Torry Holt
The son of Odell Shoffner and Ojetta Holt-Shoffner, Holt was raised in Gibsonville, North Carolina as the middle child between older sister Tosha and younger brother Terrence. As a child, he pulled tobacco frequently to earn extra money with which he bought his first pair of football cleats. Holt began playing organized football at the age of 7 or 8. A young, talented athlete, he earned the nickname "Hot Dog" because he used to try to show up the other players and opposing teams.
Holt attended Eastern Guilford High School and became a successful football athlete, earning All-State honors, and excelled not only as a wide receiver, but also as a defensive back and kick returner. In 1994, he attended Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia because of insufficient SAT scores. There he was selected as a Prep Football Report All American.
North Carolina State
Holt chose to attend North Carolina State because his mother was dying of cancer and he wanted to stay close to home. At North Carolina State, Holt played wide receiver for the football team from 1995 to 1998. He became an impact player with great hands and speed and in 1998 was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year. Currently holds three football records at NC State:
Single Game: 15 receptions, 5 Touchdowns, 255 Total Yards Single Season: 88 Receptions, 16 Touchdowns, 1,604 Total Yards
Holt lived on campus all four years of college and majored in sociology. After his junior year, he entertained thoughts of leaving early to play in the NFL, but opted to stay for his senior year.
In 1999, the St. Louis Rams selected Holt with the sixth pick in the first round of the NFL draft. In his rookie season, Holt posted 52 receptions, 788 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns and helped the Rams to a Super Bowl Championship. This would be an impressive start to his career as a member of, "The Greatest Show on Turf."
During the NFL season, Holt lives in the tony Manderleigh neighborhood of Town and Country, a suburb of St. Louis and travels to North Carolina often in the off-season. Holt's hobbies include listening to rap and R&B, singing, dancing, watching sports, especially basketball and football, and spending time with family and friends.
2004: Earned fourth Pro Bowl invitation after tying for NFC lead (tied for third in NFL) with 94 receptions for 1,372 yards (fourth in NFL) with 10 touchdowns … statistics marked second straight season leading or tying for NFC lead in receptions … since 2000, Holt leads NFL in receiving yards with 7,368, and has third-most 100-yard receiving games in the league since 1999, with 33 … with 8,156 career receiving yards, is fourth in NFL history for most receiving yards through a player’s first 96 games.
2003: Earned third Pro Bowl invitation after leading the NFL in both receptions and receiving yards, making a career-high 117 receptions for 1,696 yards and 12 touchdowns (second in NFL) … named Wide Receiver of the Year by NFL Alumni … first career 100 reception season and fourth consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season … led or tied for team-lead in receptions 12 times and 11 times in receiving yards … 117 receptions ranks second on the Rams’ single season list and is seventh on the NFL’s all-time list … only second Ram in franchise history to make at least 100 receptions in one season (Isaac Bruce, 119 in 1995) … 1,696 receiving yards is second on Rams’ single season list and fifth on NFL’s all-time list … had 10 100-yard receiving games, breaking Bruce’s (nine) 1995 franchise record for most in one season, tying him for second on the NFL’s all-time list for most in one season … is now second on Rams’ all-time list of consecutive games with a reception, with 75.
Since the beginning of the 2003 season, Holt has averaged 104.3 catches per season for a total of 313 receptions over three seasons. Both numbers are tops in the NFL among wide receivers.
He has also been voted to the Pro Bowl 6 times out of his 8 year career. Set an NFL record with the most consecutive 1,300 plus yard seasons in NFL history. Although he rarely gets the recognition and respect deserved Holt never allows such trivial things matter in his life and career.
