John Calipari releases statement on death of legendary Arkansas beat writer Bob Holt

Legendary Arkansas beat writer Bob Holt died Wednesday night after covering the Razorbacks for more than four decades. Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari released a statement about Holt’s death Thursday morning on Twitter.

Calipari is in his first season as the Arkansas basketball coach, so he was still getting to know Holt personally. But it is clear that Holt made a big impression on Calipari in a short amount of time.

“Such sad news. Bob Holt passed away last night. He was a well-known sports writer in Arkansas and throughout (the) SEC. Bob was one of the GOOD GUYS in the profession,” John Calipari posted on Twitter. “I was getting to know him better and was looking forward to working with him. His sudden passing rocked us all. My prayers go out to Bob and his family. RIP my new friend.”

Holt died after a sudden medical emergency. He was 65 years old.

Holt, a 1981 graduate of Missouri’s famed journalism school, spent his entire career covering the Razorbacks. He was named Arkansas Sportswriter of the Year four times and a member of the Arkansas Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame.

Holt was also a member of the Football Writers Association of America, on the board of directors for the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and voter for the Heisman Trophy and AP Top 25 basketball poll, according to the Arkansas-Democrat Gazette website.

John Calipari opened his postgame press conference on Tuesday acknowledging Holt’s health situation following the Razorbacks’ 76-73 win at Miami.

“One of our beat writers, Bob Holt, … I don’t know if my prayers will help, but I know they don’t hurt,” Calipari said Tuesday night. “And I’d tell everybody, just pray a nice prayer for Bob Holt — one of the good guys in this profession. Literally, you think about a good man, that’s who he is. So it’s a sad day for all Arkansas fans in our state.”

In addition to John Calipari, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey also released a statement about Holt’s passing on Thursday.

“Bob Holt was a legend in the Southeastern Conference media corps and a friend to everyone,” Sankey’s statement read. “He played a starring role in our annual Football Media Days and I will miss hearing him challenge our coaches with both insightful questions and witty retorts. He will be missed in press boxes and press rows across the SEC. We send our condolences to Bob’s family, his colleagues at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and his many friends.”

On3’s Alex Byington contributed to this report