Jim Holder

James Edward Holder (August 24, 1940 – September 25, 1966) was an American football player who played running back at Panhandle A&M College—now Oklahoma Panhandle State University, setting the NAIA single season records for rushes and yards gained during his senior year. An ROTC member, Holder entered the United States Army after graduation and was killed while serving as an air cavalry officer during the Vietnam War. On July 21, 2012, Holder was inducted posthumously into the College Football Hall of Fame, the first from his school ever so enshrined.

Career Born in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1940, Holder attended school in his home town

Holder's team lost one game in his sophomore year, and Holder was selected as All Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference honorable mention. As a junior, Holder ran 77 times for the Aggies, gaining 565 yards, averaging 109.3 yards per game and was again an honorable mention All Conference. During his senior year in 1963, Holder broke school and NAIA records by rushing for 1775 yards on 275 carries in ten games. In September 1966, Holder lost his life in a helicopter crash.

Legacy Holder's name appears on Washington, D.C.'s Vietnam Veterans Memorial on panel 11E, line 15. His school retired his uniform number 33, the first ever retired by Panhandle State. In 2012 Holder was inducted the College Football Hall of Fame. He is the only player from Oklahoma Panhandle State University to be a member of the Hall.