By Bill Bender / FWAA President
It became a SEC Media Days tradition – an institution of sorts.
A SEC coach would be introduced and make their opening statement. Kevin Trainor – the long-time moderator at the event – would open the floor for questions. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter Bob Holt would raise his hand.
"Very few things that people can agree on, but even among the media core everyone knew if Bob had a question that he was going to get that first one," Trainor said. "It almost got to be comical because the coaches were so used to Bob getting the first question a lot of times they would just call Bob out themselves."
The Football Writers Association of America will honor Holt – who died on Dec. 4, 2024 – by putting his name on our annual Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Bob Holt FWAA Lifetime Achievement Award will continue to celebrate long-time college football contributors. Holt epitomized the award with his work ethic while covering the Arkansas Razorbacks from 1979-2024. Trainor – who is a senior associate athletic director and strategic public relations for Arkansas – has arguably the best description of Holt the reporter.
"I called him a five-star journalist armed with a four-part question," Trainor said. "That was Bob."
Holt passed away five days after he collapsed at Faurot Field while covering a football game between Arkansas and Missouri. He was 65 years old. The Democrat-Gazette published a series of vignettes from the game. Wally Hall – the assistant managing sports editor for the Democrat-Gazette — had worked side-by-side with Holt for 43 years.
"You don't know how much care you have for somebody until you lose them," Hall said. "It was sudden, and I wasn't ready. I miss him every day."
Holt had a reputation as one of the most-comprehensive college football reporters in the country. Hall said Holt would compile more than 400 bylines every year, and that he was the go-to reporter for breaking news when it came to the Razorbacks. And yes, Holt asked a lot of questions.
"As long as he liked to take, because he was very, very thorough, there wasn't a question he wouldn't ask – sometimes the rest of the media would get frustrated because we couldn't leave because Bob kept asking questions," Hall said while holding back a laugh. "But he never missed a deadline."
Holt also briefly covered the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s after Jerry Jones bought the team. Trainor recalled how former Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson – who played at Arkansas from 1962-64 – would end his press conferences.
"Bob, do you have any Arkansas questions?"
Ron Higgins – a columnist for the Shreveport-Bossier Journal – knew Holt as a friend and watched how he interacted with colleagues. Holt became known as one of the most-genuine friends on the SEC football beat.
"Bob Holt transformed from a consummate journalist to simply beloved," Higgins said. "And that included administrators, coaches, players, fans and his fellow journalists who all came to know him as just Bob. He was thorough in his work, always factual and balanced, and seeking a unique angle. As a colleague, he never failed to help other writers if they needed quotes or anything else that made their day easier."
Hall said more than 300 people attended Holt's celebration of life, including former Arkansas men's basketball coach Nolan Richardson and current Arkansas coaches John Calipari and Dave Van Horn. Yet that extended beyond the Arkansas family. Nick and Terry Saban sent flowers, a detail Hall remembers along with a conversation with the pastor.
"Bob led a spiritual life because he was good to the core," Hall said. "If someone gave him too much change, he would have driven back to give it back."
Trainor also attended the memorial service.
"He always took his work very seriously but he never took himself too seriously," Trainor said. "I think that was a gift that Bob had to separate what he was talking about from making it personal."
For that personal touch to the profession, the FWAA will recognize Holt every year with the Bob Holt FWAA Lifetime Achievement Award.
"He consistently represented the very best of what our profession offers," Higgins said. "We should all strive daily to have some Bob Holt in us."
The FWAA Lifetime Achievement Award began in 2013. The previous winners are Art Spander, San Francisco Examiner (2013); Bill Little, University of Texas (2014); Irv Moss, Denver Post (2015); Buddy Davis, Ruston Daily Leader (2016); Mike Finn, ACC (2017); Dave Plati, University of Colorado (2018); Paul Hoolahan, Sugar Bowl, and Wright Waters, College Bowl Association (2019); Sid Hartman, Minneapolis Star-Tribune (2020): Shelly Poe, Auburn University (2021): Donald Hunt, Philadelphia Tribune (2022), Randy Peterson, Des Moines Register (2023) and Dave Jones, Harrisburg Patriot-News and PennLive (2024).
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.
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