“Notre Dame mourns the passing of Lou Holtz, a renowned football coach, beloved member of the Notre Dame family and devoted husband, father and grandfather,” Notre Dame President Rev. Robert A. Dowd said in a news release.
“Among his many accomplishments, we will remember him above all as a teacher, leader and mentor who brought out the best in his players on and off the field and earned their respect and admiration for a lifetime… Whenever Notre Dame called for his help, Lou responded with his characteristic generosity, and he will be greatly missed.”
Emerging from years of mediocrity, Notre Dame hired Holtz before the 1986 season and by 1988 he had built the Fighting Irish back into a title-contending team. Led by quarterback Tony Rice, running backs Mark Green and Ricky Waters, as well as receiver/kick returner Ragib Ismail, the Fighting Irish defeated four ranked teams and finished 12–0.
Holtz wrote, “Everyone told me why we couldn’t win.” “The academic standards, the difficult program, the no-redshirting policy, the lack of athletic dormitories – these were all reasons people told me why Notre Dame would never be great again.”
The biggest test of that season came on October 15, 1988, when Notre Dame faced Miami, which was ranked No. 1 at the time and coached by Jimmy Johnson. Billed as “Catholics vs. Convicts”, Notre Dame won 31–30, ending the Hurricanes’ 36-game regular-season winning streak.
Notre Dame remained atop the AP and Coaches polls after a 34–21 victory against the third-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in the Fiesta Bowl. Holtz coached Notre Dome to one losing season in 1989 and 1993, and finished second in the polls each season.
He stepped down in 1996 after posting a 100–30–2 record at the school.
After working for CBS Sports for two years, Holtz returned to the sidelines with South Carolina. He was selected as the 2000 SEC Coach of the Year and led the Gamecocks to consecutive postseason bowl appearances for the first time in school history. But his six-season tenure ended in November 2004 after a 10-minute brawl between his team and Clemson caused both schools to forfeit bowl bids.
His final career record was 249–132–7.
South Carolina was placed on probation following Holtz’s departure, making it the third Holtz-led program to be sanctioned by the NCAA.
Holtz returned to television, this time for ESPN where he spent a decade as a college football analyst.
A staunch Republican, Holtz faced heavy criticism at times during his 31 years as a head college football coach and beyond. He supported Republican Jesse Helms, a longtime opponent of civil rights legislation, in a re-election bid while Holtz was the coach at Arkansas in the early 1980s.
Holtz supported businessman Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign and his comments on immigration caused him to give a speech. He called immigrants coming to America an “invasion” and criticized immigrants for not assimilating.
“I don’t want to be you,” Holtz said at a Republican pro-life luncheon in July 2016.
Holtz considered running for Congress in 2009, however he decided not to run for the Florida seat.
Lou Holtz Age: How old was Lou Holtz?
Longtime college football coach was 89.
Lou Holtz coaching career record
- 1969: William and Mary, 3-7
- 1970: William and Mary, 5-7
- 1971: William and 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)
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