Three former NC State players were among the 102 Modern-Era Nominees for the 2019 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class released yesterday.
In this piece, I will make the case that former NC State All-American Wide Receiver Torry Holt deserves to finally be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
This is Holt’s 5th consecutive year as a nominee, being nominated in his first year of eligibility in 2015 (has to be 5 years after retirement). The past 4 years, Holt has made it to the Semi-Finals, which is basically the final 25.
Holt played 11 seasons, and was a Pro Bowler in 7 of them (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007). He also earned 1st Team All-Pro honors in 2003, and 2nd Team All-Pro honors in 2006.
He led the NFL in receiving yards twice (2000 & 2003) and receptions once (2003)
In 11 seasons, Holt ranked in the Top-10 in receiving yards 8 times (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007), receptions 5 times (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006), and touchdown receptions 4 times (2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006).
He was also a part of “The Greatest Show on Turf” with Kurt Warner throwing the ball to him and Isaac Bruce. They went to 2 Super Bowls, and took home the trophy in 2001.
The only reason Holt hasn’t made it into the Hall of Fame already is because his body didn’t hold on for a couple more seasons. What he did in a shortened career is remarkable, and shouldn’t be denied simply because his career numbers aren’t as high as others.
He was the youngest player to accumulate 10,000 receiving yards, as well as 11,000. Holt’s the only player in NFL history to have over 1,300 receiving yards in 6 straight seasons.
He averaged 77.4 receiving yards per game for his career, which ranks 7th all-time in NFL history.
You could make an argument that for a decade, there was no better receiver in the NFL than Torry Holt. If you are in the conversation for being the best at your position throughout the length of your career, you should be in the Hall of Fame.