Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz passes away at 89

College Football Hall of Fame head coach Lou Holtz passed away on Wednesday at 89 years old.

Lou Holtz spent 44 years as a coach after his playing career as a Linebacker at Kent State. In 1960, Holtz's coaching journey began as an assistant at Iowa before stops at William & Mary, UConn, South Carolina, and Ohio State.

William & Mary was the first program to give Lou Holtz a chance as a head coach and it panned out well as he brought the team a conference championship. Holtz spent 3 seasons coaching William & Mary with a 13-20 record while going 9-4 in conference play.

The success Holtz had at William & Mary allowed him to jump to the ACC coaching the NC State Wolfpack. Over 4 seasons, Holtz went 33-12-3 with a 16-5-2 record in conference play winning a conference championship, and ACC Coach of the Year.

In 1976, Lou Holtz spent one season in the NFL, coaching the New York Jets which resulted in a 3-10 record which led Holtz back to college football.

Arkansas was the team that got lucky with Lou Holtz's return to college football as the Razorbacks had a ton of success under his leadership. Holtz posted a 60-21-2 record in 7 seasons at Arkansas with a 37-18-1 record in league play. Holtz won the SEC Championship in 1979 while his 1977 team finished 3rd in the AP Poll.

Lou Holtz would then spend two seasons leading the Minnesota Golden Gophers which set him up to land the job he's most known for with Notre Dame.

During Lou Holtz's time at Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish returned to their place as a powerhouse in college football. It took Lou Holtz just 3 seasons to win a National Championship in 1988 with a perfect 12-0 season. In 1996, Lou Holtz retired with a 100-30-2 record at Notre Dame after returning the program to glory.

After his first retirement, Lou Holtz spent two seasons in the booth for CBS, but he ended up returning to the sidelines for South Carolina. Holtz spent 6 seasons leading the Gamecocks before coaching his final game in 2004.

Lou Holtz will be remembered as a legendary figure in college football who helped grow the sport on and off the field. Holtz had an impact on the sport that will never be forgotten, and college football wouldn't be where it is today without the impact he had on the landscape of the sport.