Time passes by quickly, Tom Holden says.

Holden is barely used to the fact that he's 61. After June, he'll have to get familiar with another term: former athletic director.

Punahou announced the retirement of Holden yesterday, formalizing what the school and league insiders had known for the past few months.

Holden, a native of Ohio, was AD for 11 years.

“;You see it in print and it really kicks in,”; he said.

There was no impetus to leave other than the opportunity to spend more time with family.

“;My wife and I have been together since ninth grade. She's sat there and watched me play football, been through many nights at games,”; Holden said of his years as a student-athlete, coach and administrator.

“;I don't have any great plans. Sometimes you just know. Sometime last year, I knew it was time,”; he added.

Punahou, named the No. 1 athletic program in the nation by Sports Illustrated this year, won 16 state titles in 2007-08. Holden credited the school's wealth of student-athletes, but also pointed to teamwork behind the scenes with assistant ADs Kale Ane, Jeff Meister and facilities coordinator Scott Metcalf.

“;It's been one of the most challenging, yet rewarding jobs. We've had a lot of collaboration together. Working with Kale (Ane) gives me great gratification,”; he said of the Buffanblu football coach. “;We came in together 11 years ago and we've been through great situations and situations that were tough.”;

There are aspects of any AD's job that can't be escaped.

“;Managing the day-to-day operations, like the possibility of one of our teams missing a bus. That's what keeps you up at night,”; Holden said.

Dealing with parents has always been tough for ADs, perhaps more so at Punahou.

“;Over the years, we've gotten better at talking about our mission, about character and what it means to be on a team,”; Holden said. “;We've been able to support our coaches and see them grow.”;

One of the perks of working at Punahou, he added, is the openness to new ideas.

“;Whether it's financial, or about resources or getting people to help, if you have a good idea, Punahou does a great job of supporting you,”; Holden said.