Harold’s first exposure to wrestling came in fourth grade when he decided to participate in the youth wrestling program coached by Bob King and Dean Fox. Harold continued to wrestle throughout High School, cracking the varsity lineup as a junior at 167# and wrestling at 180# as a senior. Holt also participated in Football as well as Track & Field in High school. Holt was a two-way starter at Offensive and Defensive Tackle in Football and threw the Shot and Discus in Track & Field.

After graduating from Pelican Rapids, Harold enrolled at Fergus Falls Junior College where he was a Region Qualifier in Wrestling and a Junior College All-State Selection in Football.

He finished up at the University of Minnesota, Morris where he continued to play Football and Wrestle under Doug Dufty. He thoroughly enjoyed his time at Morris wrestling with Duane and Dennis Kozlowski as well as Tom Beyer and Heavyweight Loren Hacker and appreciated the comradery of team-mates like Kirby Frank, Greg Peterson, and Ron Sanders. The team chemistry was awesome with this group of young men.  In 2010 Holt was inducted into the U-M, Morris Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the 1975 & 1976 Conference Championship Football Teams.

After graduating from the U-M, Morris with a Major in Social Studies as well as Physical Education and a Coaching Certificate, Harold was hired to teach Jr. High Social Studies along with the Head Wrestling and Assistant Girl’s Track Coaching Assignments at Belle Plaine. Harold felt a little out of place so close to the Metro area as he was born and raised in Pelican Rapids, so he headed north, taking an Assistant Football position at Fergus Falls Junior College for two years. During the first year he spent the winter in Browns Valley teaching Social Studies and serving as a Wrestling Assistant. The second winter he was hired as Head Wrestling Coach in Underwood. The following year he came back to his home town of Pelican Rapids where he taught Social Studies at both the Junior and Senior High level and served as Junior High Football and Junior High Track & Field Coach. Holt also began a 39 year stint as the Pelican Rapids Head Wrestling Coach starting in 1982 and ending last spring (2021). In that time Pelican Rapids has had 54 State Qualifiers, eleven State Place-winners including three Runner-up finishes and one State Champion, 215 pounder McKale Evanson, in 2009. In addition, there have been 18 Pelican wrestlers who have eclipsed the 100 win mark during Coach Holt’s tenure.  Coach Holt is also proud of the academic work of his wrestlers who, since 1999, have earned 19 Academic Team Awards, 17 silver (3.0 or better G.P.A.) and 2 Gold Awards (3.5 or better). Harold also took pride in the diversity of his teams, with a number kids from Vietnam and many other ethnic origins making significant contributions to his program. 

Harold is active in the Pelican Rapids Community, presently a member of his Church Planning Committee after serving as President of his Church Board. Holt spent four terms as Master President of his Masonic Lodge, and is a member of the Fargo El Zagle Shrine as well as the Detroit Lakes Shrine Color Guard. He is also a recipient of the Masonic Hiram Award.

Harold and his former wife, Wanda, have two children, both residing in Fergus Falls. Daughter Hannah and her husband, Robert Franks, have a son, Weston. Son Connor and his wife, Janelle, have two children, Rhett and Teagan.