Legendary football coach Lou Holtz, who led Notre Dame to the 1988 national championship, died at age 89 on March 4 — the anniversary of Knute Rockne’s birth — just days before the magazine went to press. Read longtime sports reporter Malcolm Moran’s remembrance, classic magazine stories from Holtz’s triumphant Notre Dame tenure, and coverage of the campus services that celebrated the coach’s life and legacy.
The Coach Who Set the Bar
Remembering Lou Holtz, the legend whose inspiring and entertaining public persona obscured the stresses of building a championship football program.
Read the story here.
Honoring Lou’s Legacy
People came to Notre Dame from near and far on March 16 to bid farewell to legendary former head football coach Lou Holtz. Every seat in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart was filled for the funeral Mass.
Read the story here.
A Tradition to Uphold
This article originally appeared in our Winter 1985–86 issue when Lou Holtz was hired as the Notre Dame football coach. Holtz went on to lead the Irish for 11 seasons (1986–96), compiling 100 wins, capturing the 1988 national championship and guiding the program to a record nine consecutive bowl appearances.
Read the story here.
Lou!
This profile on Lou Holtz was originally published in the summer of 1993, just before the season when the Fighting Irish went 11–1, including a landmark win over Florida State that elevated Notre Dame to No. 1.
Read the story here.