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Lou Holtz death: Marcus Freeman releases statement after passing of Notre Dame legend

by: Alex Byington03/04/26_AlexByington

Legendary former Arkansas, Notre Dame, and South Carolina head football coach Lou Holtz passed away Wednesday at the age of 89, Notre Dame announced via X/Twitter. Holtz’s health had been in decline for several months and he entered hospice care in January, just weeks after his recent birthday.

Shortly after the team’s official announcement, current Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman released a heartfelt statement through the team’s social media accounts.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Lou Holtz. Lou and I shared a very special relationship. He welcomed me to the Notre Dame family immediately, offering me great support throughout our time together. Our relationship meant a lot to me as I admired the values he used to build the foundation of his coaching career: love, trust and commitment,” Freeman’s statement read.

“Lou’s impact at Notre Dame has gone well beyond the football field. He and his wife, Beth, are respected across campus for their generous hearts and commitment to carrying out Notre Dame’s mission of being a force for good. On behalf of the Notre Dame Football program, we send out love to Lou’s family, friends and former players, wishing you all comfort and peace during this difficult time.”

Lou Holtz, legendary Notre Dame and Arkansas head coach, dies at 89

Holtz amassed a 249-132-7 overall record throughout his more than four-decade collegiate coaching career, including 32 years as a head coach. He won two Bear Bryant and Eddie Robinson awards as the national coach of the year, and also claimed conference championships at William & Mary, NC State and Arkansas. In 1988, Holtz led Notre Dame to a national championship – his lone as a college head coach.

During his time in Fayetteville, Holtz amassed a 60-21-2 overall record between 1977-83, including capping an 11-1 first season with the Razorbacks by upsetting Oklahoma in the 1977 Orange Bowl. After two years at Minnesota (1984-85), he was hired at Notre Dame, where he went 100-30-2 overall between 1986-96, including leading the Fighting Irish to a 1988 national championship.

Holtz retired following the 1996 season, and spent two years as a college football commentator at CBS Sports before returning to coaching at South Carolina in 1999. Holtz went 33-37 across six seasons (1999-2004) in Columbia before retiring a second time following the 2004 season, when he joined ESPN as an analyst from 2005-15. This past season, he served as an honorary captain ahead of the matchup between Arkansas and Notre Dame – a resounding Fighting Irish victory at Razorback Stadium.

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.