THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 19, 1994 TAG: 9408190742
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 129 lines
John Holley was the first black student to attend an all-white high school in Baltimore. The year was 1953, when Baltimore was as much a Southern town as Selma or Little Rock.
Holley was jostled, jeered and spat upon when he entered Baltimore Polytechnic.
Holley survived that year of hell and graduated with honors. With a hopeful eye to the future, he applied to the University of Maryland.
But he received a curt response: There's no room for you.
``I knew why,'' Holley said. ``It was the color of my skin.
``It was my dream to go to Maryland. It was the dream of a lot of kids in my neighborhood.
``I guess I was born 15 years too early.''
Holley, 59, has lived most of his life in a world where his chances were limited because of his race.
But he's made the most of the opportunities he's had. He attended North Carolina Central University, from which he graduated with honors.
After a two-year stint in the Army, and a brief time as a crime reporter for the Baltimore Afro-American, Holley went into public relations at N.C. Central.
Holley liked the work so much that he's made a career of publicizing colleges, especially college athletic teams.
Holley has been sports information director for Norfolk State the last six years, and is clearly at the top of his game.
For the fourth year in a row, Holley recently was named the nation's best sports information director at an historically black college.
``He's one of the best in the business, regardless of classification,'' said Carol Hudson, the sports information director at Old Dominion University.
Athletes tutored and promoted by Holley sing his praises.
``When I was in college, John Holley told me: `Keep your nose clean and your mouth shut and play hard and I'll make you an All-American,' '' said Billy Hayes, football coach at North Carolina A&T and an N.C. Central graduate.
``He did, too. He made me an All-American.''
Hayes is among at least 24 athletes promoted by Holley who received All-American honors. Holley acknowledges that he can't quite remember them all. The number could be 30 or more.
The list includes N.C. Central's Sam Jones, who later would star with the Boston Celtics; Morgan State's Marvin ``The Human Eraser'' Webster, whose nickname came from Holley and followed him into the NBA; and eight athletes from Norfolk State.
``Everybody wants him,'' said CIAA commissioner Leon Kerry, a Norfolk State graduate, of Holley. ``I'm happy that Norfolk has him and I hope he always remains in the CIAA.''
However, Kerry once fined Holley $100 for failing to show up for a CIAA press conference.
``I was busy putting together my football brochure,'' Holley said. ``I don't work for the CIAA. I work for Norfolk State.''
Kerry laughed about the incident.
``John's a walking encyclopedia, and he's got a good heart,'' Kerry said. ``You've got to have personality and integrity to be as successful as he's been.
``People at historically black colleges around the nation all know John Holley.''
Perhaps that's because Holley has worked at so many of them. After beginning his career at N.C. Central, he became the CIAA's first public relations director.
While with the CIAA he worked under Dr. LeRoy T. Walker, now president of the United States Olympic Committee.
In addition to the CIAA, Morgan, N.C. Central and Norfolk State, he's worked at Albany State College in Georgia, Mansfield University in Pennsylvania, Lincoln University in Missouri, Shaw University, Morehead State University and for the Virginia Teachers Association, the erstwhile black counterpart of the Virginia Education Association.
Many colleges employed Holley to do all public relations, including the athletic department. Often, in the 1950s and 1960s, Holley would write stories that would simply be reprinted by newspapers.
``They didn't cover black colleges,'' he said. ``They'd put our stories on something called `The Colored Page.' We'd get real small blurbs.
``Thank God we've made so much progress since then.''
Following the death of his brother-in-law, Holley helped raise four nephews. But he never found the time to start his own family.
``I'm married to my work,'' he said. ``I've moved around so much and have been so busy, there just wasn't time.''
Time is indeed something in short supply for sports information directors. Though relatively unknown to most college sports fans, it is the SIDs, as they are known, who compile statistics, put together brochures and issue press releases for all athletic teams on campus.
When promoting All-American candidates, a good SID works the phones, contacting voters personally, then mails out promotional flyers and weekly updated statistics. If he's good, he comes up with a moniker, such as ``The Human Eraser.''
Holley does all of the above, a rarity for a Division II school.
Holley's publications routinely win national awards in Division II, including last season's football guide, which included a color drawing of coach Archie ``Gunsliner'' Cooley and several of his players holding guns while riding horses. The caption read: ``There's a New Sheriff in Town.''
Holley's job is seven days a week for nine months of the year. The summer, the only season Holley has weekends off, is spent preparing preseason football brochures and lining up interns (Holley has no full-time assistants) for the next school year.
``I'm in here 70 hours a week,'' he said.
He acknowledges that he should slow down. He suffers from diabetes and must inject himself with insulin daily. He has circulation problems in his legs and often stumbles when trying to traverse the steep steps at Foreman Field.
``That's the only reason I don't look forward to football season,'' he said with a smile.
He has cataracts and glaucoma and recently underwent laser eye surgery.
Nonetheless, he counts himself as fortunate.
``I love my work,'' he said.
``I'm not bitter about the hard times I had. Life is too short, and too many good things have happened to me since.
``I'm happy in Norfolk. My mother (Ethel Brown Mims) lives in Edenton, N.C., which is close enough for me to drive to. I've bought a home in Virginia Beach.
``My budget and the support I receive at Norfolk State are better than anyplace else I've worked.
``This is my home now.''
Much to Norfolk State's delight. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/Staff
John Holley of Norfolk State recently was named the nation's best
sports information director at an historically black college for the
4th year in a row.
by CNB