Lou Holtz, the iconic former head coach of Notre Dame and Arkansas, has entered hospice care, according to a report Thursday from HawgBeat’s Kyle Sutherland. Holtz, now 89, enjoyed a storied coaching career that included stops at some of college football’s most prominent programs.
Holtz led Arkansas from 1977 to 1983 before guiding Notre Dame from 1986 to 1996. He officially stepped away from coaching after the 2004 season at South Carolina. As recently as last year, he served as honorary captain for a game between Arkansas and Notre Dame at Razorback Stadium, which ended in a decisive win for the Fighting Irish.
During his tenure at Arkansas, Holtz compiled a 60-21-2 record, highlighted by a stunning upset of Oklahoma in the 1977 Orange Bowl. After a brief stint at Minnesota, he moved on to Notre Dame, where he went 100-30-2 and delivered the program’s last national championship in 1988. Across his Hall of Fame career, Holtz finished with an overall coaching record of 249-132-7. He also spent one season in the NFL as head coach of the New York Jets in 1976.
Holtz played linebacker at Kent State from 1956 to 1957 and began his coaching journey as an assistant at Iowa in 1960. He later held assistant roles at William & Mary, UConn, South Carolina and Ohio State before earning his first head coaching job at William & Mary in 1969.
He left William & Mary in 1971 to become head coach at NC State, where he posted a 33-12-3 record and led the Wolfpack to four consecutive bowl appearances. After a difficult 3-10 season with the Jets, Holtz returned to college football at Arkansas, where success came quickly. In his first year, the Razorbacks went 11-1 and capped the season with their famous Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma. Arkansas later claimed the Southwest Conference title in 1979 and earned a Sugar Bowl berth.
Following the 1983 season, Holtz stepped down at Arkansas and later accepted the Minnesota job, though he departed after two years to take over at Notre Dame. There, he cemented his legacy, winning a national title in 1988 and finishing with 100 victories third-most in school history.
After retiring in 1996, Holtz briefly transitioned to television as a CBS Sports analyst before returning to coaching at South Carolina in 1999. Despite inheriting a struggling program, he led the Gamecocks to a notable turnaround, including an 8-4 season in 2000, and finished his tenure there with a 33-37 record.
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