Notre Dame Has a Chance to Give Lou Holtz the Tribute He Deserves

When Notre Dame kicks off against Wisconsin on Sunday night, it'll be a first in a long time for the Fighting Irish.

Not since Frank Leahy helped lead Notre Dame to the 1943 national championship have the Fighting Irish begun a season without there be a living head coach that had previously led them to title.

Until now.

Lou Holtz won 100 games as head coach at Notre Dame and guided the Fighting Irish to the 1988 national championship, the last time the program reached that level. He also had it knocking on the doorstep of other titles in 1989, 1992, and 1993.

Notre Dame has announced a way to honor Holtz for 2026 officially, but a couple of other steps would go a long way toward doing the same.

Notre Dame's Official Plan to Honor Lou Holtz in 2026

On Wednesday morning, Notre Dame released a short video to social media showing a small decal it'll wear on the back of its helmets. It simply reads "LOU" with a couple of thumbs and index fingers there as an ode to the tribute students paid to the coach during the 1812 Overature that is played before each fourth quarter.

For Lou.#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/1HwTc5n6dC
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 2, 2026

In the rare chance you haven't seen it before, a perfect model of how this was done during his time is shown in the video below from his final home game - click ahead to the 4:19 mark.

That's a great official way to honor the legendary head coach, but there are a couple other ways for Notre Dame to remember Lou this season.

Notre Dame Wears Black Cleats for One Game

Notre Dame quarterback Tony Rice in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl against West Virgini — Jan 2, 1989; Tempe, AZ, USA; FILE PHOTO; Notre Dame Irish quarterback Tony Rice (9) turns to hand the ball off against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the 1989 National Championship Fiesta Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium. Notre Dame defeated West Virginia 34-21. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When Notre Dame was at its peak under Holtz, the black cleats and white socks was the look. Now, we still get the black cleats, but oftentimes you don't even notice them because blue athletic tape that matches the socks is worn to cover them up.

For one home game this fall, bust out the black cleats and go with high white socks. Then, if there is tape, it can be black to match the shoes and be about as close to the late 1980s and early 1990s as we could hope.

Officially Recognize 1993 Squad as a National Champion

This is done all the time in college football: a team that didn't actually win a national championship still lays claim to one. It just happened with Missouri, who finished fifth in the final poll in the 1960 season.

1993 saw Notre Dame physically kick the daylights out of Florida State on a November afternoon. Despite this, and winning the game 31-24, Florida State was still awarded the title despite both teams finishing with one loss.

It would have been better if he were alive to have seen it, but why not come out and officially lay claim to the 1993 season as being a national championship for Holtz and Notre Dame? The case is beyond strong.

Go Win the Whole Damn Thing

Marcus Freeman has brought Notre Dame back to heights most thought were unreachable anymore not long ago.

That sounds a lot like what Lou Holtz stepped into when he took the job following the 1985 season.

Sure, Lou inherited a team that wasn't even earning trips to bowl games while Freeman took on a regular College Football Playoff threat, but the gap between being a CFP threat and an actual national championship contender has closed.

Notre Dame enters 2026 as one of the favorites to win it all, and for understandable reasons: star quarterback CJ Carr, what should be an elite offensive line, and a defense that might be college football's best.

Marcus Freeman has plenty of people in his corner. Few actually understand what it’s like to be in his shoes and can be a mentor.

The late Lou Holtz was one of the few.

“He always tells me, ‘I’ll give you my opinion but never any advice.’ But his opinion matters.”

RIP, Lou. pic.twitter.com/ZJYypomMUb
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) March 4, 2026

Want to honor Lou?

The decal on the back of the helmet is nice.

The thousands of fans who will certainly chant his name during the 1812 Overture at each home game will be great as well.

Giving the 1993 team the proper accolades it was robbed of wouldn't be bad, either.

But nothing would honor the legendary coach better than beating Miami in the regular season game of the year, then proceeding to scale the national championship mountain that was believed to be unscalable anymore for Notre Dame.

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