Lou Holtz, legendary college football coach and broadcaster, dies at age of 89 | College football

Lou Holtz, one of the most revered coaches in college football history, has died at the age of 89. He entered hospice care in January, shortly after his birthday.

A statement from his family said Holtz “will be remembered for his enduring values ​​of faith, family, service and his unwavering belief in the potential of others.”

Holtz, whose affable personality helped him build a successful career in broadcasting after his retirement from coaching, led Notre Dame to a national championship in 1988. He also had a successful career at Arkansas, where he went 11-1 in his first season in 1977, upsetting Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.

Holtz was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and finished with a career coaching record of 249-132-7. He also had a brief but unsuccessful NFL career, lasting only one season as coach of the New York Jets in 1976, finishing with a 3-10 record. “God didn’t put Lou Holtz on this earth to coach the pros,” he said after submitting his resignation to the Jets.

Holtz was a linebacker at Kent State before beginning his coaching career in 1960 as an assistant at Iowa. In addition to Arkansas, Notre Dame and the Jets, he also served as head coach at William & Mary, North Carolina State, Minnesota and South Carolina. Known for turning around struggling programs, he is the only coach to lead six different teams to a bowl game.

Faith was an important part of Holtz’s life and he was a devout Catholic. He has also been active in Republican Party politics and supported Donald Trump for president in 2016 and 2020. Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2020.

“There are many more worthy people than me, I can assure you,” Holtz said at the time. “Nobody is more grateful than me. So I’m thrilled to have this opportunity and at the same time, I’m thrilled to receive it from President Trump. The president that I admire and respect. I think he’s done a tremendous job.”

He is survived by his four children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. His wife of nearly 60 years, Beth, died in 2020.