Three Texas Tech Legends Deserving Of Pro Football Hall Of Fame
E.J. Holub
Perhaps no player has ever been a better personification of the grit, determination and rugged spirit synonymous with Texas Tech than E.J. Holub.
A graduate of Lubbock High School in 1957, Holub went on to a stellar career at Texas Tech and in the professional ranks.
The man nicknamed “The Beast”, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and was an initial member of the Texas Tech ring of honor at Jones Stadium in 2012. His number 55 jersey was the first to be retired by Texas Tech and he remains one of the most beloved figures in program history.
Drafted in the first round of the 1961 AFL Draft by the Dallas Texans (which became the Kansas City Chiefs) and the second round of the NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, Holub quickly became one of the best players in the AFL. He earned a starting job at outside linebacker for the Chiefs in his rookie season and moved to center in 1968 due to a torn hamstring.
Holub has the distinction of being the only man in NFL history to start two Super Bowls on different sides of the ball illustrating how integral he was in the early years of one of the league’s most accomplished franchises. And the toughness he displayed at Tech was with him in Kansas City as he endured 20 operations between 1957 and 1973.
Holub was honored as a five-time AFL All-Star and a seven-time All-AFL selection (twice being named to the first-team). He is a member of the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame after helping the Chiefs to their only Super Bowl title in Super Bowl IV.
What makes E.J. Holub’s case for enshrinement tough is that he played the majority of his career on the offensive line where stats are almost impossible to accrue. Plus, he was left off of the 1960’s NFL all-decade team which also hurts his stock in the eyes of some.
But perhaps no player of his era was more respected by his peers and teammates. Holub started 113 games for the most dominant AFL franchise of his time. He led the Chiefs with 8 tackles in Super Bowl I and helped K.C. upset the famed Minnesota Vikings team that was led by the “Purple People Eaters” defensive line in Super Bowl IV.
If Holub is to ever be enshrined in Canton, he will have to be nominated by the “Seniors Committee”. Too much time has passed since he retired in 1971 and there are far too many modern era players on the minds of today’s voters.
Still, as one of the core pieces of one of the most successful and popular teams in the first decade of the Super Bowl Era, E.J. Holub most certainly deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.