With the recent passing of Lou Holtz, former Notre Dame players and coaches have told one story after another that made him such a beloved figure in South Bend. One of the most interesting aspects of the Holtz era with the Fighting Irish is that while he was a father figure to many, Steve Beuerlein recently recounted how he could be a tough task master during practice.
The former Irish and NFL quarterback told his story on Monday after the ceremony, remembering Lou Holtz. He told a tale about how the famed coach once tried to show his players how easy it was to return a punt. In the end, it was the coach who learned a thing or two.
"So, it was a day worse than today," Beuerlein began, having just braved through the snow and temps in the 20s on Monday to get to Notre Dame Stadium to meet the media. "The wind was blowing. I think it was not cold enough for snow, but it was raining sideways. And it was blowing hard. And, you know, we had Tim Brown. We had Alonzo Jefferson."
Steve Beuerlein's Lou Holtz punt return story captures Notre Dame football's legendary coach perfectly
"These are guys that were really talented return guys. And [Holtz] wanted to figure out who was going to be our punt returner. And the ball was going up in the air, and nobody could run it down and make the catch in those conditions. And he was getting so frustrated. ‘Can we find someone that can catch a punt on this team?’"
The former Irish quarterback then explained that Holtz became so annoyed that he turned his hat around and marched onto the field, telling his players he'd show them how it was done.
"So, the punter kicks it, and he’s out there. He’s out there running. Running around. It comes down, and the ball hits him right on top of his finger. And you could hear it [his finger] pop."
Holtz was eventually rushed off the field and taken to the trainer's room to see how bad the injury was.
"The next day, he comes in.," the ex-Notre Dame quarterback said of his former coach. "He’s got a cast on him above his elbow. And he comes in with a straight face, you know. And he gets up to his podium. He puts his cast up there. ‘So, we’ve established it’s pretty difficult to catch punts in South Bend.’"