As The Heat left off on Part 2 of our exclusive with Dionte Holloway, he was discussing looking up to Dr. King as well as his grandfather. Make sure to check out Part 3 of The Heat‘s exclusive below:
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: You have overcome so much – what kept you going & where did you get your drive & determination?
DIONTE HOLLOWAY: I get my drive and determination from within to prove the haters and doubters who have tried to stop me or who didn’t believe in me. My college situation isn’t the first time something like this has happened to me. In high school, I was done wrong by my head football coach who decided that I wasn’t good enough to play Divison 1 football and that another player was the only star that they were worried about. I got myself recruited, only to have my coach find out and kick me off the team in the middle of my senior year. Then only to have him tell the newspapers I quit the team and all my scholarship offers went down the drain, so no college football for me and the other player proudly accepted a full ride to Notre Dame. This drove me more than anything because I felt robbed and shamed in the media by a man who was supposed to be looking out for my future, only to make my life harder for another kid. My determination came from this situation that I would do whatever it takes to reach my goals and prove him wrong. I went to La Verne University and Fresno State University, only to have a similar situation happen there with another coach, so I went to Fresno City College in order to get back to a Division 1 school. I went to the JC Football combine and Utah State University found me. I encountered a situation there during my senior year where I was punished for a crime I did not commit. All of this has never stopped me from getting my degree and becoming a good man and it never stopped me from believing in my ability and talents. I was determined to get to my ultimate goal by any means necessary and here I am today still fighting for my right to play and only asking for a chance. You tell me if that wouldn’t drive you to strive for success and keep going, when every door seems to be shut in your face. I just stayed faithful to God and knew my day would come and here it is.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What are we going to see from in the next week, in terms of performance?
DIONTE HOLLOWAY: This week you’re going to see me unleash all my talent and ability from my speed to my agility and everything I do. I expect to wow some people for being out of the game a few years and still being able to play this game of football at a high level. I’m excited because I’ve been waiting for this for a long time it seems and now it’s do or die for me.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: If you could put together the perfect team, who would be on it?
DIONTE HOLLOWAY: My perfect team would consist of Brett Farve and Drew Brees as my quarterbacks, Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew at running back, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald and Greg Jennings as my wide receivers, and Jimmy Graham and Vernon Davis as my tight ends. I would pick a few offensive linemen to block for me, pro bowlers of course. Defense would have myself and Charles Woodson at defensive back, Troy Palaumalu and Ed Reed at safety, Ray Lewis, Clay Mathews & Brian Cushing at linebacker, Terrell Suggs, Justin Tuck, Julius Peppers, and Alden Smith as my D-Line. The backups would be too hard to list right now (Laughs).
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Heat wishes Dionte the best of luck in showcasing his epic talent later this week. We are confident he can do anything he puts his mind to, and we look forward to seeing much more of him in the near future.
