Siena University Athletics

Holle a two-sport standout, was perhaps best known for his achievements as a baseball player, although he also garnered numerous honors in basketball. He was an All-American in both sports. As a junior, Holle won the 1975 Division II-III national title in batting average, home runs and runs batted in – the first “triple crown” winner in modern college baseball. The 6’6” slugger hit .577, which was good for third-best in modern college baseball at the time. For his achievements, Holle earned the Worth All-American baseball award as the NCAA’s 1975 Division II-III first baseman. He also earned Rawling’s “Big Stick” baseball title, which is awarded annually to the leading hitters in the NCAA.

Holle also earned All-American Status in basketball in 1976, while leading the team and scoring and rebounding for two consecutive seasons. While playing basketball, he averaged 20.6 PPG and 9.5 RPG during the 1974-75 and 1975-76 seasons. He ended his two-year Siena basketball career with 968 points, just 32 points shy of the 1,000 point mark.

Drafted in the 13^th round of the 1976 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, Holle worked his way through the minor league baseball system to become only the second Siena slugger to reach the major leagues, appearing in five games for the Texas Rangers in 1979. Holle moved on to become the General Manager of the Albany Patroons professional basketball team, helping the team capture the 1984 Continental Basketball Association Championship under the direction of future NBA Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson. He was inducted into the Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 2009 and into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 2011.