Subscribe
Follow Us
Throughout his ascension to the top of the NFL, Detroit Lions' executive vice president and general manager Brad Holmes has had a supportive voice in his ear the entire time. Bill Hayes, the legendary football coach at North Carolina A&T, has stuck with his former player from his lowest moments all the way to the peak.
In the early 2000s, Holmes, a young defensive tackle for the North Carolina A&T Aggies, went back home to Tampa, FL, for winter break. A horrific car accident kept Holmes hospitalized for three weeks as he suffered from a coma, numerous injuries, and temporary paralyzation. Despite the extended stay in the hospital, he wasn't alone.
“On my meager budget, I drove to Tampa to see him in the hospital,” Hayes told the Greensboro News & Record. And when I got down there, these hotels were $300, $400 a night. So, I ended up staying in the room with him.”
Holmes miraculously recovered and, in May of 2001, was medically cleared to return to football activities. He would lead the Aggies to a successful 8-3 season that ended with both a MEAC and HBCU National Championship.
“S0lid, never out of place,” Hayes said of his star defensive tackle. “Extremely dependable, reliable. We never had to discipline him in any way for being late for practice. Wasn't extremely fast, wasn't extremely strong, but reliable, consistent.”
Article Continues Below
After graduation, Holmes joined the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams organization as a public relations intern in 2013. 10 years later, he became the college scouting director and helped craft a team that won two NFC West titles, made three playoff appearances, and played against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 53. Holmes' success with the Rams landed him his current job with Detroit.
Despite the meteoric rise, Holmes still reaches out to his old coach.
“We have been in contact and communications all through these years, and he has assisted me in a lot of areas that I've been in,” Hayes said. “Every week after every game. I'll send him a text, he'll hit me back. He'll either text me back or call me back, and we talk for two or three minutes and he's gone.”
“All you need is a chance,” Hayes said in reference to his message of encouragement to his former players. “And if you get it, you have to kick the door down. You've got to hit the ground running and kick the door down, and that's what I've always preached. But you know, when you look around and look at the guys that I had, I had a lot of guys do really, really well. So, I'm real proud of Brad.”
