Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz, who famously led the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to a national championship in 1988, has passed away at the age of 89. His family confirmed the news on Wednesday, according to a report from Adam Schefter.
Holtz was widely regarded as a master of program rebuilding throughout his storied career. Beyond his iconic tenure at Notre Dame from 1986 to 1996, he served as a head coach for several other major programs, including Arkansas, South Carolina, Minnesota, North Carolina State, and William & Mary. He remains the only coach in college football history to lead six different programs to bowl games and the only coach to guide four different programs to final top-20 rankings.
Known for his quick wit and motivational prowess, Holtz finished his coaching career with a total of 249 victories and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. Following his retirement from the sidelines, he became a household name for a new generation of fans as a long-time studio analyst for ESPN, where his personality and signature segments became staples of college football Saturdays. He also had a brief stint in the professional ranks as the head coach of the New York Jets in 1976.
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