Some players need a steady stream of carries to change a football game. Trindon Holliday could change one with a single return.
Wearing No. 8, Holliday brought extraordinary speed to LSU’s backfield and special teams. A small opening could become a touchdown opportunity, and a routine punt could suddenly become the most exciting play of the afternoon. His appeal was easy to understand: nobody wanted to miss what happened when he touched the ball.
Holliday takes the No. 82 spot in LSU Football Report’s countdown because his impact extended beyond conventional offensive statistics. He helped LSU win a football national championship while building a separate championship résumé on the track.
Louisiana Roots, Exceptional Speed
Holliday attended Northeast High School before joining LSU. As a senior, he rushed for 2,210 yards and scored 34 touchdowns. He was also an accomplished high school sprinter, establishing the foundation for a college career that would span two sports.
Listed at 5 feet 5 inches on LSU’s football roster, Holliday did not resemble a typical SEC running back. His game depended on acceleration, vision and the ability to turn space into separation. LSU found ways to use those qualities without asking him to become a conventional workhorse.
More Than a Track Athlete in Shoulder Pads
Holliday played football for LSU from 2006 through 2009, appearing in 51 games. He finished with 776 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns, along with seven receptions for 72 yards.
His greatest production came in the return game. Holliday accumulated 1,806 yards on 73 kickoff returns and 647 yards on 43 punt returns. He scored twice in each category, giving him eight total touchdowns during his LSU football career.
Those numbers explain why he belongs in this countdown. Holliday was not simply fast in a timed sprint. He translated that speed into field position and points against college football competition.
Making His Mark in Championship Years
One of Holliday’s defining moments arrived against Arkansas in 2006. His 92-yard kickoff return supplied the decisive touchdown in LSU’s 31-26 victory.
During the Tigers’ 2007 SEC and BCS championship season, he contributed 364 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He also delivered a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown against Ole Miss.
Holliday’s presence added another threat to a championship roster. LSU could attack opponents with power, passing and a return specialist capable of scoring before the offense took the field.
His most productive punt return season came in 2009, when he averaged 18.1 yards per return to lead the SEC and rank second nationally. That season included an 87-yard punt return touchdown against Arkansas.
National Championship Speed
Calling Holliday a fast football player does not fully describe his athletic ability. He competed successfully against the country’s best collegiate sprinters, finishing his LSU track career with two NCAA titles, eight All-America honors and four SEC championships.
In 2008, Holliday anchored LSU’s NCAA championship 4-by-100-meter relay team, which finished in 38.42 seconds. The following year, he won the NCAA outdoor 100-meter championship in 10.00 seconds, matching the personal best he had recorded earlier in the meet.
His best 60-meter time was 6.54 seconds. He also reached the 100-meter semifinals at the 2008 United States Olympic Trials.
Those accomplishments distinguish Holliday even within LSU’s rich history of athletes who competed in multiple sports. Track was not merely offseason preparation for football. He was a national champion in his own right.
Taking His Return Game to the NFL
Houston selected Holliday in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, No. 197 overall. He eventually appeared in 33 regular-season games for the Texans, Broncos, Buccaneers and 49ers.
His regular-season NFL totals included 82 punt returns for 769 yards and 54 kickoff returns for 1,455 yards. He scored four return touchdowns, two on punts and two on kickoffs.
His most memorable professional performance came for Denver against Baltimore in the divisional playoffs on January 12, 2013. Holliday scored on a 90-yard punt return and a 104-yard kickoff return, becoming the first player to score both ways in the same NFL postseason game.
Denver lost 38-35, but Holliday’s performance secured a place in playoff history. He later returned kickoffs for the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Another LSU Accomplishment
Holliday added a different milestone to his LSU story in 2023. On August 11, LSU Athletics announced that he had earned his degree.
The achievement deserves a place alongside the touchdowns and championship medals. Long after his final college competition, Holliday completed another part of the journey he began in Baton Rouge.
Why Holliday Belongs at No. 82
Holliday’s case does not rest on being LSU’s most productive running back or most decorated football player. It rests on his special teams production, his contribution to a championship program and an athletic résumé few Tigers can match.
His track success helps explain the speed. His football career proves he knew how to use it.
In a program filled with unforgettable athletes, Trindon Holliday remains unmistakable: a small player whose biggest plays covered an enormous amount of ground.
Sources
- LSU Athletics. “Trindon Holliday: Football Biography and Career Statistics.”
- Sports Reference. “Trindon Holliday College Statistics.”
- LSU Athletics. “Trindon Holliday: Track and Field Biography.”
- World Athletics. “Trindon Holliday: Athlete Profile and Personal Bests.”
- Raiders Communications. “Raiders Sign Holliday; Waive/Injured Debose.”
June 3, 2015.
- Smith, Scott. “Bucs Add Big-Play KR Trindon Holliday.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, October 21, 2014.
- LSU Athletics. “Coston, Hicks, and Holliday Earn LSU Degrees.”
August 11, 2023.
LSU Football Report 