Houston, TX – Texas Southern Univerisity defensive lineman Ernie Holmes, died last night in a car crash outside Lumberton, TX near Beaumont.
The associate press says Holmes was driving south on Highway 69 Thursday night, when his car left the road. The Texas Department of Public Safety reported says Holmes was not wearing a safety belt and was thrown from the car. He was 59.
Holmes played defensive line for TSU under former head football coaches Alfred Benefield and Rod Paige. He was an 8th round NFL draft pick in 1971.
Holmes played in the NFL for six years, the first five with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a member of the famed “Steel Curtain†defense and he was a member of the 1975 & 1976 Super Bowl Championship teams. He retired in 1978 after one season with New England.
