Kenneth Jerome Holmes (born October 24, 1973) 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 ...

player who was a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, 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 ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

Tennessee Oilers The Tennessee Titans are the professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Previously known as the Ho ...

18th overall in the 1997 NFL draft. 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 ...

for the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes, known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes, are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

. Holmes also played for the

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

College career

In 1992, Holmes was awarded an athletic scholarship by the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

where he completed a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. While at the University of Miami, Holmes was a two-time first-team All-Big East selection, gracing the cover of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

''. During his four years as a Hurricane, he also served two consecutive terms as the captain for the football program and totaled 29 sacks and 207 tackles for his career. In 1996–97 Holmes had a career high of 11.5 sacks, ranking second in all-time sacks for Miami at the time.

Professional career

Holmes was drafted in the first round of the 1997 NFL draft by the

and help lead the Titans to their first and only

Super Bowl XXXIV Super Bowl XXXIV was an American football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 30, 2000, to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion ...

. In 2001, he signed as a

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 ...

with the

. After an outstanding collegiate career at the University of Miami, Kenny became the Tennessee Oilers first round (18th overall selection) pick in the 1997 NFL Draft. Holmes, a quick, agile, player with powerful hands, became known for his ability to pressure the quarterback and punish blockers while firing into the back field rushing the quarterback. As the franchise's first draft choice in its inaugural season, Kenny lived up to expectations by tying for team leads in sacks and ultimately demonstrated why he was considered one of the most promising Defensive Ends in the National Football League (NFL). As a result of his performance, he was selected for the All Rookie team. He also recorded a forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

in 4 consecutive games in 2000. In 1999, the Titans made it to

in which Holmes started on the number one ranked defense in the NFL. During the 2001 season, Holmes and Jevon Kearse made up the bookends that led the NFL in total sacks and defense. Among his many accomplishments and awards as a Titan, Holmes received the ED Block Courage Award in 2000 and the Titans Man of the Year Award in 2001. After completing his contract with the Tennessee Titans, Holmes signed as a Free Agent with the New York Giants and partnered with

Michael Strahan Michael Anthony Strahan ( ; born November 21, 1971) is an American television host, journalist, and former professional American football, football player. He played his entire 15-year professional career as a defensive end for the New York Gian ...

to lead the team to the playoffs in 2003. He recorded 38.5 sacks in seven NFL seasons.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Coaching career

Holmes was the defensive line coach at the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...

from 2015 to 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Kenny 1973 births Living people American football defensive ends FIU Panthers football coaches Idaho Vandals football coaches Miami Hurricanes football players New Mexico Military Broncos football coaches New Mexico State Aggies football coaches New York Giants players San Diego Toreros football coaches Tennessee Oilers players Tennessee Titans players High school football coaches in Florida People from Indian River County, Florida Sportspeople from Vero Beach, Florida Players of American football from Florida Vero Beach High School alumni