Clayton Holmes

Clayton Holmes

File:Clayton Holmes.jpg
No. 47
Position:	Cornerback
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1969-08-23) August 23, 1969
Place of birth:	Florence, South Carolina
Height:
Weight:
Career information
High school:	Wilson (SC)
College:	Carson-Newman College
NFL draft:	1992 / Round: 3 / Pick: 58
Career history
Dallas Cowboys (1992–1995) Miami Dolphins (1997)* Topeka Knights (1999) Kansas Koyotes (2003–2004)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
3× Super Bowl champion (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) SAC Defensive Player of the Year (1991) Little All-American (1991)
Career NFL statistics
Tackles: 35 Interceptions: 1 Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Clayton Holmes (born August 23, 1969 in Florence, South Carolina) is a former professional American football player who was drafted in the third round of the 1992 NFL draft and played cornerback for four seasons for the Dallas Cowboys. He won 3 Super Bowl rings with the Cowboys in 1992, 1993 and 1995.

Early years

He attended Wilson High School where he was a wishbone quarterback. He also lettered in baseball, track (long jump) and tennis.

Because of grades he enrolled at North Greenville Junior College where he was the starting quarterback. After 2 years, he transferred to Carson-Newman College where he was converted to cornerback. As a senior in 1991, he became one of the NAIA top football players, receiving the South Atlantic Conference's Defensive Player of the Year award, Little All-American honors and also played in the Blue–Gray Football Classic.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Holmes was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round (58th overall) of the 1992 NFL draft. As a rookie he was used mostly as a special teams player, finishing second on the team with 15 tackles and also registering a fumble recovery in Super Bowl XXVII.

On August 14, 1993, during the first pre-season game, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and was lost for the season.

In 1995, he started 6 games at cornerback in place of an injured Kevin Smith, while free agent Deion Sanders reached a contract agreement with the Dallas Cowboys. That same year in November, the NFL suspended him for four games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. A week later, the suspension was increased to one year.

While suspended, he incurred in a fifth violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy and was suspended for 4 additional games. On February 10, 1996, he was released from the team.

Miami Dolphins

Holmes signed with the Miami Dolphins on February 26, 1997, reuniting him with former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson. Looking to play for the first time since November 1995, he failed another drug test that resulted in a 4-game suspension and his eventual release on October 13, 1997.

Topeka Knights

In 1999, he played for the Topeka Knights of the Indoor Football League.

Kansas Koyotes

In 2003 he signed with the Kansas Koyotes of the American Professional Football League, where he played for two seasons.

Personal life

Holmes filed suit against the NFL for involuntarily enrolling him in a drug treatment program, after he tested positive for marijuana, but his claim was dismissed. His post-football life became a turbulent mix of personal problems and financial difficulties.

External links

• Behind the Stats: An uplifting tale of tragedy