Former Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes, who made one of the greatest catches in team history in Super Bowl XLIII, officially retired Tuesday the only way he wanted _ as a member of the Steelers.
Holmes hasn't played in the NFL since the 2014 season when he was a member of the Chicago Bears, but the Steelers felt it deserving to hold a belated retirement announcement for his spectacular game-winning catch against the Arizona Cardinals that gave the Steelers their sixth Super Bowl title.
"It's an honor to retire as a member of the Steelers and leave a legacy everyone will remember," Holmes said.
Holmes had nine catches for 131 yards in that game _ four for 73 yards on the game-winning drive _ and was named the game's MVP.
"I don't have to remind anyone that was one of the most exciting Super Bowls of all time," Steelers president Art Rooney II said at a news conference Tuesday on the South Side. "That last drive was something we all remember, and that last catch was something nobody will forget, that's for sure."
Holmes was the only receiver drafted in the first round in 2006 and played four seasons with the Steelers, four with the New York Jets and one with the Bears. He finished his career with 389 catches for 6,030 yards and 36 touchdowns, but his most productive seasons were with the Steelers. He had 236 catches for 3,835 yards and 20 touchdowns with the Steelers.
He said he chose "10" for his jersey number because one of his two favorite players with the Steelers was Kordell Stewart. Holmes was known for his ability to take short passes and turn them into long gains, which he did on a 40-yard catch-and-run on the game-winning drive in Tampa.
But his greatest moment came on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger in which he toe-tapped the end-zone stripe over three Cardinals defenders.
"The bottom line is, I'm a Super Bowl MVP," Holmes said, proudly.
