.

Denver Broncos

On December 5, 2018, Holmes was claimed off waivers by the

. On December 28, 2018, Holmes was placed on injured reserve. He was released on January 23, 2019.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Personal life

Holmes' father, Kevin Holmes, played college basketball for DePaul in the 1980s. His younger brother

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Med ...

, a former college basketball player at

Mississippi Valley State Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU, The Valley or Valley) is a public historically black university in Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi, adjacent to Itta Bena, Mississippi.Morehead State Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky, United States. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-yea ...

, played

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

professionally with St Kilda in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

References

External links

Hillsdale Chargers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Andre 1988 births Living people American football wide receivers Buffalo Bills players Denver Broncos players Dallas Cowboys players Hillsdale Chargers football players Hillsdale Chargers men's track and field athletes James B. Conant High School alumni Minnesota Vikings players New England Patriots players Oakland Raiders players People from Hoffman Estates, Illinois Players of American football from Cook County, Illinois Players of American football from Kane County, Illinois