Terez A Paylor
Publication: The Kansas City Star
Date: November 2, 2014
Once Priest Holmes saw the spot in the Chiefs Ring of Honor that that had been carved out just for him Sunday afternoon — it was covered by a black curtain for the entire first half — he vowed not to look at it again until his on-field ceremony at Arrowhead Stadium.
But once halftime rolled around, and the highlights of Holmes’ seven-year Chiefs career stopped playing on the JumboTron videoboard, Holmes proudly looked up as the curtain fell and he officially became the 44th entrant into the Chiefs Hall of Fame.
“I know when I walked through these doors back in 2001, it was one thing that I always said: ‘Man, it would be kind of cool to get your name put on the stadium,’” Holmes said. “What it would take, how long it would take … those are things I never really considered.
“But I knew as far as being aggressive, forward-thinking and with the work ethic I have, that those are things that definitely could come in the future, and it did.”
Holmes, who joined the Chiefs after spending four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, was the centerpiece of the most dynamic offense in the NFL from 2001 to 2005. That includes highlights 2003, when Kansas City led the NFL in scoring, and in 2004, when it led the NFL in total offense.
“I always talk about my four years in Baltimore were my four dark years because I really had a chance to understand the game of football,” Holmes said. “Earnest Byner was 35 years old, so he taught me a lot.
