Legendary coach & Notre Dame icon Lou Holtz has died at 89

The person who led the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to their last National Championship has died at the age of 89.

The sports world lost an icon on Wednesday. Legendary head coach and former ESPN analyst Lou Holtz passed away on Wednesday.

From the family of Lou Holtz pic.twitter.com/aYWiXYVnLq

— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) March 4, 2026

Lou Holtz is best known for his time at Notre Dame, but few remember that he was the head coach of the New York Jets during the 1976 season and resigned with one regular-season game remaining to return to the college ranks. He had quite the career at the collegiate level, coaching at six different schools.

In 1988, Holtz led the Fighting Irish to a national title in a win over the West Virginia Mountaineers. It remains the school's most recent national championship. He left Notre Dame in 1996 and was hired by the South Carolina Gamecocks in 1999. He took the Gamecocks from an 0-11 season to eight and nine wins for the following two years, but after three straight losing seasons, Holtz would retire.

Holtz also joined ESPN as an analyst, but would leave in 2015.

A legacy that will always live here#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/CBqvCsq9yq

— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) March 5, 2026

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Legendary coach & Notre Dame icon Lou Holtz has died at 89