Collection number: MC 106
Size:
(2 boxes)
(0.45 cu.ft.)
About Charlie Holt
Charles E. Holt, Jr. was born in Melrose, Mass on July 17, 1922. “Charlie”, as he was known to all, began coaching men's ice hockey at the high school level immediately after graduating from Dartmouth College in 1946. His college coaching career began in 1962 at Colby College. In 1968 he took the head coaching job at the University of New Hampshire, where he remained for 18 seasons. He retired from UNH in 1986. After taking a few years off, Charlie returned to high school coaching at Berwick Academy, where he stayed for seven years before retiring for good in 1996.
Considered a legend in the college coaching ranks; he was known as a gentleman in a not so gentle game as well as a brilliant strategist, innovator and teacher. Holt was the soft-spoken coach who almost never yelled and seldom even raised his voice, either in practice or at a game.
In 24 years of college coaching, Charlie attained a record of 412 wins, 303 losses and 21 ties; ranking him 20th all time. He made the ECAC playoffs 14 times, the NCAA playoffs four times, including Frozen Four appearances three times (’77, ’79, ’82). He was also an Assistant Coach with the gold medal winning 1980 U.S. Olympic Team.
Individual games and honors never seem to matter as much to Charlie as did the people who played for him. Charlie instilled character and pride and skills in every individual he coached.
"Charlie Holt's achievements as a superb and universally respected hockey coach at UNH are well known," said UNH President Joan Leitzel at the time of Holt's death from cancer in March of 2000. "In addition, he left a great legacy on the ways student-athletes, coaches and citizens, in general, should conduct themselves and treat one another. His high ideals for perfection, professionalism, mutual respect, discipline and excellence will always be remembered and he will continue to serve as a role model for us and posterity."
Charlie was recognized by his peers with the Spence Penrose Award as college hockey’s top coach on three occasions: 1969, 1974 and 1979. In 1997 he was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame. Charlie has also received several posthumous honors, including being inducted into both the New Hampshire (2002) and Massachusetts (2006) Hockey Halls of Fame and being named the 2010 Hobey Baker Legend of College Hockey.
About the Charlie Holt collection
The bulk of this collection is newspaper clippings and magazine articles that document Holt's coaching career and legacy. It also includes honors programs and a few folders of correspondence and some of his plays and drills manuals.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
This collection is open.
Copyright Notice
Contents of this collection are governed by U.S. copyright law. For questions about publication or reproduction rights, contact Special Collections staff.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], [Folder], [Box], Charlie Holt Collection, 1943-2010, MC 106, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.
Acquisitions Information
This collection was donated to special collections by the Holt family in 2007 and 2016.
Related Material
Hockey Coaching Archives, 1970s-2009 (MC 35)
Separated Material
UNH hockey yearbooks, programs and media guides were integrated into the UNH hockey archives (UA 16/1/15)
Collection Contents
| Box 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 1, Folder 1 | College Hockey stats, Dartmouth, 1943 | |
| Box 1, Folder 2 | Northwood School Quarterly, Fall 1962 | |
| Box 1, Folder 3 | Clippings: Colby, 1962-1998 | |
| Box 1, Folder 4 | Clippings: Melrose, 1995-2010 | |
| Box 1, Folder 5 | Clippings: Berwick Academy, 1989-1996 | |
| Box 1, Folder 6 | Clippings: retirement, 1986 | |
| Box 1, Folder 7 | Clippings: obituaries and tributes, 2000 | |
| Box 1, Folder 8 | Clippings: Charlie's legacy, 1971-1998 | |
| Box 1, Folder 9 | Clippings: Friends of UNH Hockey, 1991-2000 | |
| Box 1, Folder 10 | Clippings: NH Hockey Hall of Fame, 2002 | |
| Box 1, Folder 11 | Clippings: Hobey Baker Legend of College Hockey, 2010 | |
| Box 1, Folder 12 | Clippings: Robert Kullen, 1986-1990 | |
| Box 1, Folder 13 | Clippings: Snively Arena, Towse Rink, 1990-1995 | |
| Box 1, Folder 14 | Clippings: Dover Hockey Rink, 2000-2001 | |
| Box 1, Folder 15 | Clippings: UNH interim coach, 1987 | |
| Box 1, Folder 16 | Clippings and programs: UNH Honors, 1989-1998 | |
| Box 1, Folder 17 | Clippings and programs: U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, 1997 | |
| Box 1, Folder 18 | Clippings: Holt Hockey Archives, 2000 | |
| Box 1, Folder 19 | Programs: AHCA Coach of the Year banquets, 1985, 1989, 1995, 1997 | |
| Box 2 | ||
| Box 2, Folder 1 | Proposed realignment of ECAC Division I, 1982 | |
| Box 2, Folder 2 | UNH Breakout - Keys for play, undated | |
| Box 2, Folder 3 | Goalie drills and workout, undated | |
| Box 2, Folder 4 | photographs, undated | |
| Box 2, Folder 5 | AHCA convention, 1997 | |
| Box 2, Folder 6 | "Hockey Madness", by George Akerstrom, 1996 | |
| Box 2, Folder 7 | Miscellaneous correspondence to Charlie and Nancy (7 letters)1986-2001 | |
| Box 2, Folder 8 | Retired College Hockey Coaches Association, 1999-2001 | |
