ESPN Personality and Prolific Notre Dame Football Coach Lou Holtz Passes Away at 89

Legendary Notre Dame football coach and former ESPN personality Lou Holtz has passed away at 89. 

Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz has died at age 89 in Orlando, according to a statement released by University of Notre Dame.Holtz was best known for leading Notre Dame Fighting Irish football to an undefeated season and national championship in 1988.

Over his head coaching career, he compiled a 249-132-7 record while leading programs at College of William & Mary, North Carolina State University, University of Arkansas, University of Minnesota, Notre Dame and University of South Carolina.

He also briefly coached in the NFL with the New York Jets during the 1976 season.

At Notre Dame, Holtz won 100 games in 11 seasons, led the team to nine consecutive January bowl games and achieved a school-record 23-game winning streak from 1988 to 1989. His 1988 championship season included a famous 31-30 victory over the Miami Hurricanes football and a Fiesta Bowl win over West Virginia Mountaineers football to finish 12-0.

Holtz later coached South Carolina Gamecocks football, leading them to back-to-back New Year’s Day bowl appearances after a winless first season.

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump in 2020.

Holtz finished his career with 249 victories, ranking 10th all time among Division I FBS head coaches.

After retiring from coaching, Holtz spent more than a decade as a college football analyst for ESPN. Starting in 2004, Holtz would pick up the nickname “Dr. Lou” from fans a colleagues.