The region had come to the realization that it didn’t measure up in the networked economy. There were not enough programmers, not enough new millionaires -- not a single technology star among its big corporate citizens.

So the city searched for someone with the right blend of creativity, ingenuity and intelligence to get this mammoth project off the ground.

After considering several capable candidates, Cincinnati chamber of commerce president John Williams opted for a rising young attorney from the firm Manley, Burke & Lipton with virtually no technology experience to head up this new program.

The impressive young attorney he selected was Johnathan Holifield.

Yes Mountaineer football fans, this is the same John Holifield who lettered three seasons for the Mountaineers from 1984-86.

The West Virginia University graduate, now 36, and his wife Toni (a 1984 WVU graduate) are rapidly becoming two of the Queen City’s most prominent citizens. Holifield’s Cincinnati residency began during a brief two-year career with the Bengals in 1989-90.

"I like to say Cincinnati got bad after they cut me," he joked.

Social activism is nothing new to Holifield, who first began taking an active role in the community during his junior year at WVU. The Romulus, Mich., native was a member of the university board of governors, the black unity organization, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and the intrafraternity council. He also held a post on the culture center taskforce.

Holifield earned his law degree and master’s degree in education from the University of Cincinnati. Soon after, he accepted a job as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Hamilton County for two years before assuming a post at one of Cincinnati’s top law firms.

In the meantime, Holifield was the co-founder of Build Cincinnati -- an effort to bring a strong mayor and other reforms to city government. He is also vice president, board member and national delegate for the Cincinnati branch of the NAACP.

Now as vice president of Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce in charge of the new technology initiative, Holifield’s primary role is to build and lead technology leadership organizations. His efforts are centered on four strategies: information and technology, communication, life sciences and advanced manufacturing.

"Like most regions, greater Cincinnati has identified a need to accelerate the growth of its technology-based economy," Holifield began. "We’re building a regional movement to drive that process.

"Even with the downturn or the slowing of the economy, the challenges remain. The challenges in education … providing resources to entrepreneurs … ensuring that young people have access to the kind of education that will allow them to be competitive in this kind of environment. Knowledge-based economy has reached critical mass. We will never again be in an industrial age – we are now in a knowledge age," he stated.

Cincinnati is blessed with a pretty diverse economic base ranging from Proctor Gamble, Federated Department Stores, Inc. and Kroger, to E.W. Scripts, Fifth-Third Bank, Cincinnati Bell and communications giant Broadwing.

As one of Cincinnati’s business leaders, Holifield is employing the same self-confidence and persistence today that he possessed as an 18-year-old high school senior in Romulus, Michigan.

Because he played on a high school team with a poor record, Holifield entertained just one firm scholarship offer from Wayne State College in Detroit.

Armed with the dream of playing major college football, Holifield was encouraged to send some game film to West Virginia University after a discussion one of his friends had with linebacker Ed Hughes, a Ypsilanti native who lettered four seasons at WVU from 1980-83.

"I was told West Virginia needed running backs," Holifield recalled.

Mountaineer recruiting coordinator Donnie Young liked what he saw of Holifield and invited him to come to campus as a walk-on candidate.

"I was excited when I received the letter from West Virginia inviting me to come," he said. "I guess I bet on me."

Holifield, whose longest journey East was a trip to Cedar Point, collected the bus fare from his mother Vivian and climbed on a Greyhound headed for Morgantown.

"My mom gave me money for a round-trip ticket and I said ‘no, I’m not coming back until I’m supposed to,’" he laughed.

Holifield arrived at WVU in January of 1983 and worked at the dormitory cafeteria his first semester to help pay for room and board. Shortly afterward he received his big break.

Running backs King Harvey, John Gay and Tommy Gray got injured during spring practice, leaving a large void at that position.

Holifield took advantage of the situation and impressed the coaching staff with his quick moves and blinding 4.4 speed. By August he had his coveted scholarship.

"I was fortunate and blessed," he admitted. "I seized the opportunity for all that it was worth and things worked out well."

Holifield played as a true freshman and gained 77 yards on 23 carries. He managed to score a touchdown in his very first college game against Ohio in the ’83 opener.

A year later in 1984, Holifield’s breakout game came in West Virginia’s memorable victory at Pitt. Though by no means the same Panther team that mauled West Virginia at the start of the 80s, Pitt still had a very formidable defense in ‘84.

"I think nine of their 11 defensive starters spent some time in the NFL," Holifield stated.

The running back rushed for 88 yards and scored two touchdowns to help the Mountaineers to a 28-10 win.

"I got two and Willie Drewery scored two," he said.

Holifield finished the 1984 campaign with 57 yards and a touchdown in West Virginia’s 31-14 win over TCU in the Bluebonnet Bowl.

Holifield’s best game at WVU came against Louisville in the 1985 opener when he rushed for 177 yards and scored three touchdowns in just one half of play. West Virginia won that game easily, 52-13.

He added a 113-yard effort against Virginia Tech and produced a memorable 141-yard performance in West Virginia’s 13-7 win at Boston College. It was Holifield’s twisting, turning TD that provided the difference for the Mountaineers.

In 1986 he was voted team captain along with offensive tackle Jeff Lucas.

Holifield finished his West Virginia career with 1,628 yards and 14 touchdowns. His most productive season came in 1986 when he gained 645 yards and scored three TDs sharing the running back position with Undra Johnson.

Despite his dramatic athletic rise, a well publicized bar room fight nearly derailed his playing career in 1985. Holifield was implicated in a fracas along with several other Mountaineer players, though he believes the episode was blown out of proportion by the media.

"I don’t want to look back on that and say we were pure because we were not. We were young and in some cases arrogant with our positions on campus, and that led to the unfortunate incident," he confided.

"Coming out of that I felt my reputation had been so unfairly besmirched that I wanted to demonstrate what my true capacity was," he said.

The activism born from the regret of participating in that bar fight provides the fuel for Johnathan Holifield’s ambition today.

So he continues on "demonstrating his true capacity." 

"We’re getting there," he says of his work.

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