Condredge Holloway

Condredge Holloway

Date of birth:	January 24, 1954 (1954-01-24) (age 57)
Place of birth:	Huntsville, Alabama
Career information
CFL status:	Import
Position(s):	QB
College:	University of Tennessee
NFL Draft:	1975 / Round: 12 / Pick: 306 (By the New England Patriots)
Organizations
As player:
1975-1980 1981-1986 1987	Ottawa Rough Riders Toronto Argonauts BC Lions
Career highlights and awards
64th Grey Cup champion 71st Grey Cup champion
CFL All-Star:	1982
CFL East All-Star:	1978, 1982, 1983
Awards:	Most Outstanding Player (1982) Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy (1982)
Honors:	Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame
Canadian Football Hall of Fame, 1999

Condredge Holloway Jr. (born January 24, 1954 in Huntsville, Alabama) was a star quarterback for the University of Tennessee and later in the Canadian Football League.

Early years and College

Condredge Holloway was born to Condredge Holloway, Sr., and Dorothy Holloway. Condredge's grandfather on his father's side was born a slave, but was emancipated as a child in 1865. Dorothy was hired to work at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville in 1962, becoming the first African American employee of NASA.

Surprisingly, football wasn't Holloway's favorite sport; he preferred baseball. After starring as a high school player at Lee High School in Huntsville, he was drafted as a shortstop by the Montreal Expos in 1971; Holloway was Montreal's first pick, and he was the fourth player selected overall.^[1] However, Holloway's mother, insisting her son attend college, refused to sign the contract (Condredge was 17, too young to sign a contract under Alabama law) and instead he went to Tennessee. In so doing Holloway became the first African-American to start at the quarterback position in an SEC school.

On the field Condredge Holloway became one of the most dynamic players in school history, and off the field he became one of the most respected.

In his three seasons (1972-74) as a starter, Holloway directed the Vols to the 1972 Astro-Bluebonnet, 1973 Gator and 1974 Liberty Bowls and an overall record of 25-9-2. He ended his career with the best interception-to-attempt ratio in Tennessee history, throwing just 12 interceptions in 407 collegiate attempts.

Canadian Football League

After leading the Volunteers to three bowl game appearances from 1972–74, Holloway was drafted by the NFL in 1975—but only in the twelfth round, as a Defensive back, by the New England Patriots (few pro teams had African-American quarterbacks at that time). Instead, Holloway went to Canada, playing for the Ottawa Rough Riders starting in 1975.^[2] Later, he moved to the Toronto Argonauts, capturing the CFL's Most Outstanding Player award in 1982 and guiding the Argos to a Grey Cup championship the following season—Toronto's first title in 31 years. Holloway finished his career with the BC Lions and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1999.^[3]

After football

Currently, Holloway is the assistant athletic director at the University of Tennessee.^[4] Holloway is a co-owner of D1 Sports Training in Huntsville, AL.

References

1. ^ "The Real South: Famous People". AL.com. http://www.al.com/south/sports3.html. 
2. ^ Weird Facts about Canadian Football, p.132, Overtime Books, First Printing 2009, ISBN 978-1-897277-26-3
3. ^ "Condredge Holloway". Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2010-03-24. http://www.webcitation.org/5oTh8OKin. Retrieved 24 March 2010. 
4. ^ "Turn Back Time - Part 2". Toronto Argonauts Football Club. 2006-07-25. http://www.canoe.ca/Argos/News/2006/07/25/1701639.html. 

External links

• Argos Heroes: Condredge Holloway

Sporting positions
Preceded by Bobby Scott	Tennessee Volunteers Starting Quarterbacks 1972-1974	Succeeded by Randy Wallace
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Dieter Brock	CFL's Most Outstanding Player 1982	Succeeded by Warren Moon

Persondata
Name	Holloway, Condredge
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1954-01-24
Place of birth	Huntsville, Alabama
Date of death
Place of death