Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz dead at 89

Lou Holtz, the Hall of Fame coach who guided six different college programs to bowl games and captured the 1988 national championship with Notre Dame, died Wednesday at his home in Orlando, Florida. He was 89.

Holtz’s family announced that he passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after entering hospice care in late January.

“Louis Leo ‘Lou’ Holtz, legendary college football coach, Hall of Famer, bestselling author, and one of America’s most influential motivational voices, has passed away at the age of 89,” the family’s statement read.

Born January 6, 1937, in Follansbee, West Virginia, Holtz rose from modest roots to become one of the sport’s most respected figures. Over 33 seasons he led William & Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina, compiling a career record of 249-132-7. His 1988 Irish team finished 12-0 and beat West Virginia 34-21 in the Fiesta Bowl to secure the program’s most recent national title.

Holtz’s 11-year tenure at Notre Dame produced a 110-20-2 mark from 1986-1996. He remains the only coach in NCAA history to take six different schools to bowl games.

Beyond the sideline, Holtz authored 10 books, including the bestseller “Wins, Losses, and Lessons,” and served as a college football analyst for ESPN. The Holtz Charitable Foundation extended his influence into communities nationwide.

In December 2020 President Donald Trump awarded Holtz the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, praising him as “tough as hell” yet universally respected. Holtz called the award “the highest honor or award you could possibly receive.”

Holtz was preceded in death by his wife of more than 50 years, Beth. He is survived by four children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.