President Donald Trump Remembers Notre Dame Legend Lou Holtz

The President of the United States took a moment to remember Lou Holtz on Friday

Jan 10, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Two time Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year recipient Lou Holtz speaks during Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year press conference at Renaissance Hotel Dallas. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Countless celebrities have shared memories and offered condolences following this week's passing of legendary Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz.

Now, perhaps the most famous and powerful man in the world has as well, as United States President Donald Trump took to social media to remember Holtz on Friday.

“Lou was an absolute WINNER both on and off the field. Not only did he spearhead Notre Dame’s HISTORIC undefeated season in 1988…he raised Millions upon Millions for struggling student-athletes, and the AMAZING University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!)...Rest in Peace, Lou. Because… pic.twitter.com/bVvLm4lh3A

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 6, 2026

In December of 2020, Holtz was honored by Trump with the Presedential Medal of Freedom.

Lou Holtz Was An All-Time Great

Holtz's accomplishments in college football are well documented. The term legend gets thrown away rather loosely at times, but in regards to Holtz it almost feels like an understatement.

Yes, he has just one national championship to his name as a head coach, but an argument can be made that he was instrumental in the changes college football and college sports in general have seen in recent years.

Look at the TV deals that now run the game. The most important of those dominoes to fall was Notre Dame's, with NBC in the early 1990s. Suddenly, Notre Dame had the advantage of having all of its home games on national television, something that irritated fans of literally every other program in college football.

Why did that happen?

Because Lou Holtz rebuilt Notre Dame into a college football machine, demand to see the Irish during those days was off the charts.

Lou Holtz Was Screwed More by Lack of College Football Playoff Than Anyone

History shows that Lou Holtz guided Notre Dame to one national championship in 1988. However, the pollsters that voted on such things arguably kept that number from being three, and a terrible call could have added a fourth.

1988 is the only national championship that Notre Dame claims under Holtz. However, 1989 saw the team beat six teams that ranked in the top 17 nationally, including No.1 Colorado in the Orange Bowl, in dominating 21-6 fashion.

Notre Dame was there again in 1990 and based on what else happened, had a great chance of winning the title had it beat No. 1 Colorado. However, a phantom clip was called on a Rocket Ismail punt return that negated a touchdown, and handed Notre Dame a third loss.

Finally, 1993 saw Notre Dame go 11-1 and beat Florida State 31-24. However, after a loss to Boston College, Notre Dame dropped in the polls and was unable to catch back up to the Seminoles in the rankings, as Bobby Bowden was essentially given a lifetime achievement award despite being beaten head-to-head by Holtz's Irish.

The logic that cost Notre Dame the 1989 title was then held against the Irish in 1993. Whatever the case, Holtz's run at Notre Dame was nothing short of incredible as he returned the program to glory.