RIP Bob Holt, Arkansas beat writer

There won’t be another Bob Holt

 

RIP, sir.

 

Damn. I never traveled in his circle but based on the people who did, I feel like I missed someone special. Prayers for his family and friends.

 

I covered the SEC for a few years and Bob was as good as everyone said he was. Just awesome to be around and talk to and someone who always did the job the right way, as corny as that might sound. I believe he and Jerry Tipton were the longest-tenured writers in the conference.

Also, really awesome to see the Casagrande tribute posted here. Because of how much the college media landscape has changed, there was definitely a good bond between all the newspaper writers in the conference because we all dealt with similar challenges. Bob did as much for any state's sports coverage as anyone in the history of sports writing, IMO.

 

Here was the article from 2014 Media Days Casablanca referenced, which is the basis on which a Birmingham writer wound up eulogizing a scribe from Arkansas a decade later.

https://www.al.com/sports/2014/07/bob_holt_sec_media_days_arkansas.html

 

Bob covered Missouri basketball for me when I was sports editor at The Columbia Missourian, and I knew then he had the makings of a brilliant sports reporter while maintaining his wonderful demeanor. I'm so sorry to learn of his passing.

 

Heck, even a local sportscaster mentioned Bob in his newscast the other night.

 

He's going to be missed by a lot of us, in the Southeast.

Mi compadre Ron Higgins wrote a nice tribute to Bob.

He was just Bob, and that was enough to make him a legend

My favorite line:

He was someone who took in stray cats who became his pets. He loved the Detroit Tigers, the Green Bay Packers, Mexican food and never met a stranger.

 

Was waiting to receive your insight.
Thanks.