There Was Only One Lou Holtz
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Lou Holtz wasn’t your normal college football coach.
He was legendary for his success on the field, but was a bigger deal as one of the greatest characters in the history of the game.
Lou Holtz, One of College Football's Greatest Characters, Has Passed Away at 89
Holtz passed away on Wednesday at 89.
Mostly, he’ll be known as the last football coach to have won a national title at Notre Dame, taking the Irish to a 12-0 season, finished off with a win over West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl.
But also, for people of a certain age, he – along with other legends like Bobby Bowden, Jimmy Johnson, Bo Schembechler, Barry Switzer, Steve Spurrier, and Joe Paterno – will forever be remembered as part of the most colorful era ever for college football head coaches.
Even among those titanic personalities, Lou Holtz managed to stand out.
Lou Holtz, Notre Dame, 11 seasons, 100-30-2
In two seasons, he woke up the echoes, and in that third year, his team started the season with a 19-17 win over Michigan – the “Reggie Ho Game” thanks to his four field goals – won one of the best games ever in the “Catholics vs Convicts” thriller over Miami, and rolled everyone else by double-digits on the way to the 1988 national title.
The 1989 team was every bit as good, getting to 11-0 before losing to Miami. That team closed out the year by ruining Colorado’s national title dream with a win in the Orange Bowl.
In 1993, his Irish took down eventual national champion Florida State, only to lose the next week to Boston College in the regular season finale on the way to a No. 2 final ranking.
He turned a loser of a South Carolina team into a winner after his time in South Bend, coached four of the best seasons in NC State history from 1972 to 1975, was fantastic over his seven years at Arkansas, and took over Minnesota for two seasons before leaving for the Irish.
Remembering the life and legacy of Lou Holtz pic.twitter.com/8WiEtVr6fT
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) March 4, 2026
My first-ever college football meet-and-greet
Very young me saw every Gopher home game he coached, including a 13-7 loss to an Oklahoma team that went on to win the national championship. A Sooner goal line stand saved the season.
Very, very young me met him at a – sky point – Minnesota North Stars game.
“Hello, Coach Holtz!”
“Good evening, young man.”
Still geeked out to this day.
An all-time college football character
There was no coach like him.
Here was this 5-9ish, 150-poundish guy who somehow played linebacker for Kent State and kept that underdog mentality to everything he did.
A tough guy to the nth degree, he could melt down giant players with one biting quip, one comment, or even one look of disbelief.
No one walked more steps on the sideline in a pace-with-purpose way before settling in to take in the next play. And no one did an early week press conference like Lou Holtz.
To “Lou Holtz” a team was to play the opponent up as the greatest thing in the history of competition, no matter who it was.
Notre Dame could’ve been playing Central Directional Creampuff State, and on Game Week Tuesday, it would be the 1985 Chicago Bears, 1998 Chicago Bulls, and Julius Caesar’s 1st century BC Roman Empire army all wrapped up into one – and the Fighting Irish, God willing, might be able to make it a good game.
It became an art form.
His work on College Football Final and College Football Live with Rece Davis and Mark May was appointment watching at the end of a big Saturday, and through controversies and issues, he never lost his snark, his snarl, and his … Lou Holtzness.
Good evening, young man.
This story was originally published by College Football News on Mar 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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