Lou Holtz death: Bob Stoops honors legendary head coach

On Wednesday, legendary college football coach Lou Holtz died. He was 89 years old. On Thursday, former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops made a post honoring Holtz’s memory.

The pair never coached together, but every college football coach has been touched by Holtz’s impact on the game. Holtz was a college football coach from 1960-2004 and had successful stints as head coach at numerous schools, including Arkansas, Notre Dame and South Carolina. Holtz was also the New York Jets’ head coach for one season in 1976.

As a collegiate head coach, he boasted a career record of 249–132–7. Holtz is the only college football coach to lead six different programs to bowl games. Most notably, Holtz guided Notre Dame to a 12-0 record and a Fiesta Bowl win in 1988.

Prayers for the Holtz family 🙏 https://t.co/GuUS3uGwWk

— Bob Stoops (@CoachBobStoops) March 5, 2026

Holtz was named the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year twice in his career and earned conference coach of the year honors on three separate occasions. In 2008, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Holtz’s notoriety extended far beyond the gridiron. In 2020, President Donald Trump awarded Holtz with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

After retiring from coaching in 2004, Holtz entered the world of broadcasting. He served as a college football analyst for both CBS Sports and ESPN, the latter of which he spent the bulk of his television career working with.

Bob Stoops was far from the only coach who posted online about Holtz’s passing. Icons from across the college football landscape publicly reflected on the impact Holtz had in their respective lives, including current Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman.

“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,” Freeman wrote. “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.

“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.”

Lou Holtz is survived by his four children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Away from the world of sports, he created the Holtz Charitable Foundation, with the goal to “promote Christianity, education, and charity, making a positive impact in our community.”