Former Chiefs, Oilers All-Star Pat Holmes Dies at 85

Defensive end Pat Holmes, twice an All-Star with the Houston Oilers before finishing his 8-year NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs, died June 16. He was 85.

Holmes starred at Texas Tech but did not achieve fame quickly as a professional. First he headed north, spending four seasons in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders from 1962-65 before signing with the Oilers, then of the American Football League.

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Holmes stayed with the franchise for seven years (1966-72), through its transition to the NFL, then played his final season with the Kansas City Chiefs (1973).

Holmes was the 40th overall pick in the 1962 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was also offered a contract by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. Perhaps surprisingly, he took it.

By 1965, he was a CFL All-Star, which earned him the notice of the Houston Oilers. He started all 14 games as a rookie with the AFL team in 1966, recording 4.5 sacks.

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In 1967, his second season in Houston, Holmes switched from defensive tackle to defensive end. The move helped the Oilers improve from 3-11 to 9-4-1 under head coach Wally Lemm. Holmes was rewarded with a selection to the AFL All-Star Team in 1967.

“Holmes is one of the greatest defensive linemen I have not only coached, but seen,” Lemm told the Baytown Sun in December 1967. “He’s remarkable. With all his size, he has great agility and speed. He could be up there with the great ones.”

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Holmes made his second AFL All-Star team in 1968, when he recorded a career-high 6.5 sacks. By the time of his final season in Houston, 1972, Holmes had racked up 30 sacks. He recorded the only interception of his career in his final season, 1973, with Kansas City.

After retiring from football, Holmes owned a Kwik Kopy franchise in downtown Houston.

Holmes is survived by his wife, Cindy, three children, nine grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 8:36 AM.