Legendary football coach Lou Holtz dies at 89

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Notable deaths in 2026

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(NEXSTAR) – Lou Holtz, the beloved and long-serving college football coach, has died. He was 89.

Holtz’s family confirmed his passing in a post to X, writing that he died in Orlando “surrounded by family.” A cause of death was not provided.

Born in Follansbee, West Virginia, in 1937, Holtz would spend five decades in college athletics. He led the programs at the College of William & Mary, North Carolina State, the University of Arkansas, the University of Minnesota, Notre Dame, and the University of South Carolina across 33 seasons. He also spent one season with the New York Jets.

Lou Holtz, former head football coach for Notre Dame and the University of South Carolina, addresses a crowd awaiting former President Donald Trump on Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Florence, S.C. Trump was in the state to campaign for two Republicans challenging sitting House members who have been critical of him. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

FILE – Notre Dame’s head coach Lou Holtz and the Fighting Irish walk onto the field of the Los Angeles Coliseum to warm up for an NCAA college football game against Southern California Saturday, Nov. 30, 1996 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)

Lou Holtz, former head football coach for Notre Dame and the University of South Carolina, addresses a crowd awaiting former President Donald Trump on Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Florence, S.C. Trump was in the state to campaign for two Republicans challenging sitting House members who have been critical of him. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

FILE – Notre Dame’s head coach Lou Holtz and the Fighting Irish walk onto the field of the Los Angeles Coliseum to warm up for an NCAA college football game against Southern California Saturday, Nov. 30, 1996 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)

The University of Notre Dame called Holtz “one of the most affable coaches of his generation.” In 1988, he led the Fighting Irish to the National Championship. During his time with the program, between 1986 and 1996, he recorded 100 victories.

By the time he retired in 2004, Holtz had racked up 249 wins as a college head coach, earning him a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

In 2020, President Trump awarded Holtz the Presidential Medal of Freedom, recognizing him not only as a coaching legend with “unmatched accomplishments on the gridiron,” but as “a philanthropist, author, and true American patriot.” Holtz drew criticism earlier that year after calling then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden “Catholic in name only,” Nexstar’s The Hill reported. Notre Dame would then distance itself from the Hall of Famer.

Holtz was preceded in death by his wife, Beth. He is survived by his four children, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements will include a Mass of Christian Burial at Notre Dame’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Details are forthcoming, according to Holtz’s family.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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