Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz dealing with serious health concerns

College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz has entered hospice care at age 89 following a legendary career.

Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Lou Holtz is in hospice. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz has entered hospice care amid serious health concerns. Reports from ABC57 in South Bend, Indiana, and Kyle Sutherland of On3 confirmed the medical developments regarding the 89-year-old icon on Thursday.

A source close to the Holtz family verified the news to the local television station in Indiana. This update arrives just months after the retired coach served as an honorary captain for a matchup between Arkansas and Notre Dame at Razorback Stadium.

Holtz is revered for his historic tenure at the University of Notre Dame where he cemented his legacy. He guided the Fighting Irish to a national championship and a perfect 12-0 campaign during the 1988 season.

Iconic coach Lou Holtz built a Hall of Fame career across six decades

He compiled a career college head coaching record of 249-132-7 over the course of 33 years. This amassed a .651 winning percentage and a 12-8-2 mark in postseason bowl appearances.

Holtz found immense success at the University of Arkansas from 1977 to 1983. He led the Razorbacks to a 60-21-2 record and secured a memorable upset victory over Oklahoma in the 1977 Orange Bowl.

From 1986 to 1996, Lou Holtz was on the sidelines as head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He compiled a 100-30-2 record while in South Bend. | Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

His aptitude for revitalization became a defining characteristic of his employment. He stands as the only coach to lead six separate programs to bowl games and guide four different schools to final top 15 rankings.

The coach spent two years leading the Minnesota Golden Gophers before moving to South Bend in 1986. His 100 wins with the Fighting Irish rank third in program history behind Brian Kelly and Knute Rockne.

He eventually came out of retirement to coach South Carolina from 1999 to 2004. He inherited a struggling roster and engineered a turnaround that saw the Gamecocks go 8-4 in just his second year in Columbia.

I have confirmed College Football Hall of Famer Lou Holtz is in hospice care.

Holtz was the head coach at #Arkansas from 1977-83 where he compiled a 60-21-2 record and won 3 bowl games, including the famed upset over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. #WPS pic.twitter.com/dVFDAhuzV5

— Kyle Sutherland (@k_sutherlandAR) January 29, 2026

His voice remained prominent in the sport long after he left the sidelines. Holtz worked as a studio analyst for College Football Live and other programming on ESPN from 2004 to 2015.

The industry recognized his lifetime of work with an induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. Decades of leadership were further honored when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2020.

His head-coaching path began at William & Mary in 1969, followed by a successful stint at North Carolina State. He also briefly led the New York Jets in 1976 between his collegiate stops.