E128 | From South Central to Champion: Jamelle Holieway’s Untold Journey to NCAA Glory

What happens when a young man from South Central Los Angeles steps onto one of college football’s biggest stages—and wins it all?

In this unforgettable episode of The Proven Entrepreneur Show, host Don Williams welcomes a true legend: Jamelle Holieway, the 1985 National Championship-winning quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. But this isn’t just a story about football. It’s a story about preparation meeting opportunity, about humility forged through adversity, and about the power of faith to carry us through the unknown.

At just 18 years old, Jamelle was sixth on the depth chart. Then, in a blink, Troy Aikman went down, and the call came: “Freshman, you’re in.” What followed was a moment that would change college football history—and Jamelle’s life—forever.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How Jamelle prepared for the spotlight by practicing against a defense stacked with legends like Tony Casillas, Brian Bosworth, and Ricky Dixon
• What it was like to play under the iconic Barry Switzer, and the handshake that sealed Jamelle’s commitment to Oklahoma
• The emotional weight of representing a university, a state, and a legacy far bigger than himself
• Reflections on his upcoming book, From South Central to the 1985 National Championship (co-authored with Jeff Evans)
• A powerful message of gratitude, faith, and the wisdom he wishes he could share with his younger self

Jamelle opens up about the highs of roaring stadiums and the quiet moments of self-discovery that followed. He shares how he learned to carry the responsibility of being a symbol for Oklahoma football, and how he eventually found deeper meaning beyond the game.

“I should’ve gotten on the God train a whole lot earlier,” Jamelle says, reflecting on the spiritual journey that helped him find peace and purpose after the final whistle blew.

This episode is more than a sports story—it’s a human story. One of resilience, redemption, and the realization that true greatness isn’t just about winning games—it’s about how you live after the game ends.

For information on how to work with Don visit us at https://donwilliamsglobal.com
You can also reach out to Don Williams at https://provenentrepreneurshow.com

Listen now to hear how Jamelle Holieway turned pressure into purpose, and why his story continues to inspire athletes, entrepreneurs, and dreamers alike.

Watch the episode here

From South Central to Champion: Jamelle Holieway’s Untold Journey to NCAA Glory

Hey, Don Williams here with today’s episode of the Proven Entrepreneur Show. I have an unbelievable guest. One of my favorite people on planet earth. I don’t know about other planets, but on planet earth, one of my favorite people. have 1985 national championship quarterback, Jamellele Holieway, and actually just championship person ever since then. So Jamelle, welcome to the show.

Well, thank you. Thank you for having me. I appreciate being here.

I

am thrilled to have you. And so I’m going to ask you a couple of questions. All right. So your book is getting ready to come out from South Central to the 1985 National Championship. Okay. It’s a great story. Show us your… It’s a great story. Okay. And had the pleasure of working with Jeff Evans and you on your book. And so I’m so excited. We know that you were born and raised in South Central. Okay. Part of LA. Yes.

made it to Norman, Oklahoma. Great story in the book about how all that happens. And, and so I just want to jump right in. I know that you were six on the depth chart. Troy Aikman was the starting quarterback. He’s injured. I want to know what was going through your mind.

Troy went down and it didn’t look like he’d be able to continue the game.

Well, I think about it, was a blink of eye moment for me because I didn’t know that he was hurt. They just told me, freshman, freshman, you’re in. knew, I mean, that’s what they called me, freshman. And I go to the huddle and Eric Pope, the special gentleman, sits there and said, let’s roll.

Because it was something about that week of preparation that the great Barry Switzer let me go practice with number ones. Don’t know why to this day, but I was thankful that he let me practice with number ones because I had a clue what was going on when I came into the game. it was a matter of seconds to where you really didn’t have time to think about it.

I’m just glad I was prepared for the moment. we went on to lose that game, but it was a great experience for me to go in the game at that time.

I love that. so literally you’d been on campus. How long? Three months and all of a sudden, Troy’s hurt. You’re in freshman. Not Mr. Holloway, but you’re in freshman. Walk out into the center, Owen Field, 70, 80,000 Screaming Sooner fans. And off you went.

Three months? Three? months?

You know, it was really remarkable because if I had to play football again right now, and that’s about the only thing that I really miss is that 80,000 people cheering for you, shouting your name. I mean, the whole Sooner team is a feeling like no other feeling can ever give you. But it was one to where it’s…

You don’t wanna let nobody down. All these people cheering for you and so you had to go out there and do your best. And that’s all anybody can ever ask for you to do your best. for us to go out there and win like we won was everything to me.

love that. The energy must be where you can just reach out and touch it.

Yes, that part I still get that energy when I’m down there at the games and the kids, I call them kids, the young men are running out of the tunnel. mean, there’s something just comes over me still when you hear those cannons go off and the kids run out the tunnel. It takes me back to those moments when I used to run out there and do that and look forward to seeing my own kids do that one day.

That’d be amazing. Okay, so you were just 18 years old When you won the national championship at Oklahoma How did you handle the pressure? I mean, Oklahoma is a place where like two losses in a year is like

You know, very…

They kind of expect to every game every year. How did young 18 year old Jamelle handle that kind of pressure?

didn’t know it was pressure. Didn’t know, knew what I was getting into. I mean, that’s the reason why I go on Oklahoma, but really didn’t know that it was pressure. It was just a game to me. It was just a thing that let me do my part and let me not get us in the bad situations and we gonna win. And so winning is, winning is,

I don’t hate to say it, but I like to say it, it’s everything. I mean, because winning opens up doors. Losing, maybe the door might not get open if you’re a loser. But there was no pressure because if you study for something all week long and the test is on Friday, there’s, mean, I can ace it. I’m confident.

So if I study, prepare for the game all week long, when it came to going up against the opponent, that was the easiest thing because people didn’t realize that the time before when I had to practice, when I was the scout dummy for the number one defense in the nation.

And I can move the ball a little bit. I was happy. So therefore when the game came, this isn’t the number one defense. This is number 10, 11, 12, or 100 defense. It was so easy. The practice was hard. The practice when I was on the depth chart, the practices helped me more then than the game did coming out.

The were easy. The practices were hard for me. And so I just applied everything that I learned at those hard practices in the game. And I mean, it was a piece of cake.

loved when you shared that about, well you know I practiced against the number one defense all through the week and so whoever we were playing on Saturday they were not quite that good and they were the number one defense because your nose tackle was Tony Casillas, all-American yeah in a year when he missed some games because he was hurt. Okay.

Tony Casillas Lombardi Trophy winner

Ryan Bosworth,

Buccus award winner. And then Ricky Dixon, Jim Thorpe award winner, best defensive back in the nation. So we had an All-American on defense at every level. How can, I mean, how can I go wrong? Yeah. With that kind of backup.

All American Lime-

I love how you shared that. Well, I practiced against the best defense out there and so the game was something totally different. Okay, so in addition to playing against the best defense in America.

You maybe, you had one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, maybe the greatest college, and I’m a little partial, I’m a senior fan. Okay, maybe the greatest college football coach of all time, Barry Switzer. Okay. And so can you share something Barry shared with you at some point that’s behind the curtain that we wouldn’t know?

that he told me first of all he’s the best coach in America ever to me and to all the sooner people. But you know he’s a friend, a father, and a coach. And I say it in that order because the man never lied to me. He always came truthful. He come into my mom’s house.

You know, everybody had that living room where the Maldives had their plastic on the couch and…

Like that and and he comes in and he just lays on the floor like two little kids shooting marbles That was the first thing I thought I was like this has to be the coolest coach because we’re just like two little kids laying down playing marbles and And at that point he started talking about what he could do for me and I told him I say coach I’ve never been outside of California. I just want to go to a couple of my recruiting

to Hawaii, to Oregon, to Colorado. If you don’t tell nobody, I’m coming to Oklahoma. And as a young black man, mean, shaking hands was everything. We shook hands. He never said nothing to anybody. And so that…

that ultimate respect for one man to another has never left because he did me that way. But also one thing people don’t know, he did lie one time when he said there and said that it would never snow during football season. And here it went the first game, I mean the first year, the Ice Bowl in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

you know, whatever below zero it was on that Thanksgiving Thursday or Friday. And we won 13 and nothing. But that’s when he died and sit there and sit there with that. And he tells me this day, well, son, can’t predict Mother Nature. Well, I’ve

I think he could control a lot in Oklahoma, but controlling Oklahoma weather, that’s a big one. Because they have like, some places have climate, Oklahoma has water.

Yes.

weather because

they moved the game. The game was supposed to be at 330. First time ESPN did a game and but they moved it to that night because they thought the storm would pass through. Well, the storm just came that night. It tricked them. Yeah. And so but yeah, that’s that’s the very switch story. Well, nobody know that he sit there and say it would never snow during football season.

Okay, Coach, we’re not forgiving you for that. I’m just saying. Okay, now, you talk a lot about gratitude in your life. Was there a moment at OU where you realized that you were bigger than just football?

Yes, unfortunately, when you win and you won like we won constantly those four years, you tend to get a big chip on your shoulder, tend to get the big head to where people really can’t tell you nothing. And it took me

Excuse me, it took me the longest time to really understand that Jamil, you’re just not Jamil in Oklahoma. You represent the university at the highest level, no matter how many years you played, but your name is recognized. And when they say Oklahoma football, they’re gonna say your name too. And it took a lot of, it took…

a lot of wrong turns for me to get a right turn. And really appreciate what the University of Oklahoma means and what it meant to me deep down inside. just never really, I just thought I was, after football I thought I was just this figure, just like anybody else. But no, because I won, it

It will always be. And it took me just to get knocked up across the head a couple of times really to understand what Oklahoma football means to the whole state and to all those. And I had to take it very seriously life after football, not just during football.

Yeah, I love that. I think you bring up a good point. know, football fans, obviously, Oklahoma football, but it’s Oklahoma football and baseball and like softball is like a big thing and basketball and sports, gymnastics. And then when you get past sports, Rhodes scholars and governors and senators and really an institution that has changed the lives

lives of hundreds, thousands of people and changed the future of the state of Oklahoma.

And I’m part of that. And so you have to, for me, I have to be humble one, but be in a position to where, you know, not to put myself in those vulnerable positions, you know, for anything negative to come out because, you know,

people would die for to be in my position. And I have to really realize that now at this day and age, but before I was just living the Vita Loca. I was just living my life, not really caring about whatever happened, but know that all changes. Even though I have my kids and all like that.

But still it all changes because, you know, it’s only myself and Josh Hyple living the last two quarterbacks winning that championship at University of Oklahoma. And that’s pretty doggone special.

really special and we all live and we all learn you know if if I knew and that takes me to my last question okay if I could put you into a time machine and I could send you all the way back to 18 year old Jamelle and I could say Jamelle you have a minute to share something you know now that you didn’t know then

with your 18 year old self. Something you know now that would have been beneficial to know then.

I should have got on the God train whole lot earlier then than now. that he will provide stuff for you that you don’t even know that you need, but you need it. He will be there for you in your time of need all the time, whether we know it or not. And that he will.

When he say he got the whole world in his hands or that phrase of the footprints in the sand, that is the ultimate thing for me because I really truly believe that he was carrying a young 18 year old kid back then and didn’t know it, but know it now. So it’s up to me to spread his word to whomever wants to listen and

and go for it and just give him all the praise and the glory.

that. Jamelle, it’s been my pleasure to have you on the show today. My pleasure to have a small piece in working with you on your book.

Well, thank you, Don. I appreciate you and not to leave my cousin out, my cousin Jeff. He was all part of all this too. And just thank everybody and go buy the book.

So we couldn’t have done it without him for sure. Yeah. That’s today’s episode of the proven entrepreneur show. We’ll see you next time.

Yeah, really.

Fucked.

Okay, so we want to do some spots. Yeah, and so these are really just going to be Jamelle. Okay.

Any questions?

baby

first one is, I’ll do this, that’ll tell you. So, wait a You want to launch in 10 days?

So I think that works.