Colin Holba Long Snapper Louisville Rookie
Who is your football mentor or inspiration?I don't know if there is one set person. Once I started training to be a long snapper in the NFL, Greg (Warren) and Pat Mannelly were guys I looked up to. Just growing up, sports were a part of my family. It was something I loved to do. There really wasn't one person that I looked up to.
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View photos of Pittsburgh Steelers 2017 6th Round Draft Pick, LS Colin Holba.
What motivates you? I am just trying to win everything, every day. I am super competitive. Whether I am playing pool or I am out there running sprints, whatever I am doing I try to be the best person out there. Why do you play football? Because I love it. I didn't play it for two years. I didn't play it my senior year in high school or freshman year in college. I was able to appreciate life in sports and out of sports more then. Not playing it for two years I learned I was taking it for granted, being able to have this opportunity is something that is really special. Why didn't you play football for those two years? *I quit football to focus on baseball in high school. It didn't really work out to play college baseball. I didn't make the team at Louisville until the spring of my freshman year.
* When did you start to dream about playing in the NFL? **I dreamt about playing in the NFL, in pro sports, since I was a little kid. I didn't care if it was football or baseball then. I thought I was going to be Deion Sanders and play both. Then in high school reality started to set in. You start to position yourself. I lost that dream, but it came back sophomore year of college when I realized I had the size. I knew if I worked hard enough at my craft I could use my size and position myself to be one of the better long snappers in college and translate that into the NFL.
Not a lot of long snappers get drafted in the NFL? How did you manage?
The last two years, the long snappers who went to the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine, got drafted. My goal going into my senior year was to play in the Senior Bowl. I set preliminary goals. That was the first one, and I got it. I didn't know if I would, and I did. Then I got feedback that people wanted me at the Combine. Then getting drafted was very welcome, but it was a surprise. * When you hear Steelers, what do you think? *You have the crazy defense, the awesome fans, and the ketchup bottle at Heinz Field. But the first thing is six. They have six Super Bowl trophies and nobody else does.
