Lou Holtz, the quick-witted, undersized coaching giant who led Notre Dame to its last national championship and orchestrated one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history at the University of South Carolina, has died. He was 89.
The University of Notre Dame confirmed Holtz’s death Wednesday. He passed away at his home in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by family, according to a statement. The Hall of Fame coach had entered hospice care in late January.
While Holtz is most widely celebrated for his 11-season tenure at Notre Dame, where he won the 1988 national title, his final act on the sidelines in Columbia, South Carolina, cemented his legacy as a master program-builder.
Holtz arrived at South Carolina in 1999, taking over a Gamecocks program that had bottomed out. His first season was a grueling 0-11 campaign, but Holtz remained the “eternal optimist” he was known to be. The following two years became the stuff of legend in the Palmetto State.
Under Holtz, the 2000 Gamecocks went 8-4, completing what was then the best one-year turnaround in NCAA history. He followed that with a 9-3 season in 2001. Those back-to-back seasons culminated in consecutive Outback Bowl victories over Ohio State—the first time South Carolina had ever won bowl games in successive years.
“When I left Notre Dame, I honestly felt I would never coach again,” Holtz said at his South Carolina introduction. “But my heart is now here.”
Holtz coached the Gamecocks for six seasons (1999–2004), finishing with a 33-37 record at the school. Though his overall record at USC was sub-.500, he is credited with professionalizing the program and paving the way for the success that followed under Steve Spurrier.
“Coach Holtz didn’t just win games; he taught a generation of Gamecocks how to expect excellence,” the University of South Carolina said in a statement Wednesday.
Born Louis Leo Holtz on Jan. 6, 1937, in Follansbee, West Virginia, the diminutive coach was known for his lisp, his trademark glasses, and a razor-sharp wit that made him a favorite on the motivational speaking circuit and as an analyst for ESPN.
He remains the only coach in history to lead six different programs to bowl games: William & Mary, NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and South Carolina. He finished his collegiate career with 249 wins, ranking 10th all-time among Football Bowl Subdivision coaches.
In 2008, Holtz was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2020, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Holtz was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Beth, who died in 2020. He is survived by his four children, including son Skip Holtz, himself a longtime college football coach who served on his father’s staff at South Carolina.
Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.
