College Football Bids Farewell to a Legend

One of the greatest and most revered college football coaches of all time will not be patrolling the sidelines next season after officially announcing his retirement Monday. 

Unfortunately Lou Holtz (67) will be remembered in the same breath as former Ohio State Buckeye coach Woody Hayes who ran out onto the field during the 1978 Gator Bowl and punched one of the opposing players forcing the Buckeye’s to fire Hayes the next season.  

As a result of Saturday’s fourth quarter brawl between the Clemson Tigers (Tommy Bowden) and the South Carolina Gamecocks (Lou Holtz) both coaches agreed Monday that their respective teams will not accept Bowl bids as punishment for both team’s actions.

The brawl started late in the fourth quarter when Tigers defensive lineman Bobby Williamson took down Gamecock quarterback Syvelle Newton resulting in a excessive taunting penalty on Williamson. Both teams quickly joined the melee as both benches cleared.

Both teams ended the regular season with 6-5 records after the Tigers soundly defeated the Gamecocks 29-7.  The Tigers earned their fifth consecutive win in the final six games to become bowl eligible.

After a 1-4 start to their season, the Tigers reeled off five straight victories earning them a chance for their sixth consecutive bowl appearance while the Gamecocks were looking to make their first appearance in two years.

Holtz ended his 33-year coaching career with 249 wins ranking him as the eighth winningest coach is Division I history. During that time he has taken six different programs (William & Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and South Carolina) to bowl games in just two seasons as head coach.

His latest triumph was when he came out from behind the desk as college football analyst for CBS in 1999.  He led the Gamecocks to back to back appearances in the Outback Bowl after inheriting a team that was winless in 11 games in his first season.

Holtz righted the ship the next two seasons with the Gamecocks, leading the team to a combined 17-7 record.  In six seasons with the team he had an overall record of 33-37 before turning his headset over to former Washington Redskin head coach and long-time friend Steve Spurrier.

Holtz will forever be synonymous as head coach of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame from 1986-96 leading them to a national title in 1988 with a perfect 12-0 mark just three years after taking over the helm from Gerry Faust.

During his tenure at Notre Dame the Fighting Irish created a football dynasty much like that of the New York Yankees.  

The team flourished with an impressive 100-30-2 record in just 10 seasons under Holtz going into games with the number one ranking according to AP polls 22 times and knocking off the current number one ranked teams on three different occasions.

During the 1988-89 seasons, Holtz led his team to victory 23 consecutive times which established the longest winning streak in Notre Dame history.

Holtz coached 12 players that were selected as first round draft picks by the NFL and produced a Heisman Trophy winner in 1987 when Tim Brown won the prestigious award as the best all-around college player.

Magic struck again for Holtz while resurrecting a dismal Minnesota Golden Gopher team who had lost 17 straight Big Ten Conference games before he came aboard in 1984.  

The program turned around the following season with the Gophers improving to 4-7 in his inaugural season with the team.

In 1985 the Gophers opened the season with a 5-1 mark.  Their only loss came at the hands of eventual national champions Oklahoma Sooners 13-7.  

The Gophers broke into the top 20 midway through the season and ended with a 6-5 mark giving the Gophers their first winning season since 1981.

The defining season for Holtz came during his seven seasons with the Arkansas Razorbacks leading Arkansas to six straight bowl appearances and four top 10 finishes and three top 20 finishes compiling a 60-21-2 record.

Holtz got his revenge against a strong Oklahoma team during the 1977 season.  His 11-1 Razorbacks shocked the second ranked and once beaten Sooners 31-6 in the Orange Bowl leaving Arkansas the third ranked team in the nation according to both polls.

In 1972, while at North Carolina State, Holtz coached the Wolfpack to an 8-3-1 record and an impressive 49-12 win against West Virginia.

The following season NC State won the ACC Championship with a perfect 6-0 record winning the Liberty Bowl 31-18 against a tough Kansas Jayhawk team that ended their regular season with a 7-3-1 mark.

Holtz started his coaching career back in 1969 when hook over the reigns at age 32 leading the Tribe the following year to the Southern Conference title (5-7) and an appearance in the team’s first bowl.

Unfortunately they lost to the Mid American champions Toledo (OH) Rockets 28-12.
Holtz spent one year as assistant coach under the legendary Woody Hayes in 1968.

Hayes led the Buckeye’s to the national championship.  This is were Holtz developed his coaching mentality that lasted throughout his career.