“Everyone seemed to agree Bob was the perfect choice,” Hall said. “In his 43 years as a sportswriter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette he covered every Arkansas Razorback sport, the Dallas Cowboys, the old Southwest Conference and Arkansas-Little Rock.Bob Holt, a Hall of Fame sportswriter and a 43-year employee of the newspaper, is the recipient of […]
“Everyone seemed to agree Bob was the perfect choice,” Hall said. “In his 43 years as a sportswriter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette he covered every Arkansas Razorback sport, the Dallas Cowboys, the old Southwest Conference and Arkansas-Little Rock.Bob Holt, a Hall of Fame sportswriter and a 43-year employee of the newspaper, is the recipient of the 2024 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sportsman of the Year honors.Holt was named the Arkansas Sportswriter of the Year four times by the National Sports Media Association and is a finalist again in 2024.Richardson concluded his remarks by saying, “Bob, I admired him. He’s going to leave a hole. A big empty hole for the press in this state.””Bob said to me, ‘I know you got fired, but there’s a question I need to ask you,’ ” Richardson said. “I couldn’t help but laugh. Who else could come up with something like that?””Bob was a five-star journalist armed with a four-part question,” Trainor said.”When I heard about the tradition of Bob asking the first question at press conferences, I thought about the same tradition that was followed by the late Helen Thomas, when she was United Press International’s White House bureau chief,” said Alyson Hoge, managing editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “She was the dean of the White House press corps. Clearly, Bob was the dean of the Razorback press corps.”This year Bob covered the leaving of Eric Musselman, the hiring of John Calipari, Razorback track and baseball, and he had just finished assisting on Razorback football. He was a unanimous choice by the Democrat-Gazette sports department for this honor.”Tributes and accolades for his old-school style of journalism, interviewing prowess, personal warmth and humor began pouring in from around the industry as soon as word got out about his collapse at Faurot Field, one of the first venues at which Holt began covering sporting events in college.”Why do you always talk about Kentucky?” Holt shot back to a smiling Calipari.Hoge noted Holt’s longevity, which led to his induction into the Arkansas Sportscaster and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 2022.He was a voter for the Heisman Trophy and served as the Heisman coordinator for the state of Arkansas. Among his other professional affiliations, Holt was on the board of directors for the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, a voter on the Associated Press Top 25 poll, a member of the Football Writers Association of America and a voter on its Super 16 poll.U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., read a tribute to Holt on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, saying, “He was a titan of the media industry, revered for his ability to get an answer to any question, all while maintaining the utmost respect from coaches, players and his fellow reporters.The Razorback Foundation, the SEC, the Cotton Bowl, the University of Missouri and former Alabama Coach Nick Saban with wife Terry were among the groups and individuals who sent flowers to Holt’s service in Fayetteville.Kevin Trainor, a senior associate athletic director at the University of Arkansas who had known Holt for more than 30 years, described him as kind, considerate, funny, lovable “and distinctly Bob” during his celebration of life.”Bob leaves a resounding legacy in his wake and his mark in the Arkansas sports community will go down in history.”A native of Saginaw, Mich., who graduated from the University of Missouri, Holt had just one professional employer in his career, starting with the old Arkansas Democrat in 1981. He passed away at age 65 on Dec. 4 in Columbia, Mo., after suffering a cardiac event while he was covering the Arkansas Razorbacks’ 28-21 loss at Missouri on Nov. 30.Current UA men’s basketball Coach John Calipari knew of Holt through his many years as head coach at Kentucky (2009-2024), and at Memphis (2000-09) before that. Several years ago, with Calipari at the podium at SEC media days, he and Holt created a viral video clip when Holt began to ask him a question.But this year the Democrat-Gazette has stepped outside its normal bounds to honor a four-decade veteran who chronicled the exploits of the sportsmen and sportswomen who have graced its pages.Holt had a reputation for being loaded with questions but asking them with civility and respect.”Many reporters don’t stay on a beat or at a newspaper for more than a few years, yet Bob did both for decades,” Hoge said. “He was dedicated to the end, sticking around to interview players after the Missouri game. He leaves mighty big shoes to fill.”The recipients have been football and basketball players, pitchers, golfers, track and field stars, coaches, administrators and even men associated with the horse racing game.Calipari, 65, who said he and Holt were on track to form a long friendship, also attended his celebration of life. The crowd of around 300 at the service included current and former UA Athletic Directors Hunter Yurachek and Jeff Long, dozens of current and former UA coaches, assistant coaches and administrative staff, colleagues, media members, friends, Holt’s sister-in-law Monta Moore and nieces Maggie and Katie.Hall of Fame men’s basketball Coach Nolan Richardson, who led Arkansas to its first NCAA Championship in 1994, called Holt one of the good ones at his celebration of life ceremony.”Bob Holt meant a lot to me because of the way he was,” said Richardson, who revealed Holt called him on the night he was fired.Wally Hall, the longtime sports editor of the Democrat-Gazette, announced the honor at a celebration of life for Holt on Dec. 13 at Cross Church in Fayetteville.”How Bob handled himself on his beat demonstrated some of the best traits of journalists: He was persistent in his pursuit of the answer to his question. And yet, while asking variations of the same question, he was polite and professional. Plus, he knew the topic well and had historical perspective. He knew before he sat down to write what he wanted his story to say.”FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has honored all manner of athletes since the newspaper instituted its Sportsman of the Year award.”Why do you always talk about Arkansas?” Calipari interrupted.Hall said the idea of selecting Holt as Sportsman of the Year originated with Arkansas Democrat-Gazette assistant sports editor Steve Rogers.”Bob was the lens through which so many fans in our state viewed Arkansas and the Razorbacks. … He took his work seriously but he never took himself seriously. It was a gift.”
