The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/430118
82 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ■ PACK PROS Torry Holt Named Pro Football Hall Of Fame Semifinalist BY RYAN TICE W hen Pro Football Hall of Fame nomi‑ nees were announced earlier this year, there were four members from the St. Louis Rams' famed Greatest Show on Turf offense that dominated the league from 1999‑2001 — former Wolfpack star Torry Holt, along with fellow wide receiver Isaac Bruce, quarterback Kurt Warner and offen‑ sive tackle Orlando Pace. (Running back Marshall Faulk was enshrined in 2011.) Some wondered if the four teammates who were all eligible for the first time would hurt each other's chances to ad‑ vance when the original group was pared down. That has not happened yet, as each was named among the 26 semifinalists, an‑ nounced Nov. 18. The selection committee will continue to cut the list down, with 15 finalists be‑ ing named in early January. The final vote takes place in Arizona on Jan. 31, 2015 — the day before Super Bowl XLIX. The class of 2015, which will be made up of anywhere from four to eight modern era finalists, will be announced that evening. Holt posted one of the NFL's most dom‑ inant decades after being selected sixth overall out of NC State in the 1999 NFL Draft. The collegiate All‑American helped the Rams to the Super Bowl title as a rookie and then recorded six straight seasons with at least 1,300 receiving yards and 90 recep‑ tions, both of which are league records. From 2000‑09, nobody in the NFL caught more passes or recorded more re‑ ceiving yards than Holt. In 157 games dur‑ ing that span, he logged 868 receptions for 12,594 yards — both are still NFL re‑ cords for a decade — and was named to the NFL's All‑Decade Team for the 2000s. He led the league in receiving twice, was named the Rams' MVP in 2003 and 2005, earned first‑team All‑Pro honors in 2003 and second‑team laurels in 2006, and was a seven‑time Pro Bowl selection. At the time of his retirement, Holt ranked 10th in league history in receiving yards (he currently ranks 12th with 13,382) and 13th in receptions (he currently ranks 15th with 920). He also reached 10,000 receiv‑ ing yards (116 games) and 11,000 yards (130) quicker than any player before him ever had, and is one of just three NFL play‑ ers to record multiple 1,600‑yard seasons through the air, along with Calvin Johnson and Marvin Harrison. Holt would be the first Wolfpacker in‑ ducted into Canton, Ohio, but many pun‑ Holt, who spent 10 seasons with the Rams (1999‑2008) before finishing his career in Jacksonville (2009), currently ranks 12th in NFL history in receiving yards (13,382) and 15th in receptions (920). PHOTO COURTESY ST. LOUIS RAMS