On Thursday, news broke that Lou Holtz has reportedly entered hospice care at the age of 89.
Holtz is one of the most iconic and recognizable personalities in the history of college football. After a successful coaching career, he later joined ESPN and had a lengthy second career as a longtime television analyst.
The news was confirmed by Kyle Sutherland of On3.
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
Holtz coached five college programs – NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and South Carolina. He also spent one year in the NFL in 1976 coaching the New York Jets, but quickly returned to college football after a 3-10 record.
Although he found success throughout his college coaching career, by far his most famous stop was in South Bend where he led the Fighting Irish to their modern day peak, guiding them to a 100-30-2 record over the course of 11 seasons, including a national championship in 1988 and five major bowl victories.
After his coaching career was over, Lou Holtz was a mainstay on ESPN where his colorful personality was a constant presence for many years. His central role during that time was part of the memorable trio on College Football Final where he and Mark May would form quite the bombastic duo to recap the day’s action, often refereed by Rece Davis.
Although his days regularly covering college football were long past, he did have a recent run in the headlines after his viral exchanges with Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. He was also honored for his lifetime of achievement in the sports world when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump in late 2000.
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