Lou Holtz, Former Notre Dame Football Coach, Dead at 89 

Lou Holtz, former Notre Dame football head coach who is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, has died. He was 89.

Notre Dame shared the news on Wednesday. The university did not provide exact details, such as date, cause or location of death.

“Notre Dame mourns the loss of Lou Holtz, a legendary football coach, a beloved member of the Notre Dame family and devoted husband, father and grandfather,” said University of Notre Dame’s president, Rev. Robert A. Dowd, said in a statement. He went on to add: “Whenever Notre Dame called to ask for his help, Lou answered with his characteristic generosity, and he will be sorely missed.”

Holtz has been an assistant and head coach at various schools in his career, but fans know him from his time at Notre Dame. In his 11 seasons with the Fighting Irish (1986-1996), Holtz compiled a 100-30-2 record and led the team to a national title in 1988. He only had one losing season at Notre Dame (5-6, 1986) and won at least 10 games six times, including 12 in 1988 and 1989. Holtz led Notre Dame to a No. 1 ranking in 1988, a No. 2 ranking in 1989 and another No. 2 ranking in 1993.

Holtz retired from coaching after the 1996 season and worked for CBS Sports. However, he returned to coaching in 1999 and became the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks. After going 0-11 in his first season, Holtz turned things around in 2000, leading South Carolina to an 8-4 record and an Outback Bowl win. The turnaround led to him being named SEC Coach of the Year. He would coach at South Carolina for four seasons before retiring for a second time. Holtz returned to broadcasting, as he appeared on various college football shows on ESPN. He left the network in 2015.

Before becoming the head coach at Notre Dame, Holtz was the head coach at Arkansas (1977-1983). In his first season, he led the Razorbacks to an 11-1 record, an Orange Bowl win, and a national championship, according to the Rothman (FACT) poll. He tallied a 60-21-2 record before taking the job as head coach at Minnesota for two seasons (1984-1985).

Holtz became the head coach at NC State in 1972 and won 33 games in four seasons. His best season was in 1973 when he led the Wolfpack to a 9-3 record and an ACC Championship. He was also the head coach at William & Mary (1969-1971) and won just 13 games. Holtz did get the opportunity to coach in the NFL, hired to lead the New York Jets coaching staff in 1976. He would return to the college game the following year after leading the Jets to a 3-10 record.

Former PopCulture.com writer Brian Jones contributed to this article.