Jesse Holley (born January 8, 1984) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

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 ...

. He was signed by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

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 2007. He 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 ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. He won the reality TV show, ''4th and Long'' in 2009.

Early life

Holley played in the band at Abraham Clark High School in

Roselle, New Jersey Roselle ( ) is a borough located in Union County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 22,695, an increase of 1,610 (+7.6%) from the 2010 census count of 21,085, which in turn ref ...

where he is the all-time leader in receptions (106), receiving yards (1,449) and touchdown catches (27). Holley also played quarterback, starting five games at the position. In his junior year, Holley caught 44 passes for 865 yards and 13 touchdowns. He finished his career with 106 receptions for 1,449 yards, and 27 touchdown receptions, and was ranked in the top 20 receivers by most recruiting websites and magazines. In basketball, Holley averaged 20 points per game and broke the school's career basketball scoring record.

College career

Holley played both

and

for the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

. He was a member of the

2004–05 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team The 2004–05 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented University of North Carolina. The head coach was Roy Williams. The team played its home games at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and was a member of t ...

that won the National Championship. In football, he played in all 12 games as a freshman, had 12 receptions for 168 yards, two touchdowns and one tackle on special teams. Holley walked-on to the Tar Heels men's basketball team, where he was a backup guard and scored 11 points in 15 games as a freshman. Holley played in all 12 games and became one of the starting receivers his sophomore season. He finished the season second on the team with 30 catches for 456 yards and two touchdowns. His 45-yard touchdown reception with 36 seconds left to play, was the go ahead score in a 31–24 win over

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...

. He also played his last season of basketball, scoring 13 points in 10 games and was a part of the 2005 National Championship team. Again starting all games his junior year, Holley led the team with 47 receptions for 670 yards and scored one touchdown. He was ranked fifth in the league in receiving yards per game and sixth in receptions. Holley had 37 receptions for 466 yards and scored two touchdowns as a senior. At the time, he finished his career eighth in school history in career receptions (126) and receiving yards (1,760), averaging 14.0 yards per-catch and scoring 7 touchdowns.

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals

Holley was signed as an

by the

after the

2007 NFL draft The 2007 NFL draft was the 72nd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draf ...

. He finished the preseason with 3 catches for 25 yards. He was waived on September 4 and signed to the Bengals'

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 ...

three days later. On October 4, he was released to make room for

Marcus Maxwell.

BC Lions

After

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

Barron Miles sent tapes to the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

; Holley signed with the team on May 22, 2008, and was released on June 15, following the team's first pre-season game.

Dallas Cowboys

Holley was the winner of Michael Irvin's football reality show ''4th and Long'' and received an invitation to attend 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 ...

training camp. Before being on ''4th and Long'', he was working as a security guard, as well as selling cell phones in

. On July 21, 2009, he was officially signed by the Cowboys. Holley caught a pass on August 21, 2009, in the fourth quarter of the preseason game against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. On September 4, Holley returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

. The Cowboys released Holley the following day as a final cut. He cleared waivers and was signed to the Cowboys' practice squad on September 6, where he would spend the rest of the year. Holley signed a futures contract with the Cowboys on January 22, 2010, after his previous agreement expired at season's end. On September 4, he was again waived at the final cuts and was signed to the team's practice squad the day after. He was promoted to the active roster on October 15 to play mainly on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. During that season he was active for 14 games and ranked third on the team with 16 special teams tackles. In the August 27,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

preseason game, against the

, Holley recorded three catches for 51 yards. At the conclusion of the preseason he made the 53-man roster to be the fifth receiver on the depth chart. On September 18, during the second game of the season against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

, he was the team's third receiver because Dez Bryant was inactive with a bruised quadriceps. He recorded his first NFL reception for 11 yards and made two more during the Cowboys' final drive in regulation, leading to overtime. In overtime, after a three-and-out by the 49ers offense, Holley wasn't supposed to be on the field for the first series, but he replaced Miles Austin, who had tweaked his hamstring. He ended up making a 77-yard reception during Dallas' first offensive play, taking the ball to the 1-yard line and setting up the game winning 19-yard field goal by Dan Bailey. For the 2011 season (and career) he made a total of 7 receptions for 169 yards for an average of 24.1 yards per catch. He wasn't re-signed at the end of the year, as he was facing a knee injury.

New England Patriots

Holley was signed by the

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 June 11,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

. He was released on September 1 and retired from professional football, wanting to further rehab an injured knee.

Personal life

Holley is the younger brother of

Jamel Holley Jamel Curtis Holley (born September 13, 1979) is an American Democratic Party politician from the state of New Jersey, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 20th Legislative District from 2015 to 2022. He is the first A ...

, former mayor of

, and current New Jersey Assemblyman from the 20th Legislative District. In 2013, Jesse became a member of the KRLD-FM

pre and post-game coverage. He also contributes and co-hosts other shows and podcasts at the station. In 2023, Jesse launched his own podcast "Unfiltered With Jesse Holley" with sports media company Fanatics View, which covers the Dallas Cowboys and other NFL topics.

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holley, Jesse 1984 births Living people Abraham Clark High School alumni American football wide receivers American men's basketball players Basketball players from Union County, New Jersey BC Lions players Canadian football wide receivers Cincinnati Bengals players Dallas Cowboys players New England Patriots players North Carolina Tar Heels football players North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players People from Roselle, New Jersey Players of American football from Union County, New Jersey 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen Guards (basketball)