College football lost a legendary coach when Lou Holtz, most known as a former Notre Dame coach in addition to preeminent college football pundit, died on Wednesday, March 4.
Holtz, 89, died after being placed in hospice care on Thursday, Jan. 29. He will be remembered most recently for being an analyst on ESPN for college football.
But for older college football fans, he will be remembered for coaching the storied Fighting Irish to their last national championship, coming in 1988.
Here’s a look at highlights from Holtz’s Hall of Fame College Football coaching career:
Lou Holtz hired at William & Mary
After helping Ohio State win a national championship as an assistant coach in 1968, Holtz landed his first head coaching job. He was hired by William & Mary in 1969.
He led the then-Indians (now the Tribe) to a Southern Conference title in 1970 and a berth in the Tangerine Bowl. Overall, he had a 13-20 record with William & Mary, including a 9-4 record in conference play.
North Carolina State
Following his successful stint with William & Mary, Holtz earned his first FBS job when he was hired by NC State in 1972. After winning just three games in three consecutive seasons, Holtz led the Wolf Pack to three straight top 20 rankings, which included a top-10 finish in the Coaches poll in 1974.
Overall, he achieved a 33-12-3 record, with a 16-5-2 record in ACC play, including the ACC championship in 1973. His teams went 2-1-1 in bowl games.
New York Jets, NFL
On Feb. 10, 1976, Holtz made a move to the pros, taking a job as the head coach of the New York Jets. However, his one-and-only year in the NFL did not go well. He led the Jets to a 3-10 record, resigning with one game left in the season.
Upon his departure from New York, Holtz commented: ‘God did not put Lou Holtz on this earth to coach in the pros.’
Hired at Arkansas, wins Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant Coach of Year Award
Holtz’s departure from college coaching was a brief one. After one season in the NFL, he was hired by Arkansas in 1977. He coached the Razorbacks to a 60-21-2 record over seven seasons, including a berth in six bowl games.
In his very first season, Holtz led Arkansas to a 31-6 win over Oklahoma in the 1978 Orange Bowl. In 1979, Holtz was a candidate to replace Woody Hayes as the Ohio State head coach, but ultimately turned it down, not wanting to follow Hayes.
Following a 6-5 record in 1983, Holtz was fired by the Razorbacks.
Hired at Minnesota
In 1984, one year after his firing from Arkansas, Minnesota hired Holtz before the 1984 season. The Golden Gophers were coming off a one-win season in 1983. In Holtz’s first year, they won four games, including three in Big Ten play.
Holtz led Minnesota to an Independence Bowl berth in 1984. However, Holtz did not coach in that game, as he had at the time already accepted the job to become the next Notre Dame football head coach.
Lou Holtz hired at Notre Dame
Holtz was hired by Notre Dame in 1986 following a 30-26-1 mark under Gerry Faust between 1981-85. Holtz removed the names from the back of the Notre Dame uniforms to emphasize teamwork over individuals.
He led the Fighting Irish to a 5-6 record in 1986, but five of the six losses came within a combined 14 points. They ended the season with a 38-37 comeback win over USC, which saw them down by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter.
The team went 8-4 in 1987, earning a berth in the Cotton Bowl. That set the stage for the 1988 season.
1988 national championship
Holtz’s signature season as a head coach came in 1988, leading Notre Dame to a 34-21 win over West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl, to claim the program’s 11th national championship.
On Oct. 15, 1988, the Fighting Irish defeated Miami to end their 36-game winning streak. That game is remembered as the ‘Catholics vs. Convicts’ game in pop culture today. The Hurricanes were the defending national champions and ranked No. 1 at the time.
Notre Dame also had wins over No. 9 Michigan, No. 2 USC and No. 3 West Virginia en route to the 12-0 national championship season.
Retirement from Notre Dame
Following an 11-year run with Notre Dame, Holtz announced his retirement from coaching after the 1996 season. He finished his career with the Fighting Irish with a 100-32-2 record. Particularly, he posted a 64-9-1 record between 1988 and 1993. Overall, Holtz led Notre Dame to nine consecutive bowls, which is still the school record.
Notre Dame began the 1989 season with 11 straight wins before losing to Miami in the regular-season finale. The 23 wins in a row are a school record. The Fighting Irish defeated Colorado 21-6 in the Orange Bowl to finish second in the polls. They also finished second in the polls in 1993, behind Florida State.
Out of retirement to coach South Carolina
Following a two-year stint with CBS Sports as a commentator, Holtz decided to come out of retirement in 1999 and was hired by South Carolina. He had served as an assistant coach for the Gamecocks in the 1960s.
Holtz and the Gamecocks went 0-11 in 1999 in his first season, but the program had just one win in 1998. He led USC to a 19-7 combined record in 2000 and 2001, including back-to-back wins in the Outback Bowl.
Second retirement from South Carolina
The Gamecocks went 5-7 in consecutive seasons in 2002 and 2003 before Holtz ended his tenure with a winning 6-5 record in 2004. A major brawl with Clemson broke out in Holtz’s final game with South Carolina.
In 2005, the NCAA put South Carolina on probation for three years after 10 admitted violations under Holtz, including five of which were considered to be major.
‘There was no money involved. No athletes were paid. There were no recruiting inducements. No cars. No jobs offered. No ticket scandal, etc,’ Holtz said after the sanctions were handed down.
‘There were five major violations, and four of them involved our academic office. Concerning these four violations, you will have to consult the university.
Elected to College Football Hall of Fame
Holtz was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. Along with the 1988 national championship, he finished his coaching career with 249 wins over 35 years with six different schools.
He was joined by Billy Cannon and Troy Aikman in the 15-person calls in 2008.
Lou Holtz awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
On Dec. 3, 2020, Preisdent Dondald Trump awarded Holtz the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
‘America recognizes Lou Holtz as one of the greatest football coaches of all time for his unmatched accomplishments on the gridiron, but he is also a philanthropist, author, and true American patriot,’ the White House press release said. After growing up in a small town in West Virginia, Holtz attended Kent State University, becoming the first member of his family to enroll in college. At Kent State, Holtz played football, studied history, and joined the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
‘For the next 7 years, he honorably served as an Officer in the United States Army Reserves. When asked about his service during an interview with the American Legion, Holtz said, “I was taught at an early age that I had an obligation to serve my country.”
Lou Holtz beef with Ryan Day
In 2023, ahead of an Ohio State-Notre Dame matchup, Holtz called the Buckeyes and their head coach Ryan Day, ‘too soft.’
“He has lost to Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Michigan twice — and everybody who beats them does so because they’re more physical than Ohio State,” Holtz said in 2023. “I think Notre Dame will take that same approach.”
Ohio State, of course, earned a 17-14 win over Notre Dame, and Day was quick to call out Holtz after the game.
“I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now,” Day said postgame to NBC Sports. “What he said about our team, I cannot believe. This is a tough team right here. We’re proud to be from Ohio. It’s always been Ohio against the world, and it’ll continue to be Ohio against the world.’
Lou Holtz coaching career record
- 1969: William & Mary, 3-7
- 1970: William & Mary, 5-7
- 1971: William & Mary, 5-6
- 1972: NC State, 8-3-1
- 1973: NC State, 9-3
- 1974: NC State, 9-2-1
- 1975: NC State, 7-4-1
- 1977: Arkansas, 11-1
- 1978: Arkansas, 9-2-1
- 1979: Arkansas, 10-2
- 1980: Arkansas, 7-5
- 1981: Arkansas, 8-4
- 1982: Arkansas: 9-2-1
- 1983: Arkansas, 6-5
- 1984: Minnesota, 4-7
- 1985: Minnesota, 6-5
- 1986: Notre Dame, 5-6
- 1987: Notre Dame, 8-4
- 1988: Notre Dame, 12-0
- 1989: Notre Dame, 12-1
- 1990: Notre Dame, 9-3
- 1991: Notre Dame, 10-3
- 1992: Notre Dame: 10-1-1
- 1993: Notre Dame, 11-1
- 1994: Notre Dame: 6-5-1
- 1995: Notre Dame, 9-3
- 1996: Notre Dame, 8-3
- 1999: South Carolina, 0-11
- 2000: South Carolina, 8-4
- 2001: South Carolina, 9-3
- 2002: South Carolina, 5-7
- 2003: South Carolina, 5-7
- 2004: South Carolina, 6-5
- TOTAL: 33 seasons, 249-132-7 (.651)