Lou Holtz

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Lou Holtz
Sport	Football
Born	January 6, 1937 (age 70)
Place of birth	Follansbee, West Virginia
Career Highlights
Championships
National Championship (1988)
Coaching positions
1969-1971 1972-1975 1976 1977-1983 1984-1985 1986-1996 1999-2004	College of William & Mary North Carolina State University New York Jets (NFL) University of Arkansas University of Minnesota University of Notre Dame University of South Carolina

Louis Leo Holtz (born on January 6, 1937 in Follansbee, West Virginia) is a former NCAA football head coach, and is currently an author and a motivational speaker who has spoken to the likes of Fortune 500 companies on topics such as the importance of teamwork and goal setting. Holtz grew up in nearby East Liverpool, Ohio, and graduated from East Liverpool High School. He attended and graduated from Kent State University, where he was a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. Holtz led six teams that he helmed as a head football coach to a bowl game within two years of joining each program. To date, Holtz is also the only coach to ever guide four different programs to final top 20 rankings. In 2005 Holtz joined ESPN as a college football analyst.

Contents 1 Career 1.1 First retirement 1.2 Second retirement 2 Books 3 Broadcasting career 4 Personal life 5 Trivia 6 Coaching Record 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Career

Holtz's first job as head coach was at William & Mary, then playing in the Southern Conference, starting in 1969. Before becoming head coach at William & Mary, Holtz served as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa (1960), William & Mary (1961-63), Connecticut (1964-65), South Carolina (1966-67), and Ohio State (1968).

In 1970, the Holtz-led Tribe won the Southern Conference title, and played in the Tangerine Bowl—as of 2007 the only bowl game a William & Mary team has ever played in (since Holtz's tenure there, William & Mary has dropped to Division I-AA). In 1972, Holtz moved to North Carolina State University and had a 31-11-2 record in four seasons. His team played in four bowl games, winning two, losing one, and tying one.

After an unsuccessful 13 game tenure (3-10; he resigned with one game remaining in the season), as an NFL head coach with the New York Jets, Holtz went to the University of Arkansas in 1977. In his seven years there, the Razorbacks compiled a 60-21-2 record and reached six bowl games.

In his rookie season with the Razorbacks, he led Arkansas to a berth in the Orange Bowl against Oklahoma, coached by Arkansas alumnus Barry Switzer. The Sooners were in position to win their third national championship in four seasons after top-ranked Texas lost to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl earlier in the day, and Holtz had suspended his team's top two running backs for the Orange Bowl for disciplinary reasons. However, behind 205 yards rushing from reserve running back Roland Sales, the Hogs defeated the Sooners 31-6.

Holtz accepted the head coach job at the University of Minnesota before the 1984 season. The Golden Gophers had won only four games in the previous two seasons but had a winning record in 1985, and was invited to the Independence Bowl, where they defeated Clemson 20 to 13. Holtz did not coach the Gophers in that bowl game, as he had already accepted the head coaching position at Notre Dame.

In 1986, Holtz left Minnesota to take over the then-struggling Notre Dame program and wasted no time turning it around. Although his 1986 squad posted an identical 5-6 mark that the 1985 edition had, five of their six losses were by a combined total of 14 points. In the season finale against archrival USC, the Irish overcame a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit and pulled out a 38-37 win over the stunned Trojans. In his second season, Holtz led the Fighting Irish to an appearance in the Cotton Bowl. The following year, Notre Dame won all their 11 regular season games and defeated third-ranked West Virginia 34-21 in the Fiesta Bowl, claiming the national championship. The 1989 squad also won their first 11 games (and in the process, set a school record with a 23-game winning streak) and remained in the #1 spot all season until losing to Miami in the season finale. A 21-6 win over Colorado in the Orange Bowl gave the Irish a second-place ranking in the final standings. Holtz's 1993 Irish team ended the season with an 11-1 record and ranked second in the final AP poll.

[edit] First retirement

Holtz left Notre Dame after the 1996 season and walked away from a lifetime contract for undisclosed reasons. When pressed, all he would say was that "it was the right thing to do." It is widely believed that concerns about his wife's health (she had been diagnosed with throat cancer) prompted him to step down. Holtz himself indicated he did not wish to move past Knute Rockne in career victories at Notre Dame (his overall record at Notre Dame was 100-30-2). He was succeeded by defensive coordinator Bob Davie. After two seasons as a commentator for CBS Sports, he came out of retirement in 1999 and returned to South Carolina, where he had been an assistant in the 1960s. Taking over a team that had gone 1-10, his Gamecocks went 0-11 during his first year, but then rebounded to go 8-4 and 9-3 in his second and third seasons and had two victories in the Outback Bowl, both over Ohio State.

[edit] Second retirement

On November 18, 2004, Holtz announced that he would retire a second time, at the end of the current season. His retirement was marred by a brawl between South Carolina and Clemson players during a game on November 21, 2004, resulting in the two universities announcing they would decline any post-season bowl game invitations. At the press conference, Holtz commented on the irony that both he and former Ohio State coach Woody Hayes would both be remembered for "getting into a fight at the Clemson game". He was referring to an incident at the 1978 Gator Bowl where Hayes punched a Clemson player in the neck after making an interception.

[edit] Books

Holtz is the author of five books.

His first book, The Kitchen Quarterback, came out in 1980. It outlines the basics of the game for beginning football fan.

His next, The Fighting Spirit: A Championship Season at Notre Dame, (ISBN 0-671-67673-3) was written with John Heisler and came out in September of 1989. It's an insider account of the 1988 dream season that shocked college football experts.

Then he wrote Winning Every Day (ISBN 0-88730-953-4), which was published in August 1999 and was a New York Times bestseller.

In it, Holtz writes:"Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it."

He followed this in 2002 with A Teen's Game Plan for Life, (ISBN 1893732568) which draws on his own experience and determination and encourages teens to be the best they can be.

Most recently, in August 2006, he released his autobiography, Wins, Losses, and Lessons (ISBN 0-06-084080-3. Holtz details his youth and his greatest wins -- and losses:

"When I die and people realize that I will not be resurrected in three days, they will forget me. That is the way it should be. For reasons known only to God, I was asked to write an autobiography. Most people who knew me growing up didn't think I would ever read a book, let alone write one."

The autobiography is a revealing look into what shaped the child of such humble beginnings into a legendary college football coach and sought-after motivational speaker. His now-famous "Do Right" Rule and other philosophies on making youngsters into people of strong character serve not only as a methodology to his coaching success but a testimony to parenting skills that will stand the test of generation after generation. His life story intertwines with the lives other well-known individuals, such as President Bill Clinton, entertainer Bob Hope, Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Bill Cowher and Steeler legend Jerome Bettis, Ohio State Coach Woody Hayes, golf great Arnold Palmer and Pope John Paul II.

[edit] Broadcasting career

Holtz currently works as a College Football analyst for the cable network ESPN. His main duty is to provide analysis for College Gameday Final.

[edit] Personal life

Holtz was married to the former Beth Barcus on July 22, 1961. They are parents of four children, three of whom are Notre Dame graduates. Their eldest son, Skip, is currently head football coach at East Carolina.

[edit] Trivia

• The Lou Holtz/Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame in East Liverpool, Ohio, is where much of Lou Holtz's memorabilia is displayed. It also serves as a means for raising scholarship funds for Upper Ohio Valley area residents to attend trade school and seeks to preserve the cultural history of the valley, recognizing those who have made outstanding contributions in the fields of sports, entertainment, commerce, industry, medicine and education. To view the web site, visit www.louholtzhalloffame.com .
• While at Kent State Holtz was a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity.

[edit] Coaching Record

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl Game	Bowl Opponent	Outcome	Rank#
College of William & Mary (Southern Conference) (1969 — 1971)
1969	William & Mary	3-7	2-2	4
1970	William & Mary	5-7	3-1	1	Tangerine Bowl	Toledo	L 12-40
1971	William & Mary	5-6	4-1	2
At William & Mary:		13-19	9-4
NC State Wolfpack (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1972 — 1975)
1972	NC State	8-3-1	4-1-1	2	Peach Bowl	West Virginia	W 49-13
1973	NC State	9-3	6-0	1	Liberty Bowl	Kansas	W 31-18
1974	NC State	9-2-1	4-2	2	Bluebonnet Bowl	Houston	T 31-31	9
1975	NC State	7-4-2	2-2-1	4	Peach Bowl	West Virginia	L 13-10
At NC State:		31-11-2
Arkansas Razorbacks (Southwest Athletic Conference) (1977 — 1983)
1977	Arkansas	11-1	7-1	2	Orange Bowl	Oklahoma	W 31-6	3
1978	Arkansas	9-2-1	6-2	2 - T	Fiesta Bowl	UCLA	T 10-10	10
1979	Arkansas	10-2	7-1	1 - T	Sugar Bowl	Alabama	L 24-9	9
1980	Arkansas	7-5	3-5	6 - T	Hall of Fame Classic	Tulane	W 34-14
1981	Arkansas	8-4	5-3	4	Gator Bowl	North Carolina	L 31-27	16
1982	Arkansas	9-2-1	5-2-1	3	Bluebonnet Bowl	Florida	W 28-24	8
1983	Arkansas	6-5	4-4	5
At Arkansas:		60-21-2
Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big Ten Conference) (1984 — 1985)
1984	Minnesota	4-7	3-6	8
1985	Minnesota	7-5	4-4	6	Independence Bowl	Iowa State	W 20-13
At Minnesota:		11-12	7-10
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Independent) (1986 — 1996)
1986	Notre Dame	5-6	-	-
1987	Notre Dame	8-4	-	-	Cotton Bowl	Texas A&M	L 10-35
1988	Notre Dame	12-0	-	-	Fiesta Bowl	West Virginia	W 34-21	1
1989	Notre Dame	12-1	-	-	Orange Bowl	Colorada	W 21-6	3
1990	Notre Dame	9-3	-	-	Orange Bowl	Colorada	L 9-10	6
1991	Notre Dame	10-3	-	-	Sugar Bowl	Florida	W 39-28	12
1992	Notre Dame	10-1-1	-	-	Cotton Bowl	Texas A&M	W 28-3	4
1993	Notre Dame	11-1	-	-	Cotton Bowl	Texas A&M	W 24-21	2
1994	Notre Dame	6-5-1	-	-	Fiesta Bowl	Colorada	L 24-41
1995	Notre Dame	9-3	-	-	Orange Bowl	Florida State	L 26-31	13
1996	Notre Dame	8-3	-	-				21
At Notre Dame:		100-30-2	-
South Carolina Gamecocks (Southeastern Conference) (1999 — 2004)
1999	South Carolina	0-11	0-8	6 East
2000	South Carolina	8-4	5-3	3 East	Outback Bowl	Ohio State	W 24-7	21
2001	South Carolina	9-3	5-3	3 East	Outback Bowl	Ohio State	W 31-28	13
2002	South Carolina	5-7	3-5	5 East
2003	South Carolina	5-7	2-6	4 East
2004	South Carolina	6-5	4-4	4 East
At South Carolina:		33-37	19-29
Career:		248-130-6
National Championship          Conference Title
†Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll of the season.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Razorback Legacy - Lou Holtz - Record / Bio
• Audio excerpt and chapter from autobiograpy Wins, Losses, and Lessons (Official publisher web page)
• Lou Holtz Motivational Training Videos and DVDs
• Beliefnet Interview with Lou Holtz (includes audio)

Preceded by Johnny Majors Dick MacPherson	Paul "Bear" Bryant Award 1977 1988	Succeeded by Joe Paterno Bill McCartney
Preceded by Frank R. Burns	Walter Camp Coach of the Year 1977	Succeeded by Warren Powers

New York Titans/Jets Head Coaches
Baugh • Turner • Ewbank • Winner • Shipp • Holtz • Michaels • Walton • Coslet • Carroll • Kotite • Parcells • Groh • Edwards • Mangini

Preceded by Marv Levy	William & Mary Head Football Coach 1969–1971	Succeeded by Jim Root
Preceded by Al Michaels	North Carolina State University Head Football Coach 1972–1975	Succeeded by Bo Rein
Preceded by Ken Shipp	New York Jets Head Coach 1976	Succeeded by Mike Holovak
Preceded by Frank Broyles	University of Arkansas Head Football Coach 1977–1983	Succeeded by Ken Hatfield
Preceded by Joe Salem	University of Minnesota Head Football Coach 1984–1985	Succeeded by John Gutekunst
Preceded by Gerry Faust	University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach 1986–1996	Succeeded by Bob Davie
Preceded by Brad Scott	University of South Carolina Head Football Coach 1999–2004	Succeeded by Steve Spurrier