The average career of a National Football League player lasts less than four years.
Austin Holtz’s lasted less than four months.
But the former Ball State offensive lineman always knew he had a backup plan in place.
“I was all right [with being cut],” Holtz said. “I knew I had my college degree. I knew I was going to be all right.”
NFL teams started calling Holtz during his senior year with the Cardinals. He knew he had a career in criminal justice worth pursuing, but after hosting a pro day at Ball State, he was close to opening the door to a life in football.
Though no team drafted Holtz, he received a call from the Lions immediately after the agonizing seventh round ended. When Holtz told his parents, brother and sister of the news they all stood there, staring at each other in disbelief.
His career in criminal justice was going to be pushed back for a little while.
Holtz joined the Lions, hoping to capitalize on the opportunity he was presented. About four months later, Holtz was the odd man out in Lions training camp, getting waived by the organization on Aug. 20, 2013. Three days later, he was signed by the New York Giants.
As quickly as Holtz signed with the Giants, he was released, leaving him again without a job. It was at this moment that Holtz said he truly grasped just how meaningful finishing college was.
“I just realized how important my degree was,” he said. “‘Cause like the guys used to say on the Lions, ‘NFL stands for Not For Long.’”
GETTING TO THE NFL
A native of Holt, Mich., Holtz learned at an early age the importance of hard work.
His father, a general manager of a wholesale company, and mother, who ran a daycare out of their home, always told him he’d have to work for what he wanted in life.
Heeding his parents’ advice, Holtz was an active child, filling much of his time by playing his favorite sport – soccer.
It wasn’t until the eighth grade, when he “just got too big,” that Holtz traded one version of football for another.
“All the high school football coaches kept trying to talk me into playing,” he said. “I figured I’d give it a shot and see what happened.”
What happened was a 28-5 high school record, four straight conference championships, as well as a district championship.
Division I coaches took notice of the 6-foot-5 guard, and when it came time to make a decision on where to play collegiality, Holtz had offers from nearly every program in the Mid-American Conference.
In the end, he decided to take his talents to Muncie, saying former Ball State and current Michigan coach Brady Hoke was the reason for his choice.
Holtz redshirted his freshman year of college in 2008, and then he appeared in 24 games over the following two seasons. Ball State combined to go 6-18 over those seasons.
The offensive line was not playing to its full potential.
At least not in the eyes of Ball State’s new offensive line coach John Strollo.
“When I got here, I noticed them big, strong, strapping kids who were really talented, but had very low self-esteem,” Strollo said. “They didn’t think they were very good and I told them ‘Gee, you guys are pretty good.’”
That year, Ball State’s offense line finished the season ranked 12th in the nation for fewest sacks allowed. The season ended in somewhat of a disappointment, however, when it was announced Ball State was one of two programs with the necessary six wins to not be invited to a bowl game.
Motivated, Holtz and his linemates returned in 2012, again ranking in the top 15 in the nation for fewest sacks allowed.
The Cardinals finished the year at 9-4 and for the first time in his collegiate career, Holtz was going to play in a bowl game.
Ball State would end up losing in the Beef ‘O’ Brady Bowl by three touchdowns to Central Florida, but the soon-to-be graduate wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.
“[The offensive line] came through,” Holtz said, reflecting on the unit’s progress over his career. “We got tossed around a little bit, and had a rough go at it. Then coming back and being successful, as a group, is a huge accomplishment from where we started.”
MOVING ON
These days, Holtz has returned to the field in which he initially intended to enter, serving as a correctional officer at the Indianapolis Re-entry Education Facility.
He hopes to one day become a juvenile parole officer, as working with children has always been a passion.
“I’ve always been big on helping kids, giving back to kids,” he said. “Helping them figure out what they need to do and stuff like that. I don’t know, it’s just something I’ve always liked doing.”
While his current duties of working around the prison and countless hours of training may feel dull at times, Holtz is discovering new ways to add excitement to his life.
He and his girlfriend were recently engaged, with the wedding scheduled for October 2015, and even though his playing days are over, he still finds a way to connect football to working as a member of the law.
“It’s always a competition. Just life in general, not just law-enforcement,” Holtz said. “You got to compete with the next guy. You’re always trying to do better. For me to get a job on a police department, it’s all about competing and that’s all football was.”
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