Lou Holtz’s family pushes back on false death rumors

Lou Holtz entered hospice care last week at the age of 89. The news itself was difficult enough. On Saturday, it got worse when rumors began circulating on social media that Holtz had passed away.

Those rumors are false.

Skip Holtz, Lou’s son and a former college football head coach himself, shut them down early Sunday morning. “Appreciate everyone’s text and prayers,” Skip wrote on X. “Dad is 89 and he is STILL fighting the fight. Only the man upstairs knows how much time is left on the clock. Cherishing the time we still have together in Orlando.”

Appreciate everyone’s text and prayers.
Dad is 89 and he is STILL fighting the fight! Only the man upstairs knows how much time is left on the clock. 🙏Cherishing the time we still have together in Orlando. pic.twitter.com/1JD6IkaE4L

— Skip Holtz (@CoachSHoltz) February 1, 2026

Earlier in the weekend, Lou’s other son, Kevin, had released a statement on the family’s behalf. The family is focused on keeping Lou comfortable at his home in Orlando and asked for privacy as they spend time together.

Statement from Lou Holtz’s son, Kevin Holtz, on Facebook. https://t.co/mOMseliEKx pic.twitter.com/S1ZQEeyCsF

— Kyle Sutherland (@k_sutherlandAR) January 31, 2026

Holtz’s entry into hospice care was first reported on Thursday by Kyle Sutherland of On3.

Holtz is 89. He’s been out of coaching since 2004. His appearances in recent years have been limited, though he still generated headlines as recently as last season with his back-and-forth exchanges with Ohio State head coach Ryan Day during Notre Dame’s playoff run.

Holtz coached five college programs and spent one year with the New York Jets, going 3-10 in 1976 before returning to college football. He found success at nearly every stop along the way. Arkansas gave him a 60-21-2 record and the famous upset of Oklahoma in the 1977 Orange Bowl. Minnesota was a brief two-year stint before he moved on to Notre Dame, where he spent eleven seasons building one of the most successful runs in college football history. His teams went 100-30-2 in South Bend, won a national championship in 1988, and captured five major bowl titles. He finished his career at South Carolina before retiring in 2004 with 249 wins overall.

After he retired from coaching, Holtz became a staple on ESPN. He spent a decade as a TV analyst, settling into the role of one-third of the College Football Final trio alongside Mark May and Rece Davis. Holtz and May recapped the day’s games and argued about everything, while Davis kept the segment from going completely off the rails. It was one of the more entertaining parts of ESPN’s Saturday coverage for a long time.

Holtz remains one of the most recognizable figures in college football history, and his family is asking for privacy as they spend time with him in Orlando.