Spring Break
A famous fan among thousands
By: David Harris
Issue date: 11/3/09 Section: News
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At section 426, row two, seat 10 in the Zone sits one of the more recognizable entities at Kyle Field, Visor Guy. Look to the northeast, and you're sure to see him and his Twelfth Man towel in full force. His pounding of the stands elicits thousands of "Whoops." And, his constant clamoring for noise from a student section has created a cult-like following.
To everybody in the student section, he is and will always be known as Visor Guy. But, behind the visor is a family man by the name of Kevin Holley.
Holley is a member of the Class of 1999. He met his wife Melanie at Texas A&M at Corpus Christi, and they have been married since 2003. He has two daughters-Keira and Taryn, 2 years and 6 months respectively.
Holley works in the Houston area as an insurance broker, and though his newfound recognition has made him synonymous with Kyle Field, Holley has stayed the same spirit-filled Aggie.
"I think it's great, really," said his mother Kathy. "I know he's kind of embarrassed by it. He's humbled by it. I'm proud that he's an Aggie, and he's carried that spirit on and has given it to his brother, sister and daughter."
Holley is doing his best to epitomize everything that embodies the Twelfth Man. Rarely will you see him sitting down and rarely will you hear somebody making more noise. His actions have started to catch on with the fans around him in his section, they even supplied him with a personalized yell leader costume.
"There were two or three people who were iffy about what I was doing, but the people directly behind me, they've been great with it and they actually bang on the inside of the wall," Holley said. "It's a good group in 426, and everybody is into it. The usher was telling me to stop banging so the rest of the section started banging."
The banging has not come without a little bit of blood and broken bones. Just three games ago, there was blood running down his hand. And, if you are to look at his arms, there are some indentations from the wall.
"Yes, my hand definitely hurts," Holley said. "I've actually broken my thumb, and after the games you can see the stripes because I've destroyed the metal on the sides, and it cuts me."
Holley has missed three games since his days as a student because of an impending hurricane, a delayed flight and his brother's ill-timed wedding. He is responsible for starting the "Light the Letters" campaign.
What started as a simple thread on TexAgs, has now blossomed into a campaign. The goal is to have the letters of Kyle Field lit by the beginning of the 2010 season. The process will take $150,000, and Holley is hoping a mixture of donations and funds from T-shirt sales will be able to bring back the recognizable beacon of light.
"I just remember those times coming in from out of town," Holley said. "We'd be driving back, and as soon as you got by the airport, you could see those lights standing out."
Holley is a proponent of "uncovering" only during the national anthem and the "Spirit of Aggieland." He's never attempted to name his kids "Reveille," though he says Melanie had to veto his idea of naming the kids "Kyle," "Reed," "Olsen" or a variation of the three. He said he is a fan of Head Coach Mike Sherman and the direction of the program.
"I like Sherman," Holley said. "I honestly think that he's getting the guys that are going to produce on the field. The team is headed in the right direction, and he knows what it's going to take to get it to the next level."
As the football team looks to restore the winning tradition prominent in the 1990's, Holley will continue to support them, screaming and willing the Twelfth Man on. And in 25 years, he's hoping students will be able to look to the northeast and see Visor Guy (in a maroon sports coat) still going strong, broken thumbs and all.
"I won't change seats," Holley said. "That is where I want to be every year for the rest of my life."
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