One of the most beloved Notre Dame head coaches of the modern era, Lou Holtz, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 89. The family of the former coach and television analyst announced his death a little over a month after reports first surfaced that he was in failing health.
The family's release also came just a few hours after another legendary coach, Urban Meyer, offered an update on Holtz's health, saying that he was "not doing well."
Head Coach Marcus Freeman’s statement on the passing of Lou Holtz pic.twitter.com/q7WwLVwoSX
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) March 4, 2026
Famed Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz passes away at 89
"Humbly, I say that I had two mentors that were like fathers," Meyer said on the latest episode of The Triple Option podcast, clearly emotional as he spoke. "Lou Holtz, who’s not doing well; he’s in hospice care as we speak. I went and saw him recently, and my wife got really emotional, because without coach Holt… he hired me at Notre Dame in 1996."
Holtz's fiery personality, despite his rather small physical stature, made him stand out especially when he got to South Bend and the Notre Dame football program. Coaching the Irish from 1986 to 1996, he was the last coach to deliver a National Title in 1988 and posted a 100-30-2 record with ND.
While Holtz is most famous for his stint with Notre Dame, he had a long coaching career before and after his decade in South Bend. He started his coaching career with William & Mary in 1969 and then jumped to North Carolina State in 1972. After posting a 33-12-3 record in four seasons with the Wolfpack, he made the jump to the NFL and had one ill-fated season with the New York Jets in 1976, going 3-10.
He immediately returned to the college ranks and resumed his Hall of Fame coaching career. From 1977 to 1983, he coached the Arkansas Razorbacks, going to six straight bowl games. After Notre Dame, Lou Holtz tried one more stint as a head coach with the South Carolina Gamecocks. However, after going to bowl games in two of his first three seasons, he struggled to a total 33-37 record and officially ended his coaching career in 2004.
Before he took a turn for the worse, Holtz returned to the Notre Dame campus during the 2025 football season and presented the colors for the National Anthem before the kickoff of the Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M game.
Holtz's legacy at the University of Notre Dame goes beyond his accomplishments and traditions with the football program. Student-athletes who played for him developed Holtz's Heroes, a charitable foundation that supports former student-athletes facing financial, physical, or mental hardships, provides scholarship aid to deserving youth, and serves communities in need through charitable works.
In 2021, Notre Dame University opened the Beth and Lou Holtz Family Grand Reading Room at the Hesburgh Library. The Holtz family donated that area in honor of Lou's wife, Beth, who passed away on June 30, 2020.