NC State great Torry Holt among Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists — again
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- Torry Holt again appears among 15 finalists in his seventh year of eligibility
- Holt compiled 920 catches, 13,332 yards, seven Pro Bowls and All-Decade honors
- Selection committee may elect up to five Modern-Era players; 80% vote required
Will it be “Lucky No. 7” for N.C. State great Torry Holt and the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
The former Wolfpack standout and multi-time NFL All-Pro will have a fighting chance for enshrinement this year — again — in his seventh year of eligibility.
The Hall announced its 15 finalists for 2026 induction Tuesday, and Holt was again among them.
At N.C. State, Holt was known as “Big Game,” and it stayed with him in the NFL. The Gibsonville native had more than his share of big performances on the football field, first as an All-American wide receiver with the Wolfpack and then with the St. Louis Rams in the NFL.
The Rams had “The Greatest Show on Turf,” and Holt was one of the top acts. The Rams were the Super Bowl champions in 1999, Holt’s rookie year, and he remained consistently good throughout his pro career.
Whether that career will ultimately be enough to land Holt among the best of the best remains to be seen. The 50-member Hall of Fame selection committee can pick as many as five Modern-Era players. A player needed to receive a minimum positive vote of 80% for selection.
The 15 finalists this year also includes a former Carolina Panthers star: linebacker Luke Kuechly.
“I’ve never taken it for granted, and I’m thankful that I’m considered among the greats,” Holt said in a 2024 interview.
Holt’s credentials are impressive. He was selected for the Pro Bowl seven times. He had six consecutive seasons in which he finished with more than 1,300 receiving yards and retired ranked 10th in career receiving yards.
Holt, 48, also was chosen for the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s., leading all NFL receivers with 12,594 yards. Former Rams teammate Isaac Bruce went into the Hall of Fame in 2020. A fellow wide receiver on the Rams championship team, Bruce was in the NFL for 16 years with the Rams and later the 49ers. He closed out his career with more than 1,000 catches, more than 15,000 yards and four Pro Bowl selections.
Bruce told TMZ Sports in 2024 that Holt deserved a spot in the Hall, saying, “His case has been the case ever since he stopped playing football.” Holt, the sixth overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft by the Rams, played 11 seasons and had 920 catches and 13,332 yards. In 2003, he had 117 catches for 1,696 yards and 12 touchdowns — all career highs — and was sixth in the voting for NFL offensive player of the year.
At N.C. State, Holt was the ACC player of the year in 1998 and ended his collegiate career considered the best wideout to play for the Pack.
Holt had two of his most memorable games for the Pack against Florida State. He grabbed five touchdown passes in a loss at FSU in 1997, then scored on a 68-yard punt return and 63-yard pass in a 24-7 upset of the No. 2 Seminoles in 1998 at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Holt was inducted into the N.C. State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013 and into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Staff writer Chip Alexander contributed to this report.