John Holecek
| No. 52, 59 Loyola Academy Ramblers | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker, Coach | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth: | May 7, 1972 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth: | Steger, Illinois | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 242 lb (110 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| College: | Illinois | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1995 / Round: 5 / Pick: 144 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Inactive | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2002 | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career Total Forced Fumbles: | 3 |
|---|---|
| Career Total Tackles: | 562 |
| Career Total Assist Tackles: | 114 |
| Career Total interceptions: | 2 |
| Career Total Sacks: | 3.5 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
John Francis Holecek (born May 7, 1972 in Steger, Illinois) is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for eight seasons in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills, the San Diego Chargers, and the Atlanta Falcons. He went to college at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1995, went to the San Diego Chargers in 2001, and last to the Atlanta Falcons in 2002. Holecek played in the NFL for 8 seasons, and then returned to Chicago area. He currently coaches football at Loyola Academy - who won the 2015 Class 8A Illinois Football Championship. Holecek was a finalist for the 2015 National Coach of the Year award.
Holecek was a three-sport athlete at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois, excelling in wrestling, baseball, and football. Holecek was selected to a Chicago all-star baseball team that toured Europe his junior summer, but he decided to play football after receiving multiple Big Ten and division one scholarship offers.
Holecek played both tight end and middle linebacker for Marian coach Dave Mattio. Coach Mattio reflected on Holecek in a 2001 Times newspaper interview, "Most people don't know he was a good catcher and could have been a great wrestler," Mattio said. "Even then, I saw how he never quit and everything had to be perfect. He was a tough kid, I compare him to street kid because of his toughness and being hard-nosed on the field. He played hard and the thing about John, he could run for a big guy".
Holecek finished his high school career with 243 tackles, 13 sacks, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions, two punts blocked, 16 receptions and 2 TD passes. Holecek was All-State and named the “Defensive Player of the Year” his senior year by a metro newspaper.
...
Wikipedia