SAN ANGELO – Pierce Holt, a two-time NFL All-Pro selection, member of two Super Bowl championship teams, and inductee in the College Football Hall of Fame, will be bringing his experience to the Angelo State sidelines as the fifth assistant hired by new Rams’ head coach Will Wagner. Holt will serve as a volunteer defensive assistant.
Holt was twice named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year and earned two First Team All-America selections while starring on the gridiron for Angelo State. His collegiate efforts helped him earn a place in the LSC Hall of Fame, NCAA Division II Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. After being selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1988 NFL Draft, Holt was twice named the team’s defensive player of the year while helping Bill Walsh’s squad win two Super Bowls. Holt led the Atlanta Falcons in sacks in 1993 and earned his second NFL All-Pro Team selection.
“He brings a lot of experience from the highest level, especially from a technique standpoint going against the best offensive linemen in the world,” Wagner said. “Our kids are really going to feed off of that and learn a lot from him. To have such a great person involved with Angelo State, who was such a huge player here is a great opportunity for our program. He’ll be an integral part to our staff and the future of Ram football.
A highly successful rancher in nearby Christoval for the last decade, Holt was one of four finalists for the head coaching vacancy that was ultimately filled by Wagner at the end of December. The process has reignited Holt’s desire to coach football and help return the Rams to the playoffs – something he accomplished as a player in 1987.
“I would be lying if I didn’t say I wanted to win a national championship,” Holt said during his interview process in December. “But that starts with the small steps. We need to get stronger as a team. We need to get faster, more agile. You take those small steps and build them into the big ones.”
Holt and his wife, Deanna, live in the San Angelo area, and their daughter, Lauren, is a member of Angelo State’s women’s basketball team. Holt joins Theron Aych, Russell Gaskamp, Michael Slater and Mike Walton on Wagner’s staff. Angelo State’s graduate assistant coaches are R.J. Bacon, Nick Norris, Steven Papp and David Reisner.
No comments:
Post a Comment