Former USC and NFL football player, Columbia lawyer ‘Punky’ Holler dies at 81
Edward “Punky” Holler, a Columbia attorney and former University of South Carolina and Green Bay Packers football player, has died after being involved in an automobile accident earlier this month. He was 81.
The death of Holler, who had a larger-than-life personality and a love of Cadillacs, was confirmed by the university’s football Twitter page: “Ed ‘Punky’ Holler, a standout player for the Gamecocks, passed away Sunday. He was a long-time practicing attorney in Columbia. The inside linebacker room in the Long Family Football Ops Building is named in his honor”
Holler graduated from Dreher High School and played linebacker for USC before being drafted in 1963 by the Green Bay Packers, where he also played linebacker.
In 1964, he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. His playing size was 6-foot-2 and 233 pounds, according to Pro Football Archives.
Longtime Columbia attorney Jack Swerling on Monday recalled Holler as a lawyer as “very effective, a big guy, and he could really get into the courtroom and do a great job — very solid,” said Swerling, who tried several cases with Holler as co-counsel.
“Judges liked him, prosecutors liked him, defense lawyers liked him — he was just one of those guys everybody enjoyed being around,” Swerling said.
Todd Ellis — a Columbia attorney, former Gamecock starting quarterback and current play-by-play radio announcer — said of Holler: “He was a tough, tough competitor on the football field and he took great pride in his connection with the University of South Carolina. And in his trial work and law practice, he was a zealous advocate for clients and he worked hard in furtherance of the South Carolina bar community.”
Ellis recalled that on his first recruiting trip to USC in the mid-1980s, he met Holler. “The university knew I had an interest in the law, and he was a former player, and they made sure I met him. I’ve known him literally since my first day on campus.”
Ryan Brewer, a former Gamecock tailback and punt returner from 1999 to 2002, said Holler was a regular member of a group of former USC football, baseball and basketball athletes who had dinner together every Wednesday.
“He’s one of the most special people I’ve ever known, as a friend, as a mentor, just as a human being,” Brewer said.
Although at 41 and half the age of Holler, Brewer said: “We were best friends. There was a 41-year age gap, but we were as tight as it gets.”
On Sunday, the day after USC’s upset win over Auburn, Brewer tweeted, “Ed ‘Punky’ Holler helped pull us through last night before he went to be with our lord. An amazing man and even better friend. This @GamecockFB legend will be missed immensely! Love you Punky!!”
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said he had known Holler some 40 years in Holler’s capacity as a defense lawyer representing criminals.
“Often cops and defense have an adversarial relationship,” Lott said. “It was not that way with Punky. He was a formidable opponent in court, but always in a respectable manner. We had a mutual respect and I would often call him for advice. The Columbia community has lost a giant of a man, not just in size but in integrity and respect.”
The state trial lawyers’ organization, known as the S.C. Association for Justice, tweeted of Holler: “He was a stalwart of the legal community, a dedicated member of SCAJ who served as our Convention Chair. His kindness will be missed by all who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Renee, his children and his family.”
A memorial service is scheduled for 10 am Wednesday, Nov. 24, at Shandon Baptist Church, according to Dunbar Funeral Home. The family will receive friends briefly following the service at the church vestibule.
This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 1:27 PM.