Phil Loadholt
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Phil Loadholt (born January 21, 1986 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an offensive lineman for the University of Oklahoma Sooners in the NCAA college football tournament. At one glance, people may think Loadholt is just another lineman who is slow and heavy with his 6-foot-8, 300+ pound frame. But the Fountain, Colorado native is not your typical OL because for a big man, he has a decent footwork and is difficult to beat when he gets locked on. Part of his mobility may be attributed for his training in basketball, a sport he once excelled at while still in high school. After two All-American seasons in junior college, Loadholt has brought his game to Oklahoma where he immediately became a star on the Sooners' O-Line.
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Personal Life
Phil is the son of Phillip and Brenda Loadholt, who both work at Peterson Air Force Base. He has a sister named Briana who stood at 5-foot-9 and once played at her school's girls basketball team. He was once teammates with Oklahoma alumnus D.J. Wolfe in the seventh, eighth and 10th grades when both resided in Colorado. Phil, whose father stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 220 pounds, says that he was a fat kid growing up and has always been the biggest player in whichever team he plays for. According to his 5-foot-10 tall mother Brenda, parents didn't want their kids playing with 5 year old Phil because he was too big. When he was in junior college, he had his feet hung off the bed upon sleeping on a twin mattress. Upon his arrival at Norman, Phil immediately placed himself in the Sooners' record books as he matched the height of the tallest football player to ever play at OU while setting the record as the tallest starter at Oklahoma.
When he is not on the field, Phil likes to do the "simple things" like listen to music or watch TV. He wears a size XXXXXL (XL times five) T-shirt. His favorite Thanksgiving dish is hog maws and chitlins---a blend of pig stomachs and intestines.
In June of 2008, Loadholt was pulled over in Norman when a state trooper saw his white Chevy Impala cross the center line and run onto the shoulder on Interstate 35. It was found out that Loadholt had a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 percent---which nearly doubled the legal limit of 0.08 percent---and had open containers of Busch Light beer and malt liquor on his car. He was released on bond but was charged of driving under the influence of alcohol and transporting an open container. [1]
High School
Loadholt was a three-sport athlete at Fountain Fort Carson in Fountain, Colorado, suiting up for the basketball, football, and track teams. He placed fourth in the shot put at the state track meet with a throw of 56 feet, 8 inches. On the hardwood, Loadholt was a dominant center who started for three seasons under coach Anthony Ribaudo. He had his best season during his senior year when he led Fountain Fort Carson to 26 consecutive wins and a berth at the Class 4A state basketball championship game after averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds. He once scored 33 points, took down 19 rebounds and swatted away six attempts in the Trojans' triple-overtime win over Lewis-Palmer in the district semifinals then concluded his final high school game with 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine blocked shots in the 51-45 loss to Broomfield. His tremendous play earned him MVP honors from the Class 4A Metro League coaches.
On the gridiron, Loadholt was an immovable force both as a defensive tackle and as a tight end for coach Mitch Johnson. As a senior, the Trojans' team captain posted 113 tackles with eight TDs to earn the Colorado Springs Area Player of the Year award and claim all-state accolades twice. On a side note, Loadholt had a 44-inch waist, 50-inch chest, 18-inch biceps, and size 15 feet in high school when he benchpressed 315 pounds and dead lifted 505.
Junior College
After a splendid senior season, Loadholt was recruited to play football by several Division I schools, including Colorado. Unfortunately, he was unable to get a passing score of 19 on his ACT which forced him to spend some time at a junior college. He enrolled at Garden City (Kan.) CC and played under head football coach J.J. Eckert on the offensive line. During his freshman year, he helped his team earn a berth at the Dixie Bowl to earn his first letter and claim junior college All-American accolades. The following season, he recorded 93 pancake blocks and 113 tackles to earn another letter, a second All-American selection as well as being named as the Jayhawk Conference Lineman of the Year in 2006. Apart from that, Loadholt also won the Student Support Service Award and was named to the 3.0 Student Excellence List.
Oklahoma
Loadholt received offers from LSU and Kansas, in fact Rivals.com's No. 20 overall player in its Junior College Top 100 and SuperPrep's No. 17 overall Juco player in its Juco 100 gave a verbal commitment to LSU in January but eventually chose to be part of Oklahoma's 2007 signing class.
2007
He enrolled at Oklahoma in January of 2007 and quickly gained the admiration of the Oklahoma coaching staff during the winter workouts. By the start of the season, Loadholt has moved up to the depth chart and landed one of the Sooners' line position. He made his debut on a Crimson and Cream jersey against North Texas and helped the Sooners gain 669 yards of total offense while preventing any sack from the Mean Green defense. Through the first seven games of the season, Loadholt and the rest of the O-Line allowed only five sacks, with only one being the most in a game. One of his best games of the season, knockdown-wise came against Texas A&M when he had 15 in the 42-14 massacre of the Aggies. He finished the season logging 740 plays with 104 knockdowns in 14 appearances, all starts. He has an over-all season grade of 79% and had the highest run grade on the team at 75%. With Loadholt on the line, Oklahoma gained 6,285 yards of total offense, while allowing opponents only 14 sacks for 109 yards loss which ranked #2 in the Big 12.
By the end of his maiden OU campaign, Loadholt was named as a second team Big 12 selection by the league media and coaches as well as an honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated.
2008
Loadholt was one of three Sooners on the Outland Trophy Watch List.
Achievements
2008
- Athlon Sports First-Team All-Big 12
- Outland Trophy Watch List
- Phil Steele Preseason All-America Second Team
- Phil Steele Preseason All-Big 12 First Team
2007
- All-Big 12 Second Team (Coaches/Associated Press)
- CNNSI.com Mid-Season All-America Team
- Dallas Morning News' All-Big 12 first team
- Phil Steele All-Big 12 First Team
- Rivals.com All-Big 12 second team
- Sports Illustrated Honorable mention All-American
References
- Domination is his game
- Inviting OU's Loadholt over for Thanksgiving? You'll need plenty of turkey and stuffing
- Phil Loadholt Oklahoma Profile
- Phil Loadholt Scout.com Profile
- Sooner Profile: Phil Loadholt
- Super-sized Sooner
- Trojans senior pulls his weight on the court
