Trindon Holliday
Encyclopedia
Trindon Holliday is an American football
wide receiver
who is currently a free agent
. He was drafted by the Houston Texans
in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Louisiana State University
.
He was a top-ranked American sprinter competing for Louisiana State University
and is regarded as one of the fastest players in football.
He demonstrated his sprinting
ability in the 100-meter dash at the 2007 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he recorded 10.07 seconds in the final – ahead of Walter Dix
and second only to Tyson Gay
. This qualified him for the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
but he opted to not compete, preferring to begin the football season with the LSU Tigers. He continued to race, however, and reached the semi-finals in the 100 m at the 2008 United States Olympic Trials
the following year. During the 2010 NFL Combine
, ESPN reported that he ran a 4.22, which beat Chris Johnson's NFL-record fastest time of 4.24. However, NFL.com said he did not break the records, listing Holliday's times at 4.27 and 4.32.
's school record and became the Southeastern Conference
100 m champion. At the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship later that year he set a personal record of 10.02 seconds in the semifinals and finished runner-up in the final to Walter Dix. The following year he took third in the 100 m NCAA final and anchored the 4×100-meter relay team to victory in 38.42 seconds – the fastest collegiate time that year.
Holliday had a difficult time getting started in football. His mother held him out of football until 7th grade, because she was afraid he would get hurt. After several years of performing at a high level, his high school coaches finally let him start as a running back
during his junior year. In his senior year he accumulated over 2,000 yards and over 30 touchdowns, leading Northeast High to back-to-back State Semi-Final appearances.
Fearing that college recruiters would not believe Holliday's actual running times, his high school coaches added to his recorded times before sending them in. Despite his speed records, several schools, including Duke
and Louisiana-Lafayette, rejected Holliday due to his small size.
Holliday was never scheduled to appear at LSU's camp. LSU was interested in another Northeast player, (WR Aaron Brown) but that player didn't want to go to the camp alone. So David Masterson, Holliday's high school coach, took Holliday along also. After initial workouts, Holliday ran the 40 in 4.28 seconds wearing high top basketball
shoes. The time was so outrageous that the LSU coaches began arguing if they had started their stopwatches on time. "They asked me if Trindon could run it again," Masterson said. "He didn't even get in a track stance. He ran the second 40 in 4.27. He's one of those little freaks of nature." Despite this, LSU coach Les Miles
still considered canceling Holliday's scholarship offer until holdover offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher
convinced Miles that Holliday could play at a college level.
However, Track and Field News has Holliday recorded at 6.19 over 55 meters indoors in 2005, leading the nation.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was drafted by the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
.
He was a top-ranked American sprinter competing for Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
and is regarded as one of the fastest players in football.
He demonstrated his sprinting
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
ability in the 100-meter dash at the 2007 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he recorded 10.07 seconds in the final – ahead of Walter Dix
Walter Dix
Walter Dix is an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is the fourth fastest 200 m runner ever with a best of 19.53 seconds, and has broken the 10-second barrier in the 100 m with a best of 9.88 seconds.Dix was a highly successful amateur...
and second only to Tyson Gay
Tyson Gay
Tyson Gay is an American track and field sprinter. His primary events are the 100 meters and 200 meters. His personal bests establish him as the second fastest athlete in the 100 meters and the fifth fastest athlete in the history of the 200 meters, with times of 9.69 and...
. This qualified him for the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
but he opted to not compete, preferring to begin the football season with the LSU Tigers. He continued to race, however, and reached the semi-finals in the 100 m at the 2008 United States Olympic Trials
United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
The United States Olympic Trials for the sport of Track and Field is the quadrennial meet to select the United States representatives at the Olympic Games. Since 1992, the meet has also served as the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Because of the depth of competition in some events,...
the following year. During the 2010 NFL Combine
NFL Combine
The National Invitational Camp or NFL Scouting Combine, as it is more widely known, is a week-long showcase, occurring every February in Indianapolis, Indiana's Lucas Oil Stadium , where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Football League coaches, general...
, ESPN reported that he ran a 4.22, which beat Chris Johnson's NFL-record fastest time of 4.24. However, NFL.com said he did not break the records, listing Holliday's times at 4.27 and 4.32.
College track career
In his first year at LSU in 2007, he broke Xavier CarterXavier Carter
Xavier Carter is an American professional track and field athlete. He attended Louisiana State University and was a star on the track and field team as well a member of the football team. Prior to LSU, Xavier Carter graduated from Palm Bay Senior High School in Melbourne, FL...
's school record and became the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
100 m champion. At the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship later that year he set a personal record of 10.02 seconds in the semifinals and finished runner-up in the final to Walter Dix. The following year he took third in the 100 m NCAA final and anchored the 4×100-meter relay team to victory in 38.42 seconds – the fastest collegiate time that year.
Issues with size
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
during his junior year. In his senior year he accumulated over 2,000 yards and over 30 touchdowns, leading Northeast High to back-to-back State Semi-Final appearances.
Fearing that college recruiters would not believe Holliday's actual running times, his high school coaches added to his recorded times before sending them in. Despite his speed records, several schools, including Duke
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
and Louisiana-Lafayette, rejected Holliday due to his small size.
Holliday was never scheduled to appear at LSU's camp. LSU was interested in another Northeast player, (WR Aaron Brown) but that player didn't want to go to the camp alone. So David Masterson, Holliday's high school coach, took Holliday along also. After initial workouts, Holliday ran the 40 in 4.28 seconds wearing high top basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
shoes. The time was so outrageous that the LSU coaches began arguing if they had started their stopwatches on time. "They asked me if Trindon could run it again," Masterson said. "He didn't even get in a track stance. He ran the second 40 in 4.27. He's one of those little freaks of nature." Despite this, LSU coach Les Miles
Les Miles
Leslie Edwin "Les" Miles, nicknamed "The Mad Hatter", is an American college football coach and the current head coach of the Louisiana State University football team. Prior to holding that position, he was head coach at Oklahoma State...
still considered canceling Holliday's scholarship offer until holdover offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher
Jimbo Fisher
John James "Jimbo" Fisher is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently head coach at Florida State University....
convinced Miles that Holliday could play at a college level.
Track personal bests
| Event | Time | Wind | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 m | 6.28 | n/a | Gainesville, Florida Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth... , U.S. |
24 February 2006 |
| 60 m | 6.54 | n/a | NCAA Championships NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship NCAA team champions for Men's Indoor Track and Field-See also:*NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship*Pre-NCAA Indoor Track and Field Champions... , U.S. |
May 2008 |
| 100 m | 10.00 | +0.3 m/s | Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks... , U.S. |
June 12, 2009 |
| 200 m | 21.33 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South... , U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
May 2, 2006 |
However, Track and Field News has Holliday recorded at 6.19 over 55 meters indoors in 2005, leading the nation.