Background and career
Trindon Jerard Holliday (born April 27, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers and was selected by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft. At 5'5", Holliday is one of the shortest players in NFL history. He was also a member of the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, and Oakland Raiders.
Holliday went both ways at Northeast High School, in Pride, Louisiana. Because of his short stature, Holliday did not start on the football team until his junior year. In his first season starting, he rushed for 1,870 yards and scored 26 touchdowns. In his senior year, Holliday put up even better statistics by rushing for 2,210 yards, scoring 34 touchdowns, and averaging 27.6 yards per punt return. Holliday was also a track runner in high school. In 2005, Holliday posted the nation's fastest indoor time in the 55 and 60-meter dashes. He led his team into the 2A state title by winning the 100 meters and 200 meters and was second in the long jump. Holliday was a four-time state champion in the 200 meters and a three-time 100 meters champion.
Holliday played football for the LSU Tigers football team from 2006 to 2009. In that time, he recorded eight touchdowns: four rushing, two on punt returns and two on kick returns.
Holliday was a top-ranked American sprinter competing for the LSU Tigers track and field team and is regarded as one of the fastest players in football. He demonstrated his sprinting ability in the 100-meter dash at the 2007 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he recorded 10.07 seconds in the final – ahead of Walter Dix and second only to Tyson Gay. This qualified him for the 2007 World Championships in Athletics but he opted to not compete, preferring to begin the football season with the LSU Tigers. He continued to race, however, and reached the semi-finals in the 100 m at the 2008 United States Olympic Trials the following year. In his first year at LSU in 2007, he broke Xavier Carter's school record and became the Southeastern Conference 100 m champion. At the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship later that year he set a personal record in the semifinals and finished runner-up in the final to Walter Dix. The following year, he took third in the 100 m NCAA final and anchored the 4×100-meter relay team to victory in 38.42 seconds – the fastest collegiate time that year. Track and Field News has Holliday recorded at 6.19 over 55 meters indoors in 2005, leading the nation.
At some point after leaving the NFL in 2015, Holliday returned to LSU to complete his college degree. He graduated in the summer semester of 2023 with a bachelor's degree.
Leading up to the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine, Holliday had hoped to break Chris Johnson's record mark of 4.24 in the 40-yard dash. Holliday had self-reported running times as fast as 4.21, which seemed plausible given his extensive track background, and the fastest 100 m dash time of any football player in NCAA history. At the combine, reports of Holliday's 40-yard dash time ranged from between 4.18 seconds and 4.34 seconds. Adam Schefter, an ESPN reporter on hand at the event, had reported on Twitter that NFL scouts had clocked Holliday in as low as 4.21 during the workout. However, the NFL Network broadcast team record Holliday's two tries at unofficial times of 4.27 and 4.32, respectively, and ultimately published it as 4.34 seconds officially.
