College football icon Lou Holtz has died at the age of 89.
Holtz led Notre Dame to a National Championship in 1988 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Holtz’s family announced in late January that he had entered hospice care.
A native of Follansbee, W. Va., Holtz grew up in East Liverpool, Ohio and attended nearby Kent State where he played as a linebacker. He began his coaching career in 1960 as a graduate assistant at Iowa. After stints on the staffs at William & Mary, UConn, South Carolina and Ohio State, Holtz was handed his first head coaching job in 1969 back at William & Mary. A year later, Holtz led the school to a Southern Conference title.
In 1972, Holtz was hired at North Carolina State. He spent four seasons with the Wolfpack, and won an ACC title in 1973. Under Holtz, the team won both the Peach Bowl and Liberty Bowl.
Holtz made his lone foray into the pro game following the 1975 season when he became head coach of the New York Jets. The fit was not a good one. Holtz resigned with one game left in the season and the team sitting at 3-10. The Jets were 0-9 against teams with a winning record.
“I’ll never get used to this,” Holtz quipped about the New York weather.
Holtz immediately transitioned back to college ball with Arkansas. He spent seven seasons with the Hogs and earned a Southwest Conference title in 1979.
He was fired after the 1983 season, but at the time, then athletic director Frank Broyles claimed that Holtz had resigned. Years later, while under oath as part of testimony in former Razorbacks basketball coach Nolan Richardson’s discrimination lawsuit against the school, Broyles admitted that Holtz was fired.
“I felt like he was losing the fan base with things he said and did,” Broyles said of Holtz, referring to his involvement in political causes.
Holtz returned north in 1984 with Minnesota. He would spend two seasons with the Golden Gophers, resigning ahead of the 1985 Independence Bowl to become head coach at South Bend.
It was with the Fighting Irish that Holtz would see his greatest success. In his 11 seasons at Notre Dame, Holtz was 100-30-2 with double-digit victories in five seasons. The Irish defeated West Virginia, 34-21, in the Fiesta Bowl to claim the 1988 National Championship. It was the Irish’s first national title since 1977 and their last of 11 claimed National Championships to date. The 1993 team finished the season at 11-1, with the same record as Florida State, but the Seminoles were named champions.
Holtz announced his retirement from football after the 1996 season and took a broadcasting job with CBS.
His retirement did not take. In 1999, Holtz returned to South Carolina, where he was an assistant in 1966 and 1967, to take the reins of the Gamecocks.
After a winless 0-11 season to kick off his tenure, Holtz bounced back with eight- and nine-win seasons in 2000 and 2001 and Outback Bowl wins in both years. Holtz would finally retire for good following the 2004 season.
Holtz finished his career with an all-time record of 249-132-7. His 249 wins are 34th all-time among NCAA head coaches.
After retiring for a second time, Holtz once again returned to broadcasting with ESPN, leaving the network in 2015.
A life-long Republican, Holtz was an ardent supporter of Donald Trump in his final years and was a speaker at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
