TSU and Steelers legend Ernie Holmes dies in Hardin County car wreck

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5466528.html

Steel Curtain's Holmes dies in Texas wreck
Former TSU star played in first two Super Bowls for Steelers


LUMBERTON — Ernie Holmes, who won two Super Bowls as an anchor of Pittsburgh's famed Steel Curtain defense, has died in a car crash. He was 59.

A dispatcher with the Texas Department of Public Safety said Holmes, who played college football at Texas Southern, was driving alone Thursday night when his car left the roadway and rolled over several times near Lumberton, about 80 miles northeast of Houston.

The department said Friday that Holmes was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the car. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the DPS said.

Holmes, an ordained minister, lived on a ranch in Wiergate, Texas.

The two-time All Pro played for the Steelers from 1972-77 and spent part of the 1978 season with New England before retiring. He played on a defensive line with more famous Steel Curtain teammates ``Mean'' Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood and Dwight White.

The group stayed in touch, getting together at least three or four times a year, Holmes said last year in a story on the Steelers' Web site.

``We are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden and untimely death of Ernie Holmes,'' Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney said in a statement. ``Ernie was one of the toughest players to ever wear a Steelers uniform. He was a key member of our famous Steel Curtain defense, and many people who played against him considered Ernie almost impossible to block. At his best, he was an intimidating player who even the toughest of opponents did not want to play against.''

Holmes was part of a front four in Super Bowl IX in 1975 that helped limit Minnesota to 17 yards rushing and 119 total yards. The Steelers won their first Super Bowl, 16-6. They were back a year later, beating Dallas 21-17 in Super Bowl X.

Holmes had a reputation for being ``stone crazy,'' he told Time magazine in 1975. That came mostly from an incident early in his career when he pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon following a bizarre incident in which he fired a pistol at trucks and a police helicopter. He was sentenced to five years probation.

Holmes, nicknamed ``Fats'' for most of his life, also earned the nickname ``Arrowhead Holmes'' in 1974 when he shaved his head, leaving only an arrow-shaped pattern of hair on his skull.

Holmes, who was about 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds during his career, also told the magazine he was attracted to the violence of football.

``I don't mind knocking somebody out,'' Holmes said. ``If I hear a moan and a groan coming from a player I've hit, the adrenaline flows within me. I get more energy and play harder.''

After football, Holmes had minor acting roles. He appeared in an episode of the 1980s TV show ``The A-Team'' and dabbled in professional wrestling.

Holmes tried to live a calmer life in later years, settling on a ranch on the southeast border of Texas, where he had a church and was an ordained minister. He told the Steelers that he had become ``into my spiritual being.''

``Ernie seemed to be doing well in recent years and was always one of our most popular players whenever he returned to Pittsburgh for team events,'' Rooney said. ``Our prayers go out to Ernie's family and loved ones. He will be missed by the entire Steelers family.''