Lou Holtz, Hall of Fame coach who restored Notre Dame and won 1988 national title, dies at 89

College football coaching legend Lou Holtz, who guided Notre Dame to an unbeaten season and national championship in 1988, has died at the age of 89, his family announced Wednesday.

Responsible for national resurgence at several major programs, Holtz finished 249-132-7 in his Hall of Fame coaching career at the college level, which began at William & Mary in 1969 and included stops at NC State, Arkansas and Minnesota prior to his rise at Notre Dame in the 1980s. Holtz was also head coach of the New York Jets for 10 months, ammassing a 3-10 record in 1976. 

"God did not put Lou Holtz on this earth to coach in the pros," Holtz said after he resigned. Then he went to Arkansas and restarted a legendary coaching career. Holtz was at Arkansas for the next seven years, then Minnesota for two, and then he went to South Bend in 1986 to resurrect Notre Dame. 

Ten years, 100 wins, five prestigious New Year's Day bowl victories and one national championship (1988) later, Holtz had returned Notre Dame to its standard of excellence. The Fighting Irish went 12-0 in 1988, beating West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl to finish No. 1 in the polls. The season is famous for the historic "Catholics vs. Convicts" game, where Notre Dame upset top-ranked Miami, 31-10, in South Bend, snapping a 36-game win streak for the Hurricanes. Notre Dame clinched its 11th, and most recent, national championship 79 days later. 

Holtz is also responsible for the famous "Play Like A Champion Today" sign at the bottom of the steps inside the Irish locker room leading into Notre Dame Stadium, as well as the team not wearing names on the back of their uniforms. His impassioned pre-game speeches are the stuff of legend in South Bend. 

The Holtz family posted a brief update on his condition on social media in January. Holtz had been placed in hospice care days earlier. 

"The Holtz family, Luanne Altenbaumer, Skip Holtz, Liz Holtz Messaglia, share the difficult news that our father, Coach Lou Holtz, is presently facing a health challenge," Kevin Holtz posted on Facebook. "While this is a challenging time, our focus is on maintaining his comfort, quality of life and care in his Orlando home. As family has always been the highest importance to Coach, we are holding to each other and focusing on making every moment and day count. The whole family appreciates your thoughts, prayers, and support but ask for privacy as we navigate this journey. Psalm 41:3.″

"Holtz was a Notre Dame man, had the heart of a champion and embodied the Notre Dame spirit," former Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn, said after the family announcement. 

After announcing his first retirement from Notre Dame in December 1996, Holtz worked two seasons for CBS Sports as a college football analyst before returning to the sideline to revive South Carolina in 1999, going back to a program he once assisted in the 1960s.

After finishing 1-10 in 1998, leading to Holtz's arrival, the Gamecocks went 0-11 in his first season before notching one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history. South Carolina went 8-4 in 2000 and 9-3 in 2001 under Holtz, punctuating both seasons with Outback Bowl wins over Ohio State.

"I really enjoyed every place I've ever been and I could give you all the aspects of each and every school," Holtz said during a recent interview. "South Carolina has great fans. South Carolina was a great state to live in. You've got the water and the mountains and you've got great people there, but Notre Dame was really special."

Holtz went 33-37 over six seasons with the Gamecocks, handing over the program to Steve Spurrier after announcing his retirement near the end of the 2004 campaign. Holtz is the only coach to lead six different teams to bowl games. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. 

🏈 Lou Holtz's career snapshot

Holtz later returned behind the camera at ESPN as a commentator and co-hosted the popular recap show College Football Final with Mark May and Rece Davis, especially memorable for segments like The Final Verdict, when Davis donned court dress and used a gavel. In recent years, Holtz playfully ignited a feud with Ohio State coach Ryan Day amid the program's struggles against Michigan, primarily due to his personal allegiance to the Buckeyes and his Ohio roots.

Holtz was an assistant on Woody Hayes' staff at Ohio State in 1968. Holtz had been a recurring critic of Day and the Buckeyes since 2023, when his pregame remarks ahead of Ohio State's dramatic win at Notre Dame prompted Day's impassioned defense of his team in a nationally-televised postgame interview.

The Lou Holtz statue outside of Notre Dame Stadium was dedicated on Sept. 13, 2008. The bronze silhouette of the coach in his trademark cap flanked by two players is partly why Holtz holds the Fighting Irish nearest to his heart.

Holtz received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the joint-highest civilian award in the U.S., from President Donald Trump in December 2020. Holtz said it was the most humbling accolade he has ever received.

Humble roots, strong principles

Born in West Virginia in 1937, Holtz moved to Ohio with his mother during his grade school years to live with her parents after his father left for World War II. He went on to start his football career as a linebacker at Kent State in 1956.

"Nick Saban went to Kent State, where I did … our motto at Kent State was we can't read, we can't write, but we are Kent State," Holtz said. "It's amazing how many good coaches have come out of West Virginia."

Holtz recently said his top priorities during his illustrious coaching career were being a husband and a father, with football coming secondary. Holtz is survived by two sons, including Skip, who followed him into coaching, and two daughters. He was preceded in death by his wife, Beth Barcus Holtz.

"Most important thing I learned as a father was to never say a negative word to your wife in front of your children," Holtz said. "To this day, my children are saints and my wife (was) a saint."