BLOG 71: Holloman has traveled a long road back from devastating injury

By Sandy Gholston

Ferris State running back Paris Holloman takes a handoff from quarterback Tom Schneider during the Saturday game against Northwood (Photo/Scott Whitney)

BIG RAPIDS – It was just a few short years ago that running back Paris Holloman suffered an injury that, to some extent, changed his life.

Holloman, like most young college athletes, was accustomed to the feeling of being virtually indestructible as he looked forward to a fairly straightforward career of football success at Ferris. But, as Holloman quickly discovered, even the best plans for success often are cluttered with stumbling blocks. In a home game against Saginaw Valley State, in week three of the 2006 season, the Rochester Hills native writhed in pain as he suffered a devastating injury.

“I can still remember that game two years ago against Saginaw Valley,” said Holloman, a former prep gridiron star at Avondale High School, as he started to smile about a career-altering incident that was nothing to smile about at the time. It all happened fast as the proverbial dust settled on the kinds of violent plays that are a part of football. “I ended up with a broken leg, a dislocated ankle and a torn ligament.”

Holloman, who arrived at Ferris with high expectations as a guy poised to develop into a difference-making running back for the Bulldogs, suffered a severe setback that challenged him, physically and mentally. Bouncing back from such an injury – one that had so many aspects to it – forced Holloman to turn the clock back to his roots: working hard, staying dedicated to football and never losing faith in the dream that one day he would be back and at full strength on the gridiron. He remains grateful to so many people at Ferris who helped him battle back from the physical injury and the painful and frightening mental residue of the injury to again be an integral part of Ferris’ football program.

“The people that really kept me going through that were my teammates, the coaches and Dave Lucey (Ferris’ head athletics trainer),” said Holloman, who was a two-time all-state (2003, 2004) honorable mention pick for Avondale. “It seems like I’ve kind of been plagued by a lot of injuries … some little ones and some big ones I’ve had to fight through during my time here. I have had a lot of them.”

Holloman has kept his faith strong through it all and worked his way back into the lineup as the Bulldogs take a 6-3 into this week-10 matchup with Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival Hillsdale College at Frank “Muddy” Waters Stadium in Hillsdale. Ferris’ revamped running attack has been a key to success this season. Holloman has been a key component of that with his tough, up-the-middle running style. He has 420 rushing yards with two touchdowns on 5.4 yards per carry.

This fall has given Holloman a feeling of truly being back in the mix.

“It has been a long road back, but I feel like I’ve gotten myself back to 100 percent healthy and I’m feeling pretty good about the way I’m running right now, but it was a long road back,” Holloman confessed.

With slim hopes of making the playoffs, Ferris (ranked 10th in NCAA Division II Super Regional 3) knows it badly needs a victory against Hillsdale to have any shot at a post-season berth.

“We know this is going to be another tough game and another hard-fought game,” Holloman said. “Hopefully we will come out ready to play when we go down there to face them. We know we have to keep winning if we’re going to stay in (the playoff hunt).”

If you have any questions, ideas or comments feel free to contact Sandy Gholston at sgholston2@netzero.com