West Virginia-born Lou Holtz is a retired American football coach who graduated from East Liverpool High School in 1959. He was raised in East Liverpool, Ohio. Holtz got trained under the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and later became a field artillery officer in the United States Army Reserve.

As far as his professional career is concerned, Holtz’s coaching career started as a graduate assistant in 1960 at Iowa, where he received his master’s degree. Holtz is the only college football coach to lead four separate programs to the final top 15 rankings and six different programs to bowl games. He took two retirements; the first one was after the 1996 season, when he left Notre Dame. Second retirement? In 2004, Holtz announced his retirement after the end of the season. Let’s take you through his journey as a coach and the controversy with Ryan Day.

Lou Holtz’s coaching career across collegiate programs

Renowned coach Louis Leo Holtz served as head coach at William & Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and South Carolina, with a 249–132–7 record. In 1978, despite losing important players, Holtz led Arkansas to a historic Orange Bowl victory. What about Notre Dame? Holtz achieved legendary status at Notre Dame by leading the team to a 12–0 season and also won the national championship in 1988.

Holtz won many accolades in his career, including the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008, and was honored with a statue at Notre Dame in the same year. Holtz’s career has been nothing short of amazing. He retired with an overall record of 249–132–7 (college), 3–10 (NFL), and Bowls 12–8–2. After retirement, Holtz worked as a TV analyst for CBS Sports and ESPN until 2015. Holtz left a lasting legacy by revitalizing struggling programs and emphasizing team effort and discipline.

Lou Holtz controversy with Ryan Day

Sport and controversy go side by side; Holtz is also not untouched by the controversy. His known controversy is with the American football coach for Ohio State, Ryan Day. How it all started? Day and Holtz’s developing animosity began the day before Notre Dame and Ohio State’s game in South Bend, Indiana, last year. While on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Holtz unintentionally made fun of Day and the Buckeyes. Holtz criticized Ohio State’s toughness under Ryan Day. How will another person stay quiet, right?

Ryan Day responded passionately, referencing Holtz’s comments after Ohio State’s narrow win over Notre Dame in 2023. Going forward to the present, Holtz posted on X, “If Notre Dame doesn’t win, it’s because we want to preserve Ryan Day’s job. I was originally going to be at the game in spirit, but now I’ll be dragging my body along as well.” Why did he say so?

American sports analyst Pat McAfee took a jab at a post on X: “What if there is a Coach Lou Holtz sighting at the National Championship? I know that he has a bad leg right now. He’s an old man, @DariusJButler. 😂😂.” What’s the update on his health? He is 88 years old.

Recently, Holtz met with an accident; specifics about his condition are awaited. He shared, “I was in a car accident ͏and hurt my leg pretty badly.” Despite his age, Holtz remains active and occasionally involved in public speaking, and he also faced scrutiny for political endorsements and NCAA violations during his tenure at Arkansas and Minnesota.