College football lost one of its most recognizable voices and leaders. Lou Holtz, the Hall of Fame coach who led Notre Dame to a national championship and built a reputation as one of the sport's great program rebuilders, has died at 89.
Videos by FanBuzz
AP Photo/Aaron M. Sprecher
Notre Dame confirmed Holtz passed away in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by family.
Holtz coached more than three decades across college football and finished with a remarkable 249-132-7 record. His stops included William & Mary, NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina. He even spent one season in the NFL with the New York Jets.
From the family of Lou Holtz pic.twitter.com/aYWiXYVnLq
— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) March 4, 2026
But his legacy will always be tied to South Bend.
Notre Dame hired Holtz in 1986 to revive a struggling program. Just two years later, he delivered one of the most memorable seasons in college football history. The 1988 Irish went 12-0, beat Miami in the famous "Catholics vs. Convicts" showdown, and finished the job with a national championship.
Getty
Holtz would win 100 games at Notre Dame and guide the Irish to nine straight January bowl appearances, a stretch of consistency the program had rarely seen.
He later returned to coaching at South Carolina before moving into broadcasting with ESPN, where fans came to know him as "Dr. Lou."
Holtz was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
