4 straight years as a finalist

RALEIGH, N.C. — Torry Holt has just about every accolade you can think of for an NFL player, except for one — Hall of Famer.

But could this be his year?

“Last year was really tough. Very disappointing last year being it was my third year as the finalist, the Rams were in the Super Bowl, it was in Los Angeles, the announcement was made in Los Angeles, so I [was] thinking, you know, the stars are lined up,” Holt said.

Unfortunately, it just wasn’t the time for the NFL legend, and the window closed.

Last year marked a third straight nomination as a Hall of Fame finalist for Holt without getting the nod.

This year the fingers of family members, friends, athletes and fans are all crossed once again.

“I feel good man, I feel good about my opportunity to be inducted every single year,” Holt said.

The Super Bowl champion, seven-time Pro Bowler and 2000s all decades team member certainly has the resume as one of the NFL’s greatest receivers of all time.

“It’s a high-profile position that requires a lot of attention, a lot of skills, hard work and details, and I was able to embody all that for a decade,” Holt said.

Off the field, Holt, who lives in Raleigh and played at N.C. State, is a champion too through the Holt Brothers Foundation.

The program supports children who have a parent or guardian battling cancer.

“Our mission at Holt Brothers Foundation is to support those kids right here in our community, and one of the ways we do that in regards to fundraising is a Holt Brothers Flag Football Tournament,” Holt said.

Holt on Panthers head coach search

While both the Hall of Fame and Holt Brothers Foundation remain among Holt’s top goals these days, you can bet he’s also keeping tabs on the current status of the NFL.

Holt says he was disappointed that former Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks wasn’t tapped as the head coach going forward.

“I watch our fans on social media, I watch them at the games. And they were excited about having the opportunity to compete for a potential playoff spot at the end of the year. So you have to give coach Wilks some credit for doing that. And then to see he didn’t get the job, it was disappointing and I know he was disappointed,” said Holt.

The Holt Brothers Flag Football Tournament is happening April 15. Volunteers can play flag football, cornhole, tailgate or show up as a sign of support.

Click here for more information.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will be inducted on Thursday, Feb. 9.