Lou Holtz was a head coach in college football for 33 seasons that included noteworthy seasons at NC State (1973-74), Arkansas (1978, 1979), Minnesota (1985) and South Carolina (2000). He is most known, however, for his legendary 10-year run at the University of Notre Dame. From 1986-96, Holtz won 100 games with the Fighting Irish, earned the 1988 National Championship and finished among the nation’s final top four teams more times including two national runner-up finishes.
Holtz inherited a 5-6 football team from 1985 and would end up with an identical 5-6 record in 1986. The difference between the two seasons was obvious. The ’86 Irish team battled eventual Big Ten Champion Michigan to the wire in the first game of the season and would suffer five defeats by a combined 14 points against the nation’s toughest schedule.
Holtz at practice circa 1986Holtz played linebacker at Kent State from 1956-57 and was active at practice throughout his early career at Notre Dame.
Holtz skips off the field in celebration with George Kelly after leading the Irish to a 17-point rally in 12 minutes at Southern Cal to cap the ’86 season. John Carney’s game-winning field goal knocked off No. 17 SC as the clock expired.
The 1987 team again faced the nation’s most difficult schedule and the improvement in the program was obvious when the Irish won eight of their first nine games.
Two future college football hall of famers compete on the basketball court. Holtz embraced all aspects of Notre Dame life, including participating in the annual Bookstore Basketball tournament. Holtz played both against and with football student-athletes in the tournament competing in the event up until the 1993 season.
The 1987 regular season ended with a stinging loss to Miami FL in the Orange Bowl and another set back to Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. Tim Brown became the seventh Notre Dame player to win the Heisman Trophy in 1987 and the loss to the Hurricanes set the stage for a rematch on October 15, 1988, in Notre Dame Stadium.
Holtz sends in a play with starting quarterback Tony Rice during the 1988 meeting with Miami FL. Still considered one of the greatest games ever played in Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame’s 31-30 thrilling victory propelled the team to its 11th consensus national championship season.
The victory over Miami was not the only thrilling win of the season. The Irish, now No. 1 in the nation, faced No. 2 Southern Cal in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum to cap the regular season. The 27-10 victory set the Irish up to face West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl for the national title.
Notre Dame returned to the college football mountaintop with a 34-21 victory over West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl. In the picture, Holtz addresses the team in the locker room after the victory.
Notre Dame’s 1988-89 23-game win streak is still the best in the history of the program, surpassing the 21-game run by Frank Leahy’s teams from 1946-48. The Irish pushed the streak to 22 games in a 59-6 victory over SMU on November 11, 1989, and Holtz was presented with the game ball and a framed edition of the game program and game ticket from the contest in the victorious locker room.
The streak of locker room celebrations continued when the Irish defeated top-ranked Colorado 21-6 in the 1990 Orange Bowl. While still hoping for a chance at a second national title, a regular-season finale loss at Miami FL meant the Irish would finish second in the final rankings.
It was yet another season against the nation’s most difficult schedule for Holtz and the Irish in 1990, which included a 29-20 victory over Dennis Erickson’s (Holtz and Erickson pictured on the field before the game) second-ranked Hurricanes. Notre Dame would finish 9-3 and sixth in the country after a one-point loss to Colorado in the Orange Bowl.
Holtz readies his team before its 49-27 win over Indiana in the 1991 season opener, the first game as part of Notre Dame and NBC’s broadcast partnership that continues to this day. The 1991 season was capped by one of Holtz’s finest coaching performances in a 39-28 victory over No. 3 Florida in the Sugar Bowl.
The 1992 season will forever be remembered for the senior day victory over Penn State in the ‘Snow Bowl’ as the Irish recovered from a mid-October loss to rattle off seven-straight wins including triumphs over No. 9 Boston College, No. 22 Penn State, No. 19 Southern Cal and No. 4 Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.
Holtz is carried off the field after Notre Dame’s 27-23 victory at No. 3 Michigan in the second game of the 1993 campaign. The signature early-season victory set the stage for the ‘Game of the Century’ against top-ranked Florida State at Notre Dame Stadium in November.
1993 Dome, Page 246 Lou Holtz talking to NBC after GameThe first ESPN College Game Day on campus. One of the most-hyped regular season contests in college football history. A 31-24 Irish victory over top-ranked Florida State to propel the team back to the top of the national polls.
There are not many college football coaches that get to work with their sons. Lou and and his son, Skip, coached together at Notre Dame from 1990-93 and at South Carolina. In this picture, Lou and Skip take a photo with the 1994 Cotton Bowl trophy, earned by Notre Dame’s hard-fought 24-21 victory over No. 7 Texas A&M.
The Irish were and injury-riddled group in 1994 and would finish 6-5-1. The team still qualified for a major bowl, facing No. 4 Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl.
The ’95 Irish team and head coach showed perseverance during the season. A surprising first-game loss to eventual Big Ten Champion Northwestern was compounded when a neck injury suffered by Holtz relegated him to coaching from the press box for selected games.
The Irish rebounded from the start, claiming wins over No. 13 Texas, No. 15 Washington and No. 5 Southern Cal as Holtz also recovered an returned to the sidelines to coach the team through a six-game win streak to end the regular season and a 9-3 final record.
Holtz announced his retirement from the Notre Dame head coaching job before the final home game of the 1996 season against Rutgers. The Irish won 62-0 in Holtz’s final game in Notre Dame Stadium, the legendary coach addressed the fans and student body and his team carried him off the field.