Lou Holtz dies: Marcus Freeman, Skip Holtz, Fighting Irish pay tribute to late Notre Dame great
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Lou Holtz, the last coach to lead Notre Dame to a national championship, died on Wednesday at 89 years old.
Upon the news of his death, tributes to the College Football Hall of Famer surfaced on social media from his former teams, colleagues and his son, Skip Holtz.
Skip Holtz played for a season under his father as a walk-on at Notre Dame in 1986. He later coached under his father as an assistant for the Fighting Irish and again at South Carolina before working as a head coach at East Carolina, South Florida and Louisiana Tech.
Skip confirmed his father's death on Wednesday, touting him as "successful" and "significant."
My father passed away today resting peacefully at home. I appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers over the last couple months! He was successful, but more important he was Significant. pic.twitter.com/DD76EMLphH
— Skip Holtz (@CoachSHoltz) March 4, 2026
Current Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman issued a statement honoring his predecessor, of whom he wrote "welcomed me to the Notre Dame family immediately."
"Lou's impact at Notre Dame has gone well beyond the football field," Freeman wrote. "He and his wife, Beth, are respected across campus for their generous hearts and commitment to carrying out Notre Dame's mission of being a force for good."
Head Coach Marcus Freeman’s statement on the passing of Lou Holtz pic.twitter.com/q7WwLVwoSX
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) March 4, 2026
In addition to announcing Holtz's death via a statement from his family, Notre Dame issued a video tribute to its late former coach on social media.
Remembering the life and legacy of Lou Holtz pic.twitter.com/8WiEtVr6fT
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) March 4, 2026
NC State, Minnesota, South Carolina and a New York Jets team for which Holtz coached a single season in 1976 also paid tribute to their late former coach.
Wolfpack Nation mourns the loss of Coach Lou Holtz, who led NC State Football from 1972-75. pic.twitter.com/blZiQwGnTV
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) March 4, 2026
Gophers mourn the passing of former head coach Lou Holtz, who led the program during the 1984-85 seasons
MORE: https://t.co/bPvAnW3NbYpic.twitter.com/c3YDqFCI6T
— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) March 4, 2026
Gamecock Nation mourns the passing of former football coach Lou Holtz.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and the many lives he impacted throughout his career ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ot0X7Rs4N1
— South Carolina Gamecocks (@GamecocksOnline) March 4, 2026
Rest in Peace to former Jets Head Coach Lou Holtz pic.twitter.com/C8YhcHdzus
— New York Jets History (@nyjetshistory) March 4, 2026
Holtz went on to work as a broadcaster for CBS Sports and ESPN following his coaching career. His former ESPN colleague, Mike Greenberg, shared a story about some advice Holtz gave him when Greenberg and his wife were expecting their first child together.
This story is now more than 25 years old and I have told it more times than I can count, but it hits very differently today.
I was anchoring SportsCenter one afternoon and Lou Holtz was on the show. I was quite excited to talk with him, he had been an icon all of my life.
He… pic.twitter.com/CkQwRaDan7
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) March 4, 2026
"RIP Coach, thanks for the best advice anyone ever gave me," Greenberg wrote.
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