Best option QB I've ever seen! He was a magician with that ball. In '84, we were close to being L.A. City Champions...again. At OU, he took over when Troy Aikman broke his leg. Jamelle went on to help them win a national championship! The man can play!! All BHS Aumni were very proud to see this man show his talent to the rest of the country.
I blocked for Jamelle, in high school. We had a lot of athletes back then at Banning. He was a really strong guy for his size. We won the city Championship that year (1983). He was perfect for Oklahoma. Ferragamo taught him the option, and he just shined. Thanks for posting this.
I remember him during the mid 80s and he was incredibly fast and even when there wasn't blocks for him he was still beat his tacklers into the end zone. One of the best option quarterbacks in the history of the game.
Holieway played professionally for the National Football League's Los Angeles Raiders (1989-1990) and the Canadian Football League's BC Lions (1991-1992). In High School, and in both pro leagues, Jamelle played on the Left Coast.
And before Thompson, Holieway had Eric Michel wanting (and maybe deserving?) his job. Helluva era in OU option QB's. Danny Bradley in '84 was damn good too.
@@DocSportello1970 Thompson and Eric Michel both could have started on any OTHER Wishbone team, if fact would have been stars, but Jamelle was just too damn good! Tight end Keith Jackson, The Boz, Ricky Dixon, Jamelle, Spencer Tillman, etc.....WOW, what a team!
Jamelle has spent time in jail, unfortunately, but he's turned his life around, and is still one of the most exciting running QBs of all time. I wish him well.
Small, kinda quick, but a great ball-handler, a great head for the game, and what people don't realize the most is that he was real STRONG for a little guy. Too bad he got injured.
Holieway and the wishbone were amazing. What happened to the wishbone? Why can't it work anymore? It was by far the most fun and impressive offense ever used, back when it worked. I wonder what it is that defenses figured out to stop it.
I remember the first time I saw jamel holloway play. The sooners ran the same play all the way down the field. I feel in love with that style option offense.
One of a Kind! But I really wish you would've included his great throws to Keith Jackson or Sheppard....Or some of the late pitches to the halfback that were incredible. Jamelle sure can carry the Mail. Like a Loaf of Bread some would Hail. And to The House he Ran. And ran, and ran and ran.
This video was great but the only problem is they did not show Jamelle passing Skills … he was a decent passer… Passing to All American Tight End Keith Jackson…. Jackson won a lot of big games for Oklahoma. Remember the 71 yard pass Jamelle through to Jackson vs Penn State in the 1986 Orange bowl for the national championship.
Incredibly, future NFL all-star tight end Keith Jackson seemed to get more plays RUNNING the ball (on reverses) than he did passing! Kind of a waste, I guess. I Aikman was still the QB, they'd have made Jackson maybe a top Heisman candidate.
My freshman year playing football at a junior college out in Costa Mesa California Jamel had to come out to get a few credits during the summer to maintain his eligibility. He bet me $20 that I couldn't squat 405 past 90 for 20 reps. I collected the $20. He was the third best option quarterback I've ever seen behind number one Darien Hagen, number two Tommy Frazier.
Growing up in Oklahoma Thomas Lott was my favorite but no one ever ran the option as good as Hollieway. And how about a true freshman playing in the national title game and looking like he was born to be a wishbone QB.
I agree Jamelle Holieway was the best to play the wishbone. His style of running is a nice blend of Barry Sanders and Michael Vick - that's dangerous, man! Darian Hagan would be second to Holieway as a great running QB. But one thing that Jamelle Holieway ain't got that Darian Hagan has, with all due respect to Holieway, and that's National Title Championship (1990 Colorado Buffs). Holieway will go down in college football history as the best running QB that never made it to the NFL.
Charles was faster (especially in the open field), but not as strong, not as good at ball-handling, not as good at staying out of prison, and not quite as good of passer. Jamelle was incredible, and Charles was almost as good. I think at some time Jamelle did do prison time, but today I think both have turned their lives around. Impressive.
Jamelle Holieway was the best college quarterback I've seen in person. Steve McNair second...Andre Ware third...David Klingler fourth. Tommy Frazier was "alright".
as a Husker fan I hated this guy...God he gave NU problems...I think NU recruited him but he became a Sooner. I miss the NU OU rivalry. Shame they couldn't save it somehow.
OU vs. Nebraska was, in my opinion, the best rivalry in college football. No real bad blood between the schools, just a great series between historically great programs.
Heck, the Sooners won't even be playing Oklahoma State Cowboys in the next few years, if you can believe that! Oregon won't even be playing Oregon State, as well. This NIL realignment is really Weird! Washington State doesn't even have a SCHEDULE filled for each of the next few years it seems - wow.
@Michael Cooper Jamelle Holieway has a national championship ring (1985). One of only two freshmen QBs to lead their team to the title (Jameis Winston being the other).
Jack Mildren, Jamelle Holieway, JC Watts, Charles Thompson, Josh Heupel, Sam Bradford, Jason White, Landry Jones, Steve Davis, and look for Blake Bell add to the lineage of great QBs at Oklahoma with Cody Thomas along with Kendal Thompson, and Trevor Knight too
I'm a Husker fan, He kept us up nghts! NO lie! When I was a kid, I rememer "Boomer Sooner" iIt REALLY hurt! We took the beat-down like men and learned!
Barry's DEFENSE (had 6 shutouts one year) is what really gave OU the edge. Husker offenses when Jamelle was playing were often very very good....but OU's #1 ranked "D" was just a little bit better. Hard to run on them.
Somebody somewhere show me a rushing offense anywhere in college football history that can even begin to compare to this offense....and that wasn't another OU wishbone team.....cause there are plenty of those.
Jamelle apparently replaced some loser quarterback named "Troy Aikman", who knew he was inferior, so he apparently left for UCLA like a little baby the very next year - he knew that Jamelle was a finer QB. Jamelle was the first frosh to lead a team to the national title. At one point Jamelle had more yards than any other OU 'bone quarterback up until then.
Sanders was very similar to Jamelle, and the king of the cut-back, but could Sanders handle the ball the way the Master (Jamelle!) did is the question. Jamelle was also a better passer than a lot of 'bone QBs. But Sanders was the most exciting athlete, in any sport, PERIOD....along with Michael Jordan!
@@randysoule6330 The CFL would have been a better fit, I think, especially if he upped his passing game just a bit. But yes, great point about the injury. Injury in the NFL is what tanked Boz, as well, I thinik.
the best? they all had great nfl careers, right? holieway, ware and klingler all ran offenses that do not translate to the pros. mcnair is the exception in your list. many athletes got duped into playing for okie-dokie-homa's offense nor realizing that they weren't being prepared properly for the nfl; linemen weren't taught proper pass blocking, etc there are some exceptions of course,billy sims, keith jackson, etc
Stop crying about it and get some counseling. It's the only way your life will get better. Or else just go on forcing everyone else to publicly humiliate you for always missing the point.
