SOUTH BEND, IN (March 4, 2026) — Lou Holtz, the legendary college football coach who led Notre Dame to the 1988 national championship, has died at age 89.
Holtz died March 4, 2026, in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by his family.
The announcement appeared on fightingirish.com, Notre Dame’s official athletics site.
Holtz coached at Notre Dame from 1986 through 1996, compiling a 100-30-2 record. His teams achieved a .871 winning percentage with a 64-9-1 mark in that span. The 1988 squad finished 12-0, capped by a victory over West Virginia in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl for the national title. Notre Dame under Holtz posted a 23-game win streak, back-to-back 12-win seasons — a first in school history — and a program-record nine consecutive bowl appearances.
Holtz instituted traditions including the “Play Like A Champion” sign in the football locker room and removing names from the back of jerseys to emphasize team over individual.
He coached notable players such as 1987 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown and College Football Hall of Famers Raghib “Rocket” Ismail, Michael Stonebreaker, Aaron Taylor and Chris Zorich.
Holtz returned to campus during the 2025 football season to present the colors for the National Anthem before the Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M game. He received an honorary doctor of laws degree at the 2011 Commencement ceremonies.
His overall collegiate head coaching record stood at 249 wins. He began at William & Mary in 1969, then moved to NC State for the 1972 season, winning 33 games in four years and the 1973 ACC Championship. He spent one season with the New York Jets in the NFL, then led Arkansas starting in 1977 with a 60-21-2 record, including a 31-6 upset over No. 3 Oklahoma in the 1978 Orange Bowl. At Minnesota in 1984-85, he won 10 games in two years. At South Carolina from 1999, he finished 0-11 in his first season but improved to 8-5 in year two with an upset of Ohio State in the Outback Bowl, earning national coach of the year honors. He won 33 games in six years at South Carolina, including back-to-back Outback Bowl wins in 2000 and 2001.
Holtz was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Born January 6, 1937, in Follansbee, West Virginia, he grew up in East Liverpool, Ohio. He played linebacker at Kent State University and served as a graduate assistant at Iowa in 1960, later as an assistant at William & Mary, Connecticut, South Carolina and Ohio State — where he was on the 1968 national championship coaching staff.
Holtz’s wife, Beth Holtz, died June 30, 2020. He is survived by four children: Luanne, Lou “Skip” Junior, Kevin and Elizabeth — the latter three graduates of the University of Notre Dame.
The family established charitable foundations and scholarships including Holtz’s Heroes to support former student-athletes facing hardships and provide scholarship aid and community service; the Beth and Lou Holtz Family Scholarship for undergraduates with financial need; and support for the Rockne Heritage Fund for financial aid to Fighting Irish student-athletes. Contributions funded renovations of chapels in Breen-Phillips, Morrissey and St. Edward’s residence halls, the Liz Holtz Endowment for Excellence for Lyons Hall, and in 2021 the dedication of the Beth and Lou Holtz Family Grand Reading Room at the Hesburgh Library. In 2011-12, the couple were named the University’s first “ambassadors for research,” focusing on cancer research after Beth’s 1997 diagnosis and recovery.
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.