Hall of Fame
Position: End
Years: 1936-1938
Place of Birth: Auburn, NY
Date of Birth: Jan 09, 1916
Place of Death: New York, NY
Date of Death: Jan 13, 1985
Jersey Number: 86
Height: 6-0
Weight: 205
High School: Auburn, NY (Auburn HS)
There was a special warmth to Jerome Holland's youth in Auburn, New York. His 12 brothers and sisters called him "Brud" and his father instilled the first seeds of self-respect and knowledge. Brud Holland once said, " I was born with slightly deformed legs. My grandmother, Julia Bagby, massaged my legs daily, and they became normal." Holland worked his way through Cornell as a dishwasher and furnace-tender. He was a straight-A student and two-time All-America end. In 1937 he scored twice on Colgate on end-around plays and once on a pass reception. In 1938 he went 57 yards on an end- around, again against Colgate. He graduated with highest honors in 1939, obtained a master's degree at Cornell in 1941 and Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania in 1950. His titles in later life included: president of Hampton Institute, president of Delaware State, U.S. ambassador to Sweden 1970-72, chairman American Red Cross, chairman Salvation Army, chairman Planned Parenthood, the first African American director of the New York Stock Exchange. Also: 1971, Distinguished American Award, National Football Foundation; 1972, Theodore Roosevelt Award, NCAA; 1985, Medal of Freedom (the nation's highest civilian award). He died in 1985 at age 69. The Associated Press in 1938 said of Holland the football star: "He wrecked interference, blocked and tackled, snagged passes and carried the ball."
