Randolph grad, New England QB share unique bond

Tarig Holman will be rooting for New England to win Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday.

He's got a little added incentive.

Holman coached Patriots linebacker Jonathan Casillas when they were both at New Brunswick High School. But Holman, a former Randolph football player and sprinter, also has a unique connection with New England quarterback Tom Brady, and it dates all the way back to when both played in the Big Ten.

Holman, then an Iowa cornerback, intercepted Brady twice in the annual game against Michigan on Oct. 3, 1998. Not only that, Holman did it on consecutive possessions in the first quarter. The first came at the Michigan 39, the second, almost three minutes later, at the 29. Neither was returned.

He is the only player with two collegiate INTs against Brady in the same game, which he still has on a VHS tape at his father Lansing's house. Despite Holman's defensive heroics, the Wolverines won, 12-9, at Iowa's Kinnick Stadium.

"Tom Brady was just in the right place at the wrong time," said Holman, now the head football coach at Trenton High School for the past two seasons. "I didn't do enough to win the game, but it was definitely a good experience. It was a big story 20 years ago."

Though Holman didn't play football until his family moved to Randolph before eighth grade, he was a three-year starter for the Hawkeyes. He signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent after graduating in 2000, playing for head coach Tony Dungy and position coach Herm Edwards, but seriously injured his hamstring in a preseason game against Miami, ending his pro career.

His teaching and coaching career started shortly afterward, as a permanent substitute and assistant football coach at Mount Olive. He also volunteered at his alma mater, then worked with the football and track programs at New Brunswick, Highland Park, South Brunswick and Montgomery.

His players at Trenton have heard the Brady story, but Holman believes his experiences with teammates and coaches off the field are far more important.

"The Internet is a tremendous resource, and when you Google certain things pop up," said Holman, an English teacher. "It definitely means more to me than it does to him. It's something I can always tell my grandkids about, something that at least gets the interest of kids today. Any time you can grab the ear of a teenager and get him to pay attention to what you're saying for five minutes, it helps to motivate them."

Still a student and fan of the game of football, Holman will certainly be watching the Super Bowl. As for whether Brady earns his fourth championship ring on Sunday, Holman joked, "The better he is, the better I was."

Staff Writer Jane Havsy: 973-428-6682; jhavsy@dailyrecord.com; www.dailyrecord.com/writerjane/