Spring Break
The Daily OrangeRace | Tulsa's Holloway battles cancer with support of teammates
By Jeff Westfall
Posted: 11/17/08, 10:41 PM EST Section: Sports
It was then that lineman leader Nick Gates confronted Holloway to show him how his bravery had influenced the entire offensive line on a personal level. If Wilson were going to lose his hair in a bout with cancer, the whole offensive line would sport cleanly shaved heads as well.
"It started out and I told him I would shave my head because I saw Brett Favre do it for his wife when she was going through chemotherapy," Gates said. "I ended up telling a couple guys on the line and next thing you know we were all doing it because we are like a big brotherhood. It gave Wilson something to look forward to if he lost his hair. That is why I did it. Even with the outlook he has it has to be hard for a kid to lose his hair."
On the Tuesday preceding their Oct. 26 game against the University of Central Florida, the Hurricanes' offensive line gathered in the Tulsa locker room for a head shaving ceremony. A salute to the strongest redshirt freshman in the country.
"I got to have the clippers in my hand for a little bit," Holloway said. "It was a lot of fun because all the guys shaved their heads in weird ways before they cut it all off. It was just a great and fun atmosphere the whole night."
That Sunday, the Tulsa linemen donned their newly shaved heads in a victory over UCF. Holloway both suited up and entered the game on the team's final drive, helping spring a touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Just three weeks after beginning his second bout with cancer, he was back on the gridiron.
Holloway was named a candidate for the 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl/FWAA Courage Award for his bout with cancer. He is determined to bring it home too, not for himself though, but for his bald-headed brethren.
"I was surprised when I first heard because I had heard of the award a couple years ago," Holloway said. "For me it is not much of an individual thing, what I am going through, I'm not going through it by myself. It is a team deal for me because everyone is there for me, I guess I should say we should win because we all help each other."
"It started out and I told him I would shave my head because I saw Brett Favre do it for his wife when she was going through chemotherapy," Gates said. "I ended up telling a couple guys on the line and next thing you know we were all doing it because we are like a big brotherhood. It gave Wilson something to look forward to if he lost his hair. That is why I did it. Even with the outlook he has it has to be hard for a kid to lose his hair."
On the Tuesday preceding their Oct. 26 game against the University of Central Florida, the Hurricanes' offensive line gathered in the Tulsa locker room for a head shaving ceremony. A salute to the strongest redshirt freshman in the country.
"I got to have the clippers in my hand for a little bit," Holloway said. "It was a lot of fun because all the guys shaved their heads in weird ways before they cut it all off. It was just a great and fun atmosphere the whole night."
That Sunday, the Tulsa linemen donned their newly shaved heads in a victory over UCF. Holloway both suited up and entered the game on the team's final drive, helping spring a touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Just three weeks after beginning his second bout with cancer, he was back on the gridiron.
Holloway was named a candidate for the 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl/FWAA Courage Award for his bout with cancer. He is determined to bring it home too, not for himself though, but for his bald-headed brethren.
"I was surprised when I first heard because I had heard of the award a couple years ago," Holloway said. "For me it is not much of an individual thing, what I am going through, I'm not going through it by myself. It is a team deal for me because everyone is there for me, I guess I should say we should win because we all help each other."
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