Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz is one of the most celebrated college football coaches of all time. Now, some sad news has emerged about the health of the college football legend.
On Thursday, Jan. 29, HawgBeat’s Kyle Sutherland reported that Holtz has entered hospice care.
“I have confirmed College Football Hall of Famer Lou Holtz is in hospice care,” Sutherland stated on X. “Holtz was the head coach at #Arkansas from 1977-83 where he compiled a 60-21-2 record and won three bowl games, including the famed upset over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.”
While he’s best known for his time with the Irish from 1986 through 1996, Holtz, 89, coached at multiple teams and is the sole coach in the history of college football to take six different teams to a bowl game, win five bowl games with various teams and have four different college teams ranked in the final top 20, according to Sports Reference research.
ABC57 also reported the news, stating, ” A source close to the family confirmed with ABC57 that Notre Dame legend, Lou Holtz, has reportedly entered into hospice care at the age of 89.”
ABC57 added, “Holtz held the position of head coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 1986 to 1996 where he led the Irish to a perfect 12-0 season in 1988 with a National Championship and a Fiesta Bowl victory in 1989.”
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Holtz retired from coaching following his 2004 season at South Carolina. He served as the honorary captain before last year’s game between Arkansas and Notre Dame, which resulted in a Fighting Irish win.
While at Notre Dame, Holtz coached the 1987 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown and College Football Hall of Famers Raghib “Rocket” Ismail, Michael Stonebreaker, Aaron Taylor and Chris Zorich.
On the official Notre Dame website, the college states of Holtz that the coach was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and “instituted several traditions at Notre Dame that carry on to this very day.”
“The famous ‘Play Like a Champion’ sign in the football locker room, which Fighting Irish players strike on the way out to the field, was first hung up during the Holtz era,” the Notre Dame website adds. “Holtz also removed names from the back of the football jerseys to emphasize the team dynamic, a tradition that is still followed today during all regular-season games.”
