Lou Holtz, Famed College Football Coach, Dead at 89

News broke this week that Lou Holtz, a legendary college coach, has died. Holtz was known as one of the affable college coaches to reach a record of 249 wins, with 100 of them coming from his ten-year reign as coach of Notre Dame, while leading them to a National Title in 1988. He also worked for years as a broadcaster for CBS and ESPN, covering college football matchups. 

While Holtz has an impeccable coaching resume (9th overall in NCAA history), he is defined more by how he lived his life, desiring what is greater.

"Holtz believed in building men, not just players." Jerome Bettis recalled as he looked back at his time under him at Notre Dame.

In 2015, he received an honorary degree from Franciscan University of Steubenville. During his acceptance speech, he gave the graduates a pep talk.

“Wanna be happy for an hour, eat a steak. Wanna be happy for a day, play golf. Wanna be happy for a week, go on a cruise. Wanna be happy for a lifetime, put your faith in Jesus Christ". Holtz encouraged the graduates.

He also would tell crowds, “I follow three rules: Do the right thing, do the best you can, and always show people you care." Holtz preached that "life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it." He challenged people to live exceptional lives, famously stating, "I can't believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary."

Holtz no doubt coached his way in, putting his faith in Jesus Christ. He made going to church to honor Jesus Christ his priority in his 89 years of life.

As his obituary states, Notre Dame will hold a public viewing on Sunday, March 15, 2026, from 7 to 10 pm at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, March 16, 2026, at 1:00 pm at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, with a private burial to follow at Cedar Grove Cemetery, Notre Dame, Indiana. Note the Mass will be streamed at https://basilica.nd.edu/prayer-and-worship/watch-mass/ and will also be shown at Washington Hall with limited public seating available. There will be additional opportunities to honor Coach Holtz during the upcoming football season.

For the soul of Louis Leo “Lou” Holtz, we pray

Eternal rest, grant unto him, O Lord. And let the perpetual light shine upon. May his soul and the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.