Lou Holtz facts for kids
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Holtz in 2007
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| Biographical details | |
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| Born | January 6, 1937 Follansbee, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | March 4, 2026 (aged 89) Orlando, Florida, 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 | |
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| Awards | |
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| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 2008 (profile) |
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Louis Leo Holtz (January 6, 1937 – March 4, 2026) was a very famous American college football coach and television expert. He led many college teams to success. Coach Holtz was known for his inspiring speeches and his ability to turn teams around.
He was the head football coach at several universities. These included the College of William & Mary, North Carolina State University, the University of Arkansas, the University of Minnesota, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of South Carolina. He also coached for a short time in the NFL with the New York Jets. His college coaching record was 249 wins, 132 losses, and 7 ties.
Coach Holtz's Notre Dame team in 1988 had a perfect season. They won all 12 of their games, including the Fiesta Bowl. This team was named the national champion. He is the only college football coach to lead six different teams to bowl games. He also guided four different teams to finish in the top 15 rankings. After he stopped coaching, Holtz worked as a TV analyst for CBS Sports and ESPN. He was honored by being chosen for the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Contents
Lou Holtz's Early Life and Coaching Journey
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. He went to East Liverpool High School.
After high school, Holtz attended Kent State University. He studied history and graduated in 1959. He also trained with the U.S. Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps. Holtz started his coaching career in 1960 as an assistant at Iowa. He then worked as an assistant coach at several other universities. These included William & Mary, Connecticut, South Carolina, and Ohio State. The 1968 Ohio State team won a national championship while he was an assistant coach there.
First Head Coaching Jobs
Holtz became a head coach for the first time in 1969. He coached the College of William & Mary. In 1970, his team won the Southern Conference title. They also played in the Tangerine Bowl.
In 1972, Holtz moved to North Carolina State University. He had a great record of 33 wins, 12 losses, and 3 ties in four seasons. His teams often finished in the Top 20. The 1973 team won the ACC Championship.
A Short Time in the NFL
After the 1975 season, Coach Holtz tried coaching in the NFL. He became the head coach of the New York Jets in 1976. However, he resigned after only ten months. He famously said, "God did not put Lou Holtz on this earth to coach in the pros." He then returned to college football.
Success at Arkansas
In 1977, Holtz became the head coach at the University of Arkansas. His Razorbacks teams had a strong record of 60 wins, 21 losses, and 2 ties. They played in six bowl games.
In his first year, the 1977 Razorbacks played in the 1978 Orange Bowl. They beat the Oklahoma Sooners, 31–6. This was a big win, especially since some key players were out. The team was even recognized as co-national champions by one poll. Holtz left Arkansas after the 1983 season.
Building Teams at Minnesota and Notre Dame
Holtz took over the University of Minnesota team in 1984. The team had only won one game the year before. Under Holtz, the 1984 team won four games. The 1985 team improved to 7 wins and 5 losses. They even won the 1985 Independence Bowl. There were some issues with recruiting rules during his time at Minnesota.
In 1986, Holtz moved to the University of Notre Dame. He wanted to improve the struggling Notre Dame Fighting Irish football program. He was a strict coach and removed the names from the players' jerseys. This was to show that teamwork was most important.
His 1988 team had a perfect 12–0 season. They won the national championship. The 1989 team also had a great year, winning their first eleven games. This set a school record with a 23-game winning streak. Between 1988 and 1993, Holtz's teams had an amazing record of 64 wins, 9 losses, and 1 tie. He led the Irish to bowl games for nine years in a row, which is still a Notre Dame record. Later, there were some concerns about rules not being followed during his time at Notre Dame.
In 2008, a statue of Coach Holtz was unveiled at Notre Dame. This honored his great contributions to the university.
Coming Out of Retirement for South Carolina
After working as a TV commentator for two years, Holtz returned to coaching in 1999. He went back to the University of South Carolina, where he had been an assistant coach. The team had a very tough season in his first year, going 0–11.
However, in his second season, South Carolina made a huge comeback. They went 8–4 and won the Outback Bowl. This was one of the biggest improvements in college football history. Holtz won National Coach of the Year awards for this turnaround. His success continued in his third season, with a 9–3 record and another Outback Bowl victory. The team faced some penalties for not following all the rules during his time there.
Holtz announced his retirement at the end of the 2004 season. A big disagreement happened during his last regular season game against Clemson. Because of this, both universities decided not to accept any bowl game invitations that year. Holtz joked that he would be remembered for that game.
Broadcasting Career
After his coaching career, Lou Holtz became a popular college football analyst. He worked for CBS Sports and later for ESPN. He often appeared on pregame, halftime, and postgame shows. He shared his insights and opinions on college football games.
Personal Life
Lou Holtz was married to Beth Barcus from 1961 until she passed away in 2020. They had four children together. At the time of his passing, Holtz lived in Orlando, Florida.
In 2015, his home was damaged by a house fire. It was likely caused by a lightning strike. Holtz was known for giving motivational speeches. He passed away on March 4, 2026, at the age of 89.
Honors and Awards
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Lou Holtz received many honors throughout his life. In 1990, he earned the Golden Plate Award. He was given honorary degrees from the University of Notre Dame and the University of South Carolina.
He was inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2012. Holtz was also elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. In 2020, President Donald Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is one of the highest civilian honors in the United States.
Head Coaching Record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William & Mary Indians (Southern Conference) (1969–1971) | |||||||||
| 1969 | William & Mary | 3–7 | 2–2 | 4th | |||||
| 1970 | William & Mary | 5–7 | 3–1 | 1st | L Tangerine | ||||
| 1971 | William & Mary | 5–6 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| William & Mary: | 13–20 | 9–4 | |||||||
| NC State Wolfpack (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1972–1975) | |||||||||
| 1972 | NC State | 8–3–1 | 4–1–1 | 2nd | W Peach | 17 | |||
| 1973 | NC State | 9–3 | 6–0 | 1st | W Liberty | 16 | |||
| 1974 | NC State | 9–2–1 | 4–2 | 2nd | T Astro-Bluebonnet | 9 | 11 | ||
| 1975 | NC State | 7–4–1 | 2–2–1 | 4th | L Peach | ||||
| NC State: | 33–12–3 | 16–5–2 | |||||||
| Arkansas Razorbacks (Southwest Conference) (1977–1983) | |||||||||
| 1977 | Arkansas | 11–1 | 7–1 | 2nd | W Orange | 3 | 3 | ||
| 1978 | Arkansas | 9–2–1 | 6–2 | 2nd | T Fiesta | 10 | 11 | ||
| 1979 | Arkansas | 10–2 | 7–1 | T–1st | L Sugar | 9 | 8 | ||
| 1980 | Arkansas | 7–5 | 3–5 | 6th | W Hall of Fame Classic | ||||
| 1981 | Arkansas | 8–4 | 5–3 | 4th | L Gator | 16 | |||
| 1982 | Arkansas | 9–2–1 | 5–2–1 | 3rd | W Astro-Bluebonnet | 8 | 9 | ||
| 1983 | Arkansas | 6–5 | 4–4 | 5th | |||||
| Arkansas: | 60–21–2 | 37–18–1 | |||||||
| Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big Ten Conference) (1984–1985) | |||||||||
| 1984 | Minnesota | 4–7 | 3–6 | 8th | |||||
| 1985 | Minnesota | 6–5 | 4–4 | 6th | Independence | ||||
| Minnesota: | 10–12 | 7–10 | |||||||
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Independent) (1986–1996) | |||||||||
| 1986 | Notre Dame | 5–6 | |||||||
| 1987 | Notre Dame | 8–4 | L Cotton | 17 | |||||
| 1988 | Notre Dame | 12–0 | W Fiesta | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1989 | Notre Dame | 12–1 | W Orange | 3 | 2 | ||||
| 1990 | Notre Dame | 9–3 | L Orange | 6 | 6 | ||||
| 1991 | Notre Dame | 10–3 | W Sugar | 12 | 13 | ||||
| 1992 | Notre Dame | 10–1–1 | W Cotton† | 4 | 4 | ||||
| 1993 | Notre Dame | 11–1 | W Cotton† | 2 | 2 | ||||
| 1994 | Notre Dame | 6–5–1 | L Fiesta† | ||||||
| 1995 | Notre Dame | 9–3 | L Orange† | 13 | 11 | ||||
| 1996 | Notre Dame | 8–3 | 21 | 19 | |||||
| Notre Dame: | 100–30–2 | ||||||||
| South Carolina Gamecocks (Southeastern Conference) (1999–2004) | |||||||||
| 1999 | South Carolina | 0–11 | 0–8 | 6th (Eastern) | |||||
| 2000 | South Carolina | 8–4 | 5–3 | 2nd (Eastern) | W Outback | 21 | 19 | ||
| 2001 | South Carolina | 9–3 | 5–3 | 3rd (Eastern) | W Outback | 13 | 13 | ||
| 2002 | South Carolina | 5–7 | 3–5 | 4th (Eastern) | |||||
| 2003 | South Carolina | 5–7 | 2–6 | 4th (Eastern) | |||||
| 2004 | South Carolina | 6–5 | 4–4 | 3rd (Eastern) | |||||
| South Carolina: | 33–37 | 19–29 | |||||||
| Total: | 249–132–7 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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NFL
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| NYJ | 1976 | 3 | 10 | 0 | .231 | 4th in AFC East | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 3 | 10 | 0 | .231 | – | – | – | |||
| Overall Total | 3 | 10 | 0 | .231 | NFL Championships (0) | |||||
Publications
Holtz wrote or helped write several books. One of his books is:
- Holtz, Lou (2019). Three Rules for Living a Good Life: A Game Plan for After Graduation. Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press. ISBN: 978-1-59471-906-6.
See also
In Spanish: Lou Holtz para niños
