But unbeknownst to Holt at the time, his accomplishments in the Game would soon become only a footnote in the anthology of his adventurous life.
Hawaiian Pinched
After graduation, Holt returned home to Honolulu to embark on his post-Harvard career. By 1978, the 26-year old prodigy had already been elected to the Hawaii state legislature as a state representative. Despite his youth, many were already predicting that the democratic Holt would one day become governor of the island state.
And indeed, it seemed that Holt’s supporters were onto something. Using his guile and skill in political maneuvering, he quickly became one of the most respected and powerful figures in Hawaii, holding a long-standing position as a state senator and ultimately rising to Vice President of the state senate.
“He had everything,” long-time friend and Honolulu City Councilman Mufi Hannemann told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. “He had education. He had background, He had charisma. He was destined.”
But even as Holt approached the top of the world, he teetered dangerously close to the abyss. His marriage slowly deteriorating, he found his once-charming eccentricity manifesting itself in ugly ways. Holt struggled with crises in his personal and family life, beginning a self-described process of “drifting” from his previously stable home life and career.
He soon entered an excruciating downward spiral of which many were unaware and others were powerless to stop. He became addicted to crystal methamphetamine, spent an increasing amount of time in casinos and strip joints, and endured several minor scrapes with the law. Each incident served to gradually erode his political credibility and widen the already considerable rift with his family.
Several financial scandals soon dealt the final blows to Holt’s political career. Amid speculation that he had diverted over $20,000 from the Bishop Estate—a trust intended to fund local schools of which he was a trustee—for personal use, including colossal tabs at various late-night entertainment and dining spots, Holt suffered a crushing loss in his 1996 bid for re-election.
By 1999, Holt had bottomed out. Facing charges not only for the so-called “Broken Trust” scandal with the Bishop Estate, but also in connection with mismanagement of campaign funds from his 1996 run for the senate, he suddenly found himself facing up to five years in prison. He had little choice but to agree to a plea bargain, accepting guilt on one count of mail fraud for using campaign money for personal expenses.
Holt was sentenced to one year in federal prison, a term that was later shortened by four months due to time served for drug-related charges. Quite simply, Holt’s downward spiral was complete.
“Once praised for his brilliance and political potential, Holt has come to epitomize a fall from grace,” the Honolulu Star-Bulletin wrote in an editorial. “A rebound will not come easy for him.”
Time to Rebuild
Indeed, it has been a long road back for the Honolulu native. Since his release from prison in June 2000, Holt has worked with his three teenage boys at repairing the palpable damage in his family life. Now in the second year of a scheduled three-year period of supervised release, he has begun the long process of patching his sober life back together.
While Holt is still reluctant to speak with the media, indications from sources close to him are that he is well on his way to reclaiming at least his pride, if not his political power.
Nevertheless, if current Hawaiian quarterback Neil Rose—who already owns both single-season records that Holt once held—finds himself leading the Crimson into the closed end of the Stadium in the waning moments of Saturday’s Game, he may want to stop and think twice about the path he’s on. We’ve seen where it leads.