Former Pirate Holley signs free agent deal with Baltimore Ravens

COSTA MESA -- Former Orange Coast College running back Ray Holley will take his talents to the NFL level after signing a contract to play for the Baltimore Ravens, according to head coach Mike Taylor.

Holley played at Orange Coast from 2008-09 and during his tenure, he ran for a then-school-best 1,457 yards on 311 carries as a sophomore. In 2011, Domenic Betts broke Holley's mark with 1,772 yards.

A one-man show for the Pirates in 2009, Holley capped off his Coast career by rushing for 266 yards and five touchdowns on 42 carries against Long Beach City College, tying the school record for touchdowns in a game and setting the school's single-season rushing record, previously held by Jeff Clayton in 1993 (1,442). He was responsible for 75% of the team's touchdowns and 54.4% of the team's total offense in 2009.

Holley finished his two seasons at Coast with 1,921 rushing yards on 410 carries -- both second-best all time in school history behind Clayton (2,507 yards on 421 carries in 1993-94). His strong play in 2009 earned Holley the school's Male Athlete of the Year award.

The El Modena HS grad moved on from OCC and played at Louisiana Tech, where he rushed for 750 yards and seven touchdowns on 142 carries in 2012. He also caught 34 passes for 324 yards and a touchdown and he finished his Tech career averaging 4.8 yards per carry and 9.2 yards per catch. Holley earned second-team, All-Western Athletic Conference honors for his strong play.

Holley became Louisiana Tech's first Capital One Academic All-America First Team selection. He finished his collegiate career with a bachelor's degree in communications and also picked up his Master's degree in counseling.

"He definitely took advantage of his opportunity to attend college on an athletic scholarship," OCC head coach Mike Taylor said of Holley. "He is truly a great example of a community college success."

In 2010, Holley ran 49 times for 206 yards and two touchdowns as the team's second-leading rusher at Louisiana Tech and caught 11 passes for 98 yards. In 2011, Holley started out strong with 144 yards and four touchdowns through four games before suffering a season-ending back injury.