03/04/26 04:12:00
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03/04 16:10 CST Lou Holtz, college football staple who coached Notre Dame to
1988 national title, dies at 89
Lou Holtz, college football staple who coached Notre Dame to 1988 national
title, dies at 89
By ERIC OLSON and TOM COYNE
Associated Press
Lou Holtz, the College Football Hall of Fame coach who led Notre Dame to the
1988 national championship and won 249 games over 33 seasons at six schools,
has died. He was 89.
Notre Dame announced on Wednesday that Holtz died in Orlando, Florida,
surrounded by his family. Spokeswoman Katy Lonergan said a cause of death was
not provided by the family.
Holtz became the first and so far only coach to lead six different teams to
bowl games during a career in which he compiled a record of 249-132-7. He still
ranks 10th all-time in career victories by a Football Bowl Subdivision coach,
eighth all-time with 388 games coached.
At Notre Dame, he went 100-30-2 in 11 seasons producing both the third-highest
win total in school history and the second-highest loss total.
Holtz won at every stop --- except for a brief stint in the NFL.
He didn't just win games, either. The diminutive coach captivated fans with his
occasionally fiery sideline demeanor, his self-deprecating wit and folksy
phrases all while demanding excellence, on and off the field, from his much
larger players.
Holtz became such a popular personality that after coaching his last game, in
2004 with South Carolina, he parlayed that into a broadcasting career and
motivational speaking.
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AP Sports Writer Michael Marot contributed to this report.
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