Johnathan Mark Holifield (born July 14, 1964) was an American football running back for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at West Virginia.

Football career

High school

Holifield played high school football at

Romulus High School Romulus Senior High School or Romulus High School is the public high school in the city of Romulus, Michigan in Metro Detroit. History In 2013 Inkster High School closed due to the closure of the Inkster School District. Students in the Ink ...

in Romulus, Michigan.

College

Holifield arrived at West Virginia in 1983. During his first two seasons as a Mountaineer, 1983 and 1984, Holifield accumulated 388 yards and 5 touchdowns. Holifield earned the starting running back job in 1984, as a junior. He rushed for 595 yards and 6 touchdowns, along with a receiving score, that season. In 1986, Holifield was elected team captain and totaled his best season statistically. He rushed for 645 yards and 3 touchdowns his final season as a Mountaineer.

Professional

Holifield was drafted in the 12th round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He was a member of the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals in 1988 and played 3 games for the

in the 1989 season. He was released in 1990.

After football

Having received a bachelor's degree in political science in 1987, Holifield earned a law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1996. He practiced law for five years, as a prosecutor in Cincinnati and in private practice by 1999. Afterwards, Holifield became involved in economic development. In 2006, Holifield became CEO of the Olmsted Parks Conservancy in Buffalo, New York. In 2007, Holifield was picked to lead the Urban League of Greater Cleveland. On September 18, 2017, Holifield was named executive director of the White House initiative on historically black colleges and universities.

References

External links

Professional stats
1964 births Living people People from Wayne, Michigan Players of American football from Wayne County, Michigan American football running backs West Virginia Mountaineers football players Cincinnati Bengals players University of Cincinnati College of Law alumni Trump administration personnel Romulus Senior High School alumni {{Runningback-1960s-stub