Michael Joseph Holovak (September 19, 1919 – January 27, 2008) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player, coach, and executive. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

, where he was an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

at fullback in

1942 The Uppsala Conflict Data Program project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 4.62 million. However, the Correlates of War estimates that the prior year, 1941, was th ...

. Holovak was the fifth overall selection of the 1943 NFL draft by the Cleveland Rams. After serving in the U.S. Navy during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) with the Rams in

1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...

, who had moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, then with the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

and

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

. Holovak was the freshman coach at his alma mater Boston College, then was head coach of the varsity from

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

through

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

, compiling a 49–29–3 record. In

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

, he joined the

Boston Patriots Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of and a ...

of the new

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

(AFL) as an assistant under head coach Lou Saban, coaching the offensive backfield. Holovak took over as head coach for the final nine games in

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

after Saban was fired after a 2–3 start, and remained as head coach through

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

. In 1976, he served one game as head coach for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

. He was also the general manager of the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

from 1989 to 1993. Holovak was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

as a player in 1985.

Early life

Holovak was one of six children and the youngest of five sons born in

Lansford, Pennsylvania Lansford is a border, county-border borough (Pennsylvania), borough (town) in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is located northwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, Allentown and 19 miles south ...

. Two of his brothers, Charlie and Pete, played football at

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

and Fordham, respectively. His father, a coal miner, died from a lung ailment in 1938. He played fullback at Lansford High School, but was not offered a scholarship. He worked for a year, then enrolled at

Seton Hall Preparatory School Seton Hall Preparatory School, generally called Seton Hall Prep, SHP, or "The Prep", is a Roman Catholic all boys' high school located in the suburban community of West Orange in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating under ...

with high school teammate Joe Repko. After a year at Seton Hall, Holovak was offered a scholarship to play at Fordham, where his brother was a star player. However, when Fordham assistant

Frank Leahy Francis William Leahy (August 27, 1908 – June 21, 1973) was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He served as the head football coach at Boston College from 1939 to ...

got the head coaching job at Boston College, Holovak chose to play for BC instead.

College career

Holovak played for the Boston College freshman team in 1939. He became the varsity starter at fullback his sophomore year after Frank Davis quit football before the start of the season. During the regular season, Holovak scored 11 touchdowns and averaged 4.1 yards on 112 carries. He also scored a goal line touchdown in BC's 19–13 over

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

in the 1941 Sugar Bowl. In 1941, Holovak was moved to right halfback and rushed for 539 yards in 10 games. Holovak and Fred Naumetz were elected as co-captain of the 1942 Boston College Eagles football team. The Eagles entered the final game of the season as the top-ranked team, but were upset by arch-rival Holy Cross 55–12 at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

, a defeat that canceled a victory party that night at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub. That decision proved to be chillingly profound when a horrendous fire swept through the building that night with 492 fatalities and hundreds more injured. In the 1943 Orange Bowl, Holovak rushed for 158 yards and scored all three of Boston College's touchdowns in their 37–21 loss to

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. He earned consensus first-team

honors and was fourth in the voting for the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

Military service

After graduating from BC, Holovak enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. He attended the Melville Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons Training Center in Melville, Rhode Island and commanded a

PT boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, and it was valued for its maneuverability and speed. However, PT boats were hampe ...

in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. He was credited with sinking nine Japanese ships and overcame a bout with

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

that left him unconscious for a week. His brother Pete was killed in action at Tarawa on February 3, 1944. In 1945, Holovak returned to the Melville Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons Training Center and coached the installation's football team. On October 20, the Melville PT Raiders lost to the Army Cadets football team 55–13 at Michie Stadium.

Professional career

The Cleveland Rams selected Holovak in the fifth overall in the 1943 NFL draft. On January 19, 1946, he signed with the now

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

. During his only season with the team, he gained 211 yards and scored three touchdowns. In 1947, Holovak was traded to the

for halfback Dante Magnani. He rushed for 509 yards and 3 touchdowns in his two seasons with the Bears.

Coaching career

In 1949, Holovak returned to Boston College as freshman football coach. He was promoted to varsity head coach on December 30, 1950. In his first five years, Holovak compiled a mark of 25–16–3 and won Coach of the Year honors in 1954 from New England football writers. Those efforts were good enough to earn him a new four-year contract on November 22, 1955. He complied four more winning seasons, however after early seasons losses to Navy and Army and an upset loss to

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

, Holovak began receiving "abuse from the stands" and a small, but vocal group of alumni pushed for him to be replaced. With his contract expiring, Holovak resigned by request at the end of the season. On November 16, 1959,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

business executive Billy Sullivan was awarded the eighth and final franchise of the developing American Football League. On December 17, Holovak became the team's first hire. Initially hired as a scout, he joined the coaching staff for the Boston Patriots' inaugural season. After a 2–3 start to the 1961 season, head coach Lou Saban was fired and replaced by Holovak. The Patriots went 7–1–1 in their nine games after the coaching change and Holovak was given a two-year contract. In

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

, the Patriots finished with a 7–6–1 record. This was good enough for a tie for first place in the Eastern Division, which necessitated a playoff with the other 7-6-1 team in the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. In the Eastern Division playoff, they prevailed 26–8 to move on to the AFC title game, but they were then pounded 51–10 in the AFL Championship game by the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

. In 1964, Holovak added the duties of general manager to his job description. The Patriots improved to 10–3–1 (good for second behind Buffalo) and he was named AP AFL Coach of the Year. The team slipped to 4–8–2 in

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

, but rebounded into contention the next season with the addition of rookie running back Jim Nance. Needing only a victory in their final game against the New York Jets on December 17 to reach the AFL title contest, the Patriots instead saw their season end with a 38–28 upset loss. Despite missing the playoffs, Holovak was named UPI American Football League Coach of the Year and rewarded with a contract extension. Age finally caught up with the team over the next two years with the Patriots managing only a 7–20–1 record. The result was that Holovak was fired from both positions on January 7, 1969, ending his Patriots tenure with a mark of 52–46–9. As in his previous stint at Boston College, Holovak saw growing fan discontent, including chants of "Goodbye Mike", play a role in the decision. In 1969, Holovak became the offensive backfield coach for the San Francisco 49ers. After two years with the 49ers, Holovak remained in the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

by accepting the post of receivers coach with the Raiders on March 6, 1971. In 1972, he joined the

as a scout. He returned to sidelines the following year as running backs coach. Holovak moved to the front office in 1975, but when Jets head coach Lou Holtz resigned before the final game of the season, Holovak handled the duties in a 42–3 loss to 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

on December 12.

Executive career

On February 18, 1969, Holovak was appointed to the Massachusetts State Racing Commission by governor Francis Sargent. His coaching duties outside of the state led to poor attendance at commission meetings and he resigned in 1971 due to the "press of other duties". In 1975, Holovak was named director of player personnel for the New York Jets. He rejoined the Patriots in 1977 as a personnel assistant. In 1979, he was promoted to director of college scouting. In 1981, Holovak was named assistant general manager of the

. He helped build Oilers teams that made the playoffs in 1987 and 1988. In 1989, he was promoted to GM following the resignation of Ladd Herzeg. The Oilers made the playoffs every season during Holovak's tenure, but were on the losing end of the largest comeback in postseason history and had an extremely tumultuous 1993 season. Holovak was fired on January 26, 1994 and replaced by his assistant, Floyd Reese. He remained a scout for the franchise, which later shifted to Tennessee, until retiring in 1999.

Personal life

On September 11, 1943, Holovak married Edith Casavant in her hometown of

Natick, Massachusetts Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part o ...

. Fred Naumetz was Holovak's best man and Wally Boudreau and

Wally Lemm Walter Horner Lemm (October 23, 1919 – October 8, 1988) was an American football coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels and achieved his greatest prominence as head coach of the American Football League's Houston Oilers a ...

served as ushers. Their eldest daughter, Michelle, was the wife of Massachusetts state representative and judge David E. Harrison. Their younger daughter, Terry Ann, was killed in a car crash shortly after graduating from high school. In 1980, Holovak married Pauline Scudder. They moved to

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

in 1988. On January 27, 2008, Holovak, who had been suffering from

alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

died in Ruskin, Florida from complications from pneumonia. He was 88 years old.Matthews, mourners recall respect for Oilers GM Holovak
''Houston Chronicle''

Head coaching record

College

NFL/AFL

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Holovak, Mike 1919 births 2008 deaths American football fullbacks Boston College Eagles football coaches Boston College Eagles football players Boston Patriots (AFL) coaches Boston Patriots (AFL) head coaches Chicago Bears players Houston Oilers executives Los Angeles Rams players NFL general managers New England Patriots executives New England Patriots scouts New York Jets coaches Oakland Raiders coaches San Francisco 49ers coaches All-American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II Sportspeople from Carbon County, Pennsylvania Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania American people of Slovak descent Burials at Florida National Cemetery Deaths from pneumonia in Florida Military personnel from Pennsylvania New York Jets head coaches Seton Hall Preparatory School alumni