Climbing the many branches of the Lou Holtz football coaching tree

SOUTH BEND — Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz spent 34 years as a head coach, all but one of those at the college level.

Along the way, Holtz, who died March 4 at age 89, opened the door for dozens of his former assistants to improve their careers either by running their own programs or making the jump to the NFL.

“Lou Holtz was my mentor,” three-time national championship coach Urban Meyer said on The Triple Option podcast. “Without Lou Holtz, our career really never would’ve gotten started. I leaned on him for strategy, for advice. He pushed me very hard to be the head coach at Bowling Green at a young age.”

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Here’s a breakdown of 28 members of Holtz’s remarkable coaching tree, presented in alphabetical order.

Barry Alvarez

Hired to coach Notre Dame linebackers for Holtz in 1987, the former Nebraska linebacker and Iowa assistant served as Irish defensive coordinator for two seasons before taking over the downtrodden Wisconsin program in 1990.

Alvarez, 79, led the Badgers to three Big Ten titles in 16 seasons, later serving as athletic director from 2004-21. A 2010 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Alvarez went 119-74-4 (.614) at Wisconsin.  

Chuck Amato

Retained as a graduate assistant upon Holtz’s arrival at N.C. State in 1972, Amato was promoted to defensive backs coach from 1973-75. He went on to spend 18 seasons as a defensive assistant at Florida State for Bobby Bowden.

Amato, 79, later returned to Raleigh for seven seasons (2000-06) atop the program, going 49-37 (.570) with four bowl wins. Future Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was an offensive assistant for Amato’s Wolfpack for all seven seasons.

Larry Beightol

Retained as offensive line coach at William & Mary from 1969-71, Beightol later served in that role for Holtz in all four seasons at N.C. State (1972-75) and his first two at Arkansas (1977-78).

After going 2-8 as head coach at Louisiana Tech in 1979, Beightol returned as Arkansas’ offensive coordinator in 1981 and later spent 22 seasons as an NFL offensive line guru with eight different franchises. He died in 2024 at age 81.

Brian Burke

A former Holtz teammate at Kent State, Burke was working as a stockbroker when Holtz hired him in 1971 at William & Mary. Burke, who died in 2025, later ran Holtz’s Veer offense at N.C. State (1972-75) and took the scheme to Virginia before spending six seasons as head coach at Ohio (1979-84), where he went 31-34-1.

Pete Carroll

A graduate assistant for Holtz at Arkansas in 1977, Carroll went on to lead four different NFL franchises (Jets, Patriots, Seahawks and Raiders) as well as USC for nine seasons (2001-09).

Carroll, 74, is one of three coaches to win a Super Bowl (2013 Seahawks) and a national title (2003 and 2004 with USC). Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer are the others.

Vinny Cerrato

A former Iowa State quarterback and wide receiver, he was retained at Minnesota as a graduate assistant in 1984. Promoted to recruiting coordinator with the Gophers, he followed Holtz to Notre Dame in the same role through 1990.

Hired away as a scout by the San Francisco 49ers in 1991, Cerrato spent nearly two decades as an NFL scouting and player personnel executive for the 49ers (1991-99) and the Washington franchise (1999-2009).

Tom Clements

A national championship quarterback at Notre Dame in 1973, Clements played in the NFL and CFL and practiced law before getting his start in coaching as a Holtz assistant at Notre Dame from 1992-95.

After a one-year return to the legal profession, Clements spent 25 seasons as an NFL assistant with the Saints, Chiefs, Steelers, Bills, Packers and Cardinals. Now 72, he last coached with the Packers in 2024.

Ron Cooper

A Minnesota grad assistant in 1984 who spent two seasons coaching Notre Dame defensive backs (1991-92), Cooper is now head coach at Long Island University after previous stints running the show at Eastern Michigan, Louisville, Alabama A&M and Florida International.

Cooper, 64, has a career record of 67-87 in 14 seasons.

Pete Cordelli

An Arkansas grad assistant in 1977-78, Cordelli returned as a Holtz assistant at Arkansas (1983), Minnesota (1984-85) and Notre Dame (1986-90). Cordelli, 72, coached quarterbacks and wide receivers with the Irish.

He left to coach Kent State, Holtz’s alma mater, from 1991-93 with a career mark of 3-30. He also scouted for the Dallas Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns.

Bob Davie

Hired after nine seasons at Texas A&M to run Notre Dame’s defense from 1994-96, Davie was hired to replace Holtz after his resignation.

The Irish went 35-25 (.583) in Davie’s five seasons, including three bowl losses, and he later spent nine seasons at New Mexico (2012-19), where the Lobos went 35-64 (.354) during his tenure. Davie, 71, was hospitalized for heart problems ahead of New Mexico’s 66-14 loss at Notre Dame in September of 2019.

Offensive line coach Saga Tuitele served as the Lobos’ interim coach that day.

John Gutekunst

A former Duke defensive back and longtime Blue Devils assistant, Gutekunst was hired as Holtz’s defensive coordinator at Minnesota for both seasons (1984-85). When Holtz left for Notre Dame ahead of the Independence Bowl, Gutekunst succeeded him and went 29-37-2 over the next six-plus seasons (through 1991).

Gutekunst, 81, coached as an assistant at a variety of positions and locales over the next quarter century. Son Brian has been the Green Bay Packers general manager since 2018.

Dan Henning

A former William & Mary quarterback from 1961-63, when Holtz was an assistant, Henning later coached wide receivers for Holtz in 1976 with the NFL’s New York Jets.

Henning, 83, went on to lead Boston College (1994-96) and two NFL teams, the Atlanta Falcons and the San Diego Chargers. He left Chestnut Hill amid a widespread gambling scandal and finished 38-73-1 (.344) as an NFL coach.

He was offensive coordinator for two Super Bowl champions in Washington (1982, 1987) and helped the Carolina Panthers reach their first Super Bowl after the 2003 season.

Skip Holtz

A Notre Dame graduate who was already enrolled when his father took the job in late 1985, the younger Holtz served as an offensive assistant on his father’s Notre Dame coaching staff for four seasons (1990-93), the last two of those as coordinator.

Skip Holtz went on to lead four college programs over 17 seasons (2005-21): Connecticut, East Carolina, South Florida and Louisiana Tech. His teams made 12 bowl appearances and had a combined record of 118-98 (.546).

Skip Holtz, who turns 62 on March 12, has been head coach and general manager of the Birmingham Stallions since 2022, opening his tenure with three consecutive USFL or United Football League championships.

Monte Kiffin

The long-time Nebraska defensive coordinator was hired away by Arkansas to run Holtz’s defense from 1977-79. Kiffin later spent three seasons (1980-82) as head coach at N.C. State, Holtz’s previous college stop, before moving into the NFL as a multidecade defensive guru.

Before his death in 2024, Kiffin also assisted his son, Lane Kiffin, at three stops (USC, Florida Atlantic and Mississippi).

Jerry Kirk

Kirk spent five seasons as a Holtz assistant, coaching N.C. State defensive linemen from 1972-75 and running backs for the New York Jets in 1976. He was fired as head coach at Emory and Henry after going 2-7 in 1978.   

John Konstantinos

Holtz’s former Kent State teammate spent eight total seasons as a Holtz assistant at William & Mary (1969-71), N.C. State (1972-74) and Arkansas (1979-80). Konstantinos, who died in 2013, went 9-21-2 in three seasons at Eastern Illinois (1975-77) and later served as Cleveland State’s athletic director from 1990-2002.

Jimmye Laycock

A former William & Mary quarterback for Holtz in 1969, Laycock later returned to Williamsburg, Va., and coached the program for 29 seasons from 1980-2018. Laycock’s career mark was 249-194-2 (.560) with five league titles and 10 trips to the Division I-AA (now FCS) playoffs.

Now 78, he finished with the same number of college coaching wins as Holtz, tying them for 34^th all-time.

Urban Meyer

Meyer, 61, spent just one season on a Holtz coaching staff, guiding Notre Dame wide receivers in 1996, but he would remain at Notre Dame for another four seasons under Holtz’s successor, Bob Davie.

The 2025 College Football Hall of Fame inductee went on to win three national titles as a head coach: two at Florida (2006 and 2008) and one at Ohio State (2014). He also led programs at Bowling Green (2001-02) and Utah (2003-04).

Rick Minter

An Arkansas grad assistant in 1978, Minter returned to Holtz’s staff as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator in 1992-93 and South Carolina’s DC in 2004.

In between, he was Cincinnati’s head coach for 10 seasons (1994-2003), going 53-63-1. Now 71, Minter is a senior defensive analyst for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, where son Jesse was recently hired as a rookie head coach.   

Houston Nutt

A backup quarterback at Arkansas in 1977, where he also played basketball, Nutt transferred to Oklahoma State but later returned as Holtz’s graduate assistant with the Razorbacks in 1983.

Nutt, 68, later led four college programs: Murray State, Boise State, Arkansas and Mississippi. His cumulative record was 135-96 (.584) with nine bowl appearances.

Buddy Pough

Retained as Holtz’s running backs coach at South Carolina from 1999-2001, Pough later ran the program at South Carolina State, his alma mater, from 2002-23. He went 151-93 with four playoff appearances.

Bo Rein

A former star halfback and College World Series champion at Ohio State, Rein served as an assistant at William & Mary for two seasons (1969-70) with Holtz before rejoining him at N.C. State from 1972-74.

When Holtz jumped to the NFL, Rein was brought back from Arkansas as the Wolfpack’s coach from 1976-79. Rein went 27-18-1 with two bowl victories and was hired by LSU.

He died in a plane crash in January of 1980 while on a recruiting trip. He was 34.

Dave Roberts

After a decade as head coach at Western Kentucky and Northeast Louisiana, Roberts spent a total of nine seasons as a Holtz assistant. He was the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame from 1994-96 and later coached at South Carolina throughout Holtz’s tenure (1999-2004).

In between Roberts, 79, went 4-18 in two seasons at Baylor.

Bobby Ross

Retained as Holtz’s first defensive coordinator at William & Mary in 1969-70, Ross later led four college programs (The Citadel, Maryland, Georgia Tech and Army) and two NFL teams (Chargers and Lions).

Ross, 89, won four ACC titles and split the 1990 national championship with Colorado while at Georgia Tech. The Chargers’ only Super Bowl appearance in their history came with Ross at the helm in 1994.

Ross went 103-101-1 at the college level and suffered just one losing season out of nine in the NFL (74-63).

Mike Sanford Sr.

Brought in to coach Notre Dame quarterbacks in 1996, Sanford later spent a total of nine years as a head coach at UNLV and Indiana State. His career mark was 34-73.

George Stewart

A former offensive guard at Arkansas, Stewart served as a grad assistant for Holtz in 1983, then followed him to Minnesota (offensive line) and Notre Dame (tight ends) over the next five seasons.

From 1989-2020, Stewart, 67, was an NFL assistant in a variety of roles for six different teams: Steelers, Buccaneers, 49ers, Falcons, Vikings and Chargers.

Charlie Strong

After coaching the Notre Dame defensive line from 1995-98, the first half of that stint with Holtz, Strong became a defensive coordinator for the first time with Holtz at South Carolina from 1999-2002.

Strong, 65, later ran his own programs at Louisville, Texas and South Florida, compiling an overall mark of 74-53 (.583) in 10-plus seasons. Brian Jean-Mary, who worked for Strong at each stop, recently joined Notre Dame as linebackers coach.

Jim Strong

Hired at Arkansas in 1983 to coach offensive tackles and tight ends, Strong followed Holtz to Minnesota as running backs coach and later rejoined him at Notre Dame from 1987-89, first as running backs coach and then as offensive coordinator (1989).

Strong went 17-27 in four seasons (1990-93) as head coach at UNLV. Strong, 71, later left coaching and now works as a real estate broker in Branson, Mo.

Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Lou Holtz football coaching tree, from Arkansas to Notre Dame and more