ESPN Reacts To Death Of Former Analyst Lou Holtz

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ESPN Reacts To Death Of Former Analyst Lou Holtz

The college football world is in mourning this week as Hall of Fame head coach Lou Holtz passed away. He was 89 years old.

Holtz coached six different college football teams in a coaching career that spanned 45 years, leading all of them to bowl games and winning a national championship with Notre Dame in 1988. After retiring, Holtz went into broadcasting and joined ESPN, where he became one of the network's most beloved figures for years.

Following his passing, ESPN released this statement as part of their ongoing tribute to him.

"Lou Holtz has died at the age of 89, his family announced Wednesday. The legendary football coach and ESPN analyst led six college programs and won the 1988 national title at Notre Dame," ESPN shared on X.

Holtz's Exceptional Career

Holtz went into coaching in 1960 and spent most of the decade as an assistant. In 1969, William & Mary gave him the head coaching job and he quickly proved rose through the ranks. He led the team to a conference title and to their third-ever bowl game in 1970.

Holtz parlayed his success at William & Mary into the NC State job in 1972, where he became one of the best coaches in school history up to that point. He went 33-12-3 while finishing in the AP top 25 three times and winning the ACC title in 1973.

Lesser known (and perhaps best forgotten) is his notoriously short stint as head coach of the New York Jets in 1976. He went 3-10 before resigning in the middle of the season with just one game to go.

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 04: Former football coach Lou Holtz arrives for a news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on September 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump took questions on a variety of topics, including a recent magazine article in The Atlantic accusing him of making disparaging remarks about American soldiers. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)Drew Angerer/Getty Images

From there it was pretty much all glory for the rest of Holtz's career. He restored Arkansas to glory during his seven year run with the Razorbacks, made the Minnesota Golden Gophers a winner in 1985 and even took South Carolina from winless in 1999 to a top-25 team in 2000.

By far the greatest achievements of his career came with the Fighting Irish though. His career in South Bend quite literally has its own books, but the short of it is that he delivered a level of consistent excellence to Notre Dame that the program hadn't enjoyed in decades and reaffirmed the school's status through the 80s and mid-90s as one of the top athletic programs in college sports.

Holtz was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2020.

Our hearts go out to Holtz's family and loved ones.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Mar 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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