Brian Holloway

Brian Douglass Holloway (born July 25, 1959 in Omaha, Nebraska) is a former professional American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Raiders from 1981 to 1988.

Early Life
Holloway attended Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Maryland.

New England Patriots
Brian Holloway was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round (19th overall) of the 1981 NFL Draft out of Stanford University. As a rookie in the strike-shortened 1982 NFL season, Holloway started 5 of 16 games. He became the starting left offensive tackle the following year, next to guard John Hannah, and missed only one start up to the end of the 1986 NFL season. In the 1982-83 NFL playoffs, the Patriots lost to the Miami Dolphins in a wild-card game.

They did not make the playoffs in 1983 and 1984 but did so in 1985. After beating the New York Jets in a wild-card game of the 1985-86 NFL playoffs, the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Raiders on the road in the divisional round with a strong running game, amassing 156 yards, 104 by running back Craig James behind Holloway and Hannah. The line then destroyed the Miami Dolphins' run defense on the road by accumulating 255 yards, 105 of them by James, winning the AFC title. However, they could not run over the legendary Chicago Bears defense of 1985 in Super Bowl XX, Holloway having a hard time with the formidably swift right defensive end Richard Dent.

After finishing with a won-lost record of 11-5 and winning the AFC east division, New England fell short against the Denver Broncos, led by quarterback John Elway, in a divisional round of the 1986-87 NFL playoffs.

Holloway was one of the most dominating offensive tackles in his era, as indicated in part by three Pro Bowl selections from 1983 to 1985.

Los Angeles Raiders
Brian Holloway went to play left offensive tackle with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1987 and 1988. In the strike-shortened 1987 NFL season, he started 8 of 12 games, but did not start in 1988, his final year in the NFL, replaced at that position by Don Mosebar.