Lane said one of the big reasons he wanted Holmes to talk to his students Wednesday was for them to know that achieving some of the things Holmes has in his life is possible for his students as well, no matter what challenges they may face.
“Through this jersey retirement, it’s a constant reminder of what our young men and women can achieve,” Lane told Holmes. “Especially if you consider the current population that we’re serving and a large number of minorities.”
Lane has instituted a ‘measures of a man’ mantra with his team, which grades and measures their character and community service. Doing the right things off the field are just as important to the program as the things they do on it.
Holmes told the students he looks for high-character and high-intangible players when scouting in the NFL.
Holmes then took questions from four student athletes, covering a number of important topics including overcoming adversity and the advice he would give to young students who are struggling to figure out what they want to do with their lives.
Holmes was open and thoughtful with his responses, spending time engaging with the students and answering those questions. Holmes’ biggest message to the students was to be proactive in life instead of reactive.
After the Q&A session, Lane had one more surprise for Holmes. The school invited some of Holmes’ family members to Chamberlain to take part in the call, including his mother, Joan, as a surprise for Holmes.
“This is just awesome,” Homes said. “Truly an honor. Truly humbling. I’ll be thinking about this for the rest of my life. Thank you.”