Honoring Ernie
Many pay respects to Holmes
By JIMMY GALVAN Managing Editor

Enterprise photo/Mark M. Hancock PALLBEARERS LOAD the casket into a hearst following Ernie Holmes' funeral ceremonies at Jasper High School.

Ernie Holmes was more than just a football player.

That was the underlying theme to Saturday's funeral for Holmes, which was held at Jasper High School to an overflowing crowd.

"He was much more than just a football player," said Rev. Robert McBride, who grew up with Holmes and officiated over his funeral Saturday in Jasper. "All of our kids around here just have their mind set on getting to the glamorous NFLbut they might not make it. But with Ernie, it wasn't all about the glamour of the NFLbecause he wanted to help others."

"I didn't even think of him as football player," said Ray Lewis, pastor of Faith Temple Church of God in Christ, who assisted with ceremonies at Holmes' funeral. "He never really talked football at all. He was so excited about his ministry. In fact, the last time I talked to him he was talking about going to start a church out in Pittsburgh."

Holmes died in a car accident Jan. 17 near Lumberton. Holmes was 59.

"He is going to be remembered in a great way because of the way he lived his life," McBride said.

McBride, who went to school with Holmes in Weirgate, said Holmes will be remembered as a man who did a lot but still remained true to his hometown area.

"Here is a man that was able to play on a state football championship team, get a college scholarship, play college football and then get drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers and win two Super Bowls," McBride said. "He had all that glamour that the NFLbrings but he never lost focus or touch with his hometown. He never lost that common touch.

"He never forgot about his hometown," McBride said. "He never forgot about his upbringing that his mother taught him. Success is not always judged by the heights by which one arrives, but from the depths from which one comes from."

McBride pointed to a past when Holmes ran afoul of the law including bouts with drugs and alcohol.

"None of us are perfect and Ernie was no different," McBride said. "We all have pain and we all have problems. But he overcame all of that to become an ordained minister.

Holmes was part of the Steelers' famous defensive line, the "Steel Curtain," and helped the organization capture Super Bowl victories in 1975 and 1976.

Nine former members of the Pittsburgh Steelers attended Holmes' funeral include Hall of Famer Joe Greene.

Greene related a story about the first time he met Holmes he was in his dorm room at training camp reading a Bible.

"It's always wrong to tease Ernie. Ernie didn't like it too much," Greene said.

While Holmes personality on the field was fierce, Greene said his passion off the field was just as strong for his fellow teammates.

Greene also told a story of a Christmas when Holmes dressed up as Santa Claus for the team's Christmas party and purchased gifts for all of his teammates' children.

"That's the Ernie Holmes I knew," Greene said.

"Ernie Holmes will be remembered for his kindness," Lewis said. "He was a simple guy down there who always had on his mind things he wanted to do. He really wanted to help the young kids."

Lewis said that was the main focus of Holmes' ministry at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. Holmes lived in Weirgate and worked with the youth in Jasper and Newton counties.

"It is a great loss for the community," Lewis said. "He had so many ideas he had in mind to do for this community. It didn't matter what denomination you were because he crossed denomination and gender lines - it didn't matter. He just wanted to do something that showed the young kids that there was a different way than what was being displayed out there."

McBride said that Holmes' loss in the community is already being felt.

"He was strong with our youth in the community," McBride said. "He had such devotion to the young people of this community and wanted them to see that there was much more to life than what they see on the streets."

McBride said Holmes' legacy came shining through his children, who also spoke during the funeral.

"When you listen to his children talk, you hear Ernie," McBride said. "You can see a lot of their father in them when they speak. I believe they will take his baton and carry it on."

"He was larger than life," Holmes' daughter Andrea said. "Whatever he did, he did to the top.

"He made sure when I didn't know anything else that he was there. He did that for a lot of people," Andrea Holmes said. "He loved. He loved with all of himself. Even when he didn't understand how much he loved, he continued loving."