Lou Holtz facts for kids
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Holtz in 2020
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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 6, 1937 Follansbee, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1956–1957 | Kent State |
| Position(s) | Linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1960 | Iowa (assistant) |
| 1961–1963 | William & Mary (assistant) |
| 1964–1965 | Connecticut (assistant) |
| 1966–1967 | South Carolina (assistant) |
| 1968 | Ohio State (assistant) |
| 1969–1971 | William & Mary |
| 1972–1975 | NC State |
| 1976 | New York Jets |
| 1977–1983 | Arkansas |
| 1984–1985 | Minnesota |
| 1986–1996 | Notre Dame |
| 1999–2004 | South Carolina |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 249–132–7 (college) 3–10 (NFL) |
| Bowls | 12–8–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 National (1988) 1 SoCon (1970) 1 ACC (1973) 1 SWC (1979) |
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| Awards | |
| 2× Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (1977, 1988) 2× Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (1977, 1988) 2× Sporting News College Football COY (1977, 1988) Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award (1977) 2x Woody Hayes Trophy (1977, 1988) ACC Coach of the Year (1972) SWC Coach of the Year (1979) SEC Coach of the Year (2000) Presidential Medal of Freedom (2020) |
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| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 2008 (profile) |
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Louis Leo Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is a famous American former college football coach and TV analyst. He led many college football teams to success. His most famous achievement was leading the Notre Dame team in 1988 to a perfect 12–0 season and a national championship.
Holtz is the only college football coach to lead six different teams to bowl games. He is also the only coach to guide four different teams to finish in the top 15 rankings. After coaching, he worked as a college football analyst for CBS Sports and ESPN. In 2008, he was chosen for the College Football Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and Coaching Beginnings
Lou Holtz was born in Follansbee, West Virginia. His father was a bus driver. He grew up in East Liverpool, Ohio, and was raised as a Catholic. After high school, he went to Kent State University. He studied history and graduated in 1959.
Holtz started his coaching career in 1960 as an assistant coach at Iowa. He then worked as an assistant at several other universities. These included William & Mary, Connecticut, South Carolina, and Ohio State. In 1968, while he was an assistant, the Ohio State team won a national championship.
Coaching at William & Mary
Holtz got his first head coaching job in 1969 at the College of William & Mary. In 1970, he led the team to win the Southern Conference title. They also played in the Tangerine Bowl.
Leading North Carolina State
In 1972, Holtz became the head coach at North Carolina State University. Over four seasons, his teams had a great record of 33 wins, 12 losses, and 3 ties. His teams often finished in the top 20 rankings. In 1973, his team won the ACC Championship. They played in four bowl games, winning two of them. After the 1975 season, Holtz decided to try coaching in the professional league.
Time with the New York Jets
In 1976, Lou Holtz became the head coach for the New York Jets in the NFL. However, his time there was short. He resigned after ten months, with the team having 3 wins and 10 losses. He later said that coaching in the pros was not for him.
Success at Arkansas
Holtz moved to the University of Arkansas in 1977. During his seven years there, his teams had a strong record of 60 wins, 21 losses, and 2 ties. They played in six bowl games. In his first year, Arkansas played in the 1978 Orange Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners. Even though some key players were missing, Arkansas won 31–6. This team was recognized by some polls as co-national champions for 1977.
In 1979, Holtz led Arkansas to a 10–2 record and shared the SWC championship. He left Arkansas after the 1983 season.
Coaching at Minnesota
Before the 1984 season, Holtz became the head coach at the University of Minnesota. The team had only won one game the year before. Under Holtz, they won four games in 1984. In 1985, the team improved to 7 wins and 5 losses. They were invited to the Independence Bowl, where they beat Clemson. Holtz did not coach in that bowl game because he had already accepted a job at Notre Dame.
Building a Legacy at Notre Dame
In 1986, Holtz took over the football program at Notre Dame. The team had been struggling. Holtz was a strict coach who wanted to focus on team effort. He even had the players' names removed from their jerseys.
In his second season, Notre Dame played in the 1988 Cotton Bowl Classic. The next year, in 1988, Holtz led the Fighting Irish to an amazing season. They won all eleven of their regular season games. They then defeated West Virginia 34–21 in the Fiesta Bowl. This victory earned them the national championship.
The 1989 team also had a great season, winning their first eleven games. They set a school record with a 23-game winning streak. From 1988 to 1993, Holtz's teams had an impressive record of 64 wins, 9 losses, and 1 tie. He also led the Irish to bowl games for nine years in a row, which is still a Notre Dame record.
In 2008, a statue of Lou Holtz was put up on the Notre Dame campus.
First Retirement
Lou Holtz left Notre Dame after the 1996 season. He then worked as a commentator for CBS Sports.
Return to South Carolina
After two years as a commentator, Holtz came out of retirement in 1999. He returned to the University of South Carolina, where he had been an assistant coach earlier in his career. The year before Holtz arrived, the team had only won 1 game. In Holtz's first season, they didn't win any games.
However, in his second season (2000), South Carolina improved greatly, winning 8 games. They won the Outback Bowl against Ohio State. This eight-game improvement was one of the best in college football history. In his third season, Holtz led the team to 9 wins and another Outback Bowl victory over Ohio State. Under Holtz, the Gamecocks had their best two-year record ever in 2000 and 2001.
Second Retirement
On November 18, 2004, Holtz announced he would retire at the end of the season. His last regular season game was against Clemson. During this game, a fight broke out between players from both teams. Because of this, both universities decided not to accept any bowl game invitations that year. Holtz joked that he would be remembered for "getting into a fight at the Clemson game."
Broadcasting Career
After his coaching career, Lou Holtz worked as a college football analyst for CBS Sports and ESPN. He would appear on pregame, halftime, and postgame shows. He also appeared on other college football programs. In 2008, he made a controversial comment on air and later apologized for it. He left ESPN in 2015.
Personal Life
Lou Holtz was married to Beth Barcus from 1961 until her death in 2020. They had four children, and three of them graduated from Notre Dame. His son, Skip Holtz, is also a head football coach. Holtz lives in Orlando, Florida. He is a member of the Augusta National Golf Club. In 2015, his home was damaged by a fire likely caused by lightning.
Political Views
Holtz has often been involved in Republican Party politics. He has supported Republican politicians and spoken at their events. In 2016, he supported Donald Trump for president. In 2020, he spoke at the Republican National Convention to support Donald Trump's re-election.
Honors and Awards
Lou Holtz has received many honors throughout his career.
- In 1990, he received the Golden Plate Award.
- In 2011, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Notre Dame.
- In 2012, he was inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.
- He also received an honorary Doctor of Education from the University of South Carolina in 2012.
- Trine University named a leadership program after him in 2013.
- He was elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.
- In 2020, President Donald Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is a very high honor for civilians.
Images for kids
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Lou Holtz in 2020
