For the last ten years, former St. Louis Rams — now Los Angeles Rams — wide receiver Torry Holt has been eligible for induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. But each year, when the induction class has been officially announced, Holt's name has been left off the list. But unlike some high-profile wide receivers who had a long wait before enshrinement, you won't see Torry Holt making a fuss about waiting his turn. He's comfortable with the career he's had, and believes his time is coming soon enough.
“I think I’m in good standings,” Torry Holt told Kay Adams during a recent appearance on the Up & Adams Show. “I’ve been voted down to the final ten the past two years. So you go from ten to five, so I’m close, I’m right there at the doorstep. What’s comforting to me is I played the game the right way, I think I did. I did it at a high level for a long time, and I had a lot of fun doing it. Won championships, all the accolades that individually you can do, team-wise you can do, I was able to accomplish those things. Numbers to match the production, the longevity, everything that the Hall of Fame embodies. I think I am that.”
Four of Torry Holt's teammates on the St. Louis Rams “Greatest Show on Turf” teams have already been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Running back Marshall Faulk was inducted in 2011. He was followed by left tackle Orlando Pace in 2016 and quarterback Kurt Warner in 2017. Holt's counterpart at wide receiver, Isaac Bruce, was inducted in 2020 after a five year wait. That core won a Super Bowl together in 2000, and made a second appearance in 2002, falling short to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Holt hopes to follow in their footsteps on his way to Canton, but recognition from his peers seems like all the validation he needs.
“It’s also really cool to hear from Calvin (Johnson), ‘Man you should be in the Hall of Fame.' To hear from Randy (Moss), ‘man you should be in the Hall of Fame,'” Holt told Adams. “These are my peers. Guys that I looked up to, guys that I competed against year in and year out to hear them kind of give me that just do. The Hall would be great, but hearing it from them is just awesome.”
© Eric Parsons / The Tennessean, Nashville Tennessean via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Torry Holt should be Canton-bound
Pro Football Reference's Hall of Fame Monitor puts Torry Holt's career score at 108.22, the 13th-highest mark all-time among wide receivers and slightly higher than former teammate Isaac Bruce. Bruce does have slightly better counting stats than Holt, but Holt played five fewer seasons (50 fewer games) than Bruce did.
Torry Holt – 11 seasons, 920 receptions (23rd all-time), 13,382 receiving yards (17th all-time), 74 touchdowns (42nd all-time), two-time leader in receiving yards, one-time leader in receptions, seven-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro
Isaac Bruce – 16 seasons, 1,024 receptions (13th all-time), 15,208 receiving yards (5th all-time), 91 touchdowns (15th all-time), one-time leader in receiving yards, four-time Pro Bowler, one-time All-Pro
On a per game basis, few players have been as impactful of Torry Holt. His 77.4 receiving yards per game are 9th-highest all-time, with six of the eight wideouts ahead of him on that list in the pass-happy NFL today. Calvin Johnson is the only Pro Football Hall of Famer on the list higher than Holt. Art Monk, Charlie Joiner, Cliff Branch and Michael Irvin are a quartet of Hall of Fame wide receivers who have fewer receiving yards and touchdowns than Holt, despite playing more seasons than the Rams wideout. And then there's this very impressive stat, which really should be the icing on the cake:
No player in league history had more yards (12,594) or receptions (868) in a single decade than Torry Holt did in the 2000s.
That right there should be enough for Torry Holt to get his Gold Jacket and Bronze Bust.
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