Bob Holt, a beloved sportswriter who covered the Arkansas Razorbacks for over four decades, passed away Wednesday evening at the age of 65 after collapsing at the University of Missouri’s football stadium, following the Hogs’ loss to his alma mater on Saturday. Holt, who had been covering the game, collapsed after the postgame interviews and was taken to a Columbia hospital, where he later died. His sudden passing left the newsroom of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and countless sports fans in shock.
Managing Editor Alyson Hoge, who worked closely with Holt for years, recalled his long career at the paper, which began in 1981. “He’s an institution, and so, you know, today we’re just trying to grapple with losing him…”
Hoge also noted the significance of the location: Holt was a graduate of the University of Missouri, where he had once been a student journalist before becoming one of the most respected sportswriters in the country.
“They had done postgame interviews and he stayed behind to talk to the players,” Hoge said. “He was the last person walking up to the press box, and when somebody went looking for him, emergency personnel were trying to revive him. Bob was a graduate of the University of Missouri, and I thought it was notable that he was there, and doing what he had loved doing for more than 40 years.”
The Democrat-Gazette published a heartfelt obituary on Thursday, written by longtime reporter Bill Bowden, who reflected on Holt’s legacy. Hoge said Holt would have likely been uncomfortable with the tribute, as he was never one for the spotlight despite his many accomplishments.
Wally Hall, the paper’s Managing Editor for Sports, remembered Holt as one of the hardest-working reporters in the Southeastern Conference. “He was always the first to arrive at a game and the last to leave- Three or four years ago at the SEC football media days, Nick Saban came in and made his opening statement. He said, ‘I guess we’ll take questions now and we’ll just go straight to Bob.’ He was already on his feet.”
Born on September 21, 1959, in Saginaw, Michigan, Holt moved to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in his youth. He was hired by the Arkansas Democrat just a month after graduating from college in 1981, and he spent his entire career with the paper, covering a wide range of sports stories. For several years, Holt was based in Dallas, where he covered the Dallas Cowboys, including during the early years of Jerry Jones’ ownership. Over the course of his career, Holt earned numerous accolades, including four Arkansas Sportswriter of the Year awards from the National Sports Media Association and induction into the Arkansas Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 2022.
Razorbacks basketball coach John Calipari, who spoke about Holt at a press conference on Tuesday, said he was praying for the reporter’s recovery. “I took mass this morning at St. Hugh’s, and I took communion for him yesterday and today. I’d just say… I don’t know if my prayers are helping, I know they don’t hurt, and I tell everybody just pray a nice prayer for Bob Holt, one of the good guys in this profession,” Calipari said. “Literally, you think about a good man, that’s who he is. So it’s a sad day for all Arkansas fans and our state.”
Holt’s death marks the end of an era in Arkansas sports journalism. His dedication, integrity, and love for the Razorbacks made him a fixture in the lives of fans and fellow reporters alike, and his presence will be deeply missed.
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