Lou Holtz, the legendary college coach who guided Arkansas football to one of its most prolific runs, including one of the program’s biggest wins, has died at age 89.
Holtz, who had been in poor health for years, was placed in hospice on Jan. 29. Following his seven-year stint at Arkansas, where he led the Razorbacks to a record of 60-21-2 including the famous 31-6 upset of top-seeded Oklahoma in the 1978 Orange Bowl, Holtz coached briefly at Minnesota before taking his dream job at Notre Dame.
Holtz led the Fighting Irish to the 1988 national championship. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. Following his coaching career, in which his teams won 249 games, Holtz was a popular college football analyst alongside Mark May and Rece Davis for ESPN.
Notre Dame confirmed his passing Wednesday afternoon and released the following statement from President Rev. Robert Dowd:
“Notre Dame mourns the loss of Lou Holtz, a legendary football coach, a beloved member of the Notre Dame family and devoted husband, father and grandfather.
“Among his many accomplishments, we will remember him above all as a teacher, leader and mentor who brought out the very best in his players, on and off the field, earning their respect and admiration for a lifetime. In the years since leaving the head football coach position, Lou, together with his beloved wife Beth, supported Notre Dame in innumerable ways, among them making possible the refurbishment of four residence hall chapels and the construction of the Beth and Lou Holtz Grand Reading Room on the first floor of Hesburgh Library – tangible signs of their great love for their Catholic faith and the mission of Our Lady’s University.
“Whenever Notre Dame called to ask for his help, Lou answered with his characteristic generosity, and he will be sorely missed. The prayers of the entire Notre Dame community are with his family and many friends in this time of sorrow. May he rest in the peace and love of Christ.”
The ’78 Orange Bowl win remains one of Arkansas’ biggest wins, and it came in Holtz’ first season as head Hog. The Hogs were 10-1 in the regular season that season, a 13-9 loss in Fayetteville to Earl Campbell and No. 1 Texas the only blemish. Texas would go undefeated and claim a Southwest Conference championship, and the Hogs, who finished the regular season ranked sixth, headed to the Orange Bowl (one of four major bowls at the time) to face Oklahoma, then a juggernaut under Barry Switzer, an Arkansas native and former Hog player and coach.
The Hogs were going to be underdogs anyway, but Holtz suspended three offensive starters, including leading rusher Ben Cowins, for violations of team rules, while another starter was injured in practice leading up to the game. The line ballooned to 18 points, but Holtz stuck to his guns, insisting rules applied to every member of the team, even the stars, before a big game. Backup running back Roland Sales ran for a then-bowl record 205 yards, and the game was never close. The Hogs finished 11-1 and No. 3 in the final AP poll behind Alabama and top-ranked Notre Dame, which routed Texas in the 1978 Cotton Bowl behind QB Joe Montana.
Holtz had been handpicked by former Arkansas head coach AD Frank Broyles to replace him following the ’76 season. Holtz coached at William & Mary, N.C. State, Minnesota and South Carolina on the college level as well as for the Jets in the NFL. He is the only 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.
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