University of Memphis Athletics
"Big Ham" Gives Back in His Own Way
Sep 29, 2007 | Football
Sept. 29, 2007
The following story on offensive lineman Abraham Holloway was featured in the Tiger Gameday Program for the September 15 game with Jacksonville State. It was written by athletic media relations intern Denise Thompson.
Imagine a 6-foot-4, 301-pound offensive tackle on the field. Now picture that that person is running after you. More than likely your first reaction would be to run for your life. But, if you're a fellow Memphis Tiger or one of the kids at the local YMCA, running away is the last thing on your mind.
Abraham Holloway is a senior offensive tackle on the University of Memphis Tiger football squad. He is known as "Big Ham" to his teammates and fans due to his size. He received that nickname from a coach his freshman year. Holloway has a close bond with his teammates and he sees them as more than that. "All of us are pretty close. I think our team's relationship is better than a lot of other teams," said Holloway. They are more like his brothers. When you see "Big Ham," he is always smiling and never has a frown on his face.
Holloway hails from Prentiss, Miss., where football is more of an occupation rather than an extracurricular activity. Growing up in Mississippi, Holloway describes football as "your ticket out." He says that kids play football with the goal of earning a scholarship and being able to attend college. Holloway was fortunate enough to follow that path and Memphis is where he landed.
"I decided to go to Memphis because it was a nice location and I wanted to go to school in the city," said Holloway. "At the time I was focusing on being a business major and the school has a good program."
Although Holloway may appear to be intimidating, deep down he is actually a talkative and nice young man who loves to converse with inquisitive people and likes giving back. Last spring, he interned at the Collierville YMCA and Byhalia High School in Byhalia, Miss. This past summer, Holloway was a camp counselor at the Collierville YMCA. He received this opportunity after being offered the position once his internship was over. Being a camp counselor gave him a chance to interact with the youth and give back in a way that was familiar to him.
"I told them about the negative influences in their lives," said Holloway. "Especially, the ones that they don't even see as negative, like who they hang around with and how they spend their free time. The best advice I can give them is, that you have to be willing to do more than other people, if you want to be better."
As a camp counselor, Holloway was in charge of about 20, 11-year-old children. He worked Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The camp was run out of Collierville First Baptist Church. During the week, the kids participated in arts and crafts, gym activities, outside games, board games, watched movies and swam at the YMCA. Each week, the kids also went on at least one field trip.
While working at the YMCA, Holloway and the children went on a field trip to a Redbirds game. He said that this was his favorite field trip of the summer because, when he was younger, he used to play baseball and he still likes the sport today. "The Redbirds have a great facility and baseball is one of my favorite sports. The kids enjoyed it as well, even though it was very hot that day," said Holloway.
When Holloway was interning at Byhalia High School in the spring, he was able to assist with the sport he now loves the most - football. He was able to work with the football team and the offensive line, his specialty. It gave him a chance to teach the teenagers some of his techniques.
While working at the YMCA and assisting at Byhalia High School, Holloway was a role model and a mentor to the children. He gave them advice that he hopes will help them become better people, now and for the future.
"I told them about some of my experiences and how I turned my life around. When I was younger I didn't follow instructions very well, and I was always getting in trouble," said Holloway. "When I started playing college ball, I knew it was time to grow up. I had to look to learn and listen.
"It was hard for me to listen to my parents and teachers. One day when I was younger and still learning how to drive, I had gotten into a little trouble. My mom and dad had left to go to church out of town and they were carpooling, and their friend had left her car at our house. I decided to take their friend's car and I ended up wrecking it. I felt so bad. I didn't even get in trouble because the look my parents gave me was bad enough. The next day, my dad preached a sermon about betrayal and I felt even worse."
Like father, like son. Holloway and his father, Jessie, have a close relationship. "Out of all of my siblings, I am the most like my dad," said Holloway.
His father was very much into sports when he was younger, just as "Big Ham" was. He played basketball and baseball at Grambling State University. While growing up, Holloway spent a lot of time with his father in the church. His father is a pastor at Outreach Fellowship Revival Center back in his hometown, and his mom, Barbara, is an evangelist.
In Holloway's younger years, he enjoyed playing all kinds of sports, and at times wanted to play baseball, just as his father had.
"What I remember most about when I was younger was getting into baseball. I used to hear stories about how great of a pitcher my father was, and I wanted to be just as good as he was," said Holloway. "My dad was there to teach me, but there were times when my dad wasn't able to take me to my games because he was working, so he said that if I really wanted to play, I would find a way to where I had to go."
Holloway said that the best advice that his dad ever gave him was, "If you do what you've always done, you get what you always got." These words stick with Holloway all the time, and just this season during camp, assistant coach James Joseph told him almost the same thing. "If you want something you never had, you have to be willing to do something you've never done."
Holloway wants to pursue a career in sports. His major is sports management, and when he graduates in December, he plans on attending graduate school in the spring focusing on exercise science.
