North Carolina State University Athletics
Florida Announces Hiring of Holliday
12/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 17, 2004
John "Doc" Holliday will fill the final assistant coaching position on the University of Florida football staff, head coach Urban Meyer announced Thursday.
Holliday has been the Associate Head Coach and wide receivers coach at North Carolina State for the last five years after a 21-year career as an assistant at West Virginia.
"We feel good about the addition of Coach Holliday to our staff," said Meyer. "He brings a wealth of experience and a tremendous knowledge of the game."
"I'm excited about the opportunity to work with Coach Meyer and the staff at the University of Florida," said Holliday. "I'm thrilled to have the chance to be a part of the Gator program and I'm looking forward to coming to Gainesville."
Holliday served as an assistant coach for some of the most prolific offensive teams in N.C. State history. The 2003 team set school records in almost every statistical category: pass attempts (496), pass completions (357), passing yards (4,580), passing yards per game (352.3), passing TDs (35) and pass completion percentage (.720). The 2003 team also topped school marks with 37.6 points per game, 453.2 total offense yards per game, 311 first downs and 6.6 yards per play.
The Wolfpack offense set various school marks in each of his first three seasons. Most notably, the 2001 Wolfpack offense set school records for completion percentage (.644) and fewest turnovers (13). The 2002 squad finished first in school history in total yards (5,485), passing yards (3,468), points scored (460), and first downs (281). The 2002 N.C. State offense led the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring (32.9 ppg).
Holliday coached three of the top-eight receivers in N.C. State history: Koren Robinson, Bryan Peterson and Jerricho Cotchery.
"The decision to leave NC State was very difficult for me and my family," Holliday said. "Coach Amato and the people here have been very good to us, and I am proud to have been a part of his original staff. Leaving players that I coached and recruited is also something that is not easy. However, my ultimate goal is to be a head coach one day, and after having coached in the Big East and the ACC, the chance to be able to add the SEC to my résumé was very important."
Holliday's 21 years at West Virginia included an appearance in the 1989 National Championship Fiesta Bowl. He coached three of the top six receivers in Big East history and also coached the top three career and single-season reception leaders in WVU history and eight of the top 10 players in both categories.
Holliday is a 1979 graduate of West Virginia, where he was a three-year letterwinner on the football team. After earning his bachelor's degree in physical education, he later earned a master's degree in safety management from WVU in 1981.
