Legendary college football coach and broadcaster leaving public spotlight

For even those most accustomed to the cheers of the crowd and the adoration of the public, enough can become enough. For those dealing with the ravages of time, the dividing line between gratitude and the need for privacy can force a decision to step back. For 88-year old former Notre Dame coach and ESPN broadcaster Lou Holtz, the time is apparently now. Holtz took to social media to announce his decision to step away from the spotlight.

Holtz Stepping Back

Today I delivered my final public speech after decades of coaching and speaking.

I’ve always believed I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth simply because I was born in this great country.

That’s why my commitment to the American Dream has never wavered and never will.

We… pic.twitter.com/QP6HcnaZ1e
— Lou Holtz (@CoachLouHoltz88) November 20, 2025

Holtz is perhaps best known for his seasons coaching at Notre Dame and his work as a television analyst, first for CBS and more notably for ESPN from 2005 to 2015. But Holtz's extensive history goes much deeper than those touchstones.

Holtz's Coaching Record

Lou Holtz grew up in West Virginia and played football at Kent State. After nearly a decade as an assistant coach, Holtz became a head coach first at William & Mary in 1969. After three seasons there, Holtz became the head coach at NC State for four years. He was 33-12-3 there, and moved on to the New York Jets for a brief and unsuccessful NFL run.

After that brief dalliance, Holtz returned to college the following year at Arkansas and was 60-21-2 there, including an 11-1 season in 1977. After two seasons at Minnesota, he became the head coach at Notre Dame in 1986. Holtz was 100-30-2 at Notre Dame, including an undefeated national title season in 1988. After a few years off, Holtz finished his coach career at South Carolina, where he took the Gamecocks from 0-11 in his first year, 1999, to eight and nine-win seasons in 2000 and 2001.
The career record for Holtz stands at 249-132-7 at the collegiate level and 3-10 in the NFL

Holtz's Broadcasting Career

Holtz became perhaps even more famous for his broadcasting work with ESPN. Holtz was something like the halftime and pregame show corollary to ESPN's Lee Corso, noted for making midweek picks of the weekend's biggest games and staging mock motivational speeches that he could have used for big games in a given week.

Holtz has been active as a speaker in his later years. He was chosen to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008, was a two-time National Coach of the Year, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2020. His wife, Beth, passed away that year, but he has remained an active participant in modern culture until his recent announcement that he'll be stepping away.