I spent about thirty minutes last night catching up with former Georgia Bulldog tailback Albert Hollis II. To sum up the conversation...Impressive.
Albert's Story
Albert Hollis II was one of the Top 5 running backs in the country coming out of Sacramento, California in the 2000 recruiting class. However, a catastrophic knee injury during a non-contact drill in the Spring of 2001 changed the course of his career.
"I refuse to lose, and I refuse to quit."
-- Albert Hollis II
After a redshirt freshman year at Georgia, Hollis looked poised to battle Musa Smith for the starting tailback spot for the Bulldogs. A fluke non-contact move resulted in a dislocation of his knee.
(Image: Albert Hollis II)Hollis tore multiple ligaments in the knee, and he damaged nerves in his leg resulting in a condition called "
drop foot." After
three years of recovery, he amazingly returned to run track for Georgia. He also returned to football with his highlight being the
2004 Spring G-Day in which he had several carries and at least as many standing ovations.
I talked with Albert about the injury, his recovery, modeling, his non-profit organization and other projects during the interview. The highlights of the conversation are below.
- - - - - - - - -Paul Westerdawg (PWD): "How's the modeling business treating you?"
Albert Hollis (AH): "I've been doing it for about a year now, and I feel like it's about to blow up for me. In fact, I'm going to New York in April for a DKNY photo shoot in support of their spring line. I've also appeared in some independent films."
PWD: "What else have you been up to?"
AH: "I'm selling insurance for AFLAC, and I'm working to get my real estate license. In fact, if any of the Georgia Sports Blog's readers have small business or individual insurance needs, they need to let me know." (He can be reached at alberthollis@gmail.com)
PWD: "How did you stay focused during such a long recovery process?"
AH: "The main thing is to stay positive. Everything happens for a reason, and you can't start feeling sorry for yourself. I refuse to lose, and I refuse to quit. If you can fight through adversity, you can fight through anything."
PWD: "How did the coaching staff and your teammates react after the injury?"
AH: "Everybody took care of me when I was at Georgia. I can't complain because I was always treated like a top flight Div I-A athlete. You would've thought that I was the star of the program the way they treated me."
PWD: "What was it like when you got to play in the G-Day Game?"
AH: "It was really gratifying. I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel."
[Image: Hollis at G-Day. Banner Herald]PWD: "When you came back from the injury, you returned to the track program. What events did you run?
AH: "I ran the 100 meters and the 4x100 meters. We went to the SEC and NCAA Championships. I had a lot of fun."
PWD: "So back to your current ventures. What's up with the name 'Dynast Hollis' that's on
the web site."
AH: "I went looking for a personal trademark, and I discovered the 'Dynast' name. It means 'starter of a dynasty' or 'hereditary ruler.' That appealed to me, and I want to use that name on everything I do. Next is a clothing line and after that a fragrance with the Dynast name.
PWD: "Anything you were hoping I'd ask you about?"
AH: "I'm starting up a non-profit organization called 'Why Not Me." The organization is devoted to encouraging kids to overcome any adversity. I want to let junior high and high school kids know that they can do anything if they put their mind to it. I feel that I have a message that will resonate with kids. I've already incorporated and filed the tax related paperwork. Next, I need to assemble the board of directors for the group."
PWD: "Do you still keep up with the football team?"
AH: "Definitely. Last week, I was in Athens checking in on some of my AFLAC accounts, and I stopped by the weight room to visit with the guys."
PWD: "What do you think about the current group of running backs?"
AH: "They are pretty talented guys. I played with Lumpkin and Brown so I know what they can do, and lots of people are talking about Moreno. There's plenty of talent in Athens."
PWD: "Thanks for your time. It was a pleasure catching up with you."
- - - - - - -Good luck to Albert Hollis II. Whether it's in business or modeling, he's got the drive to succeed. Anyone that battles back from that type of injury to participate in NCAA level track and field is a winner. And...if you need insurance, drop him a note at alberthollis@gmail.com.
See Also:--
Dynast Hollis (note: the ladies will love this site)
--
Back in a big way -- Athens Banner Herald's G-day article
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Albert's old bio - Georgiadogs.com
PWD
hat tip -- BYoungJR for finding Albert's site.
