Lou Holtz, the Hall of Fame coach who led Notre Dame to its last national championship in football, died on Wednesday at the age of 89. He was surrounded by his family in Orlando, Florida, after reportedly being in hospice care for months.
Holtz is best remembered for his tenure at Notre Dame from 1986 to 1996, where he compiled a 100-30-2 record. His crowning achievement came in the 1988 season when he guided the Fighting Irish to a perfect 12-0 record and a national title victory in the Fiesta Bowl, which remains the program's most recent championship.
His coaching career spanned six college programs, including notable stops at Arkansas and South Carolina, and a brief stint with the NFL's New York Jets. He finished with a college record of 249-132-7 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
After retiring from coaching, Holtz became a well-known studio analyst for ESPN. He was also active in political circles and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2020.