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Sports world pays tribute to Lou Holtz after his death

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Mar 4, 2026 5:17 PM ET

Tributes poured in for legendary college football coach Lou Holtz on Wednesday following his death.

Holtz died at 89 on Wednesday, his family announced . Notre Dame, where he famously coached for a decade, produced a tribute video for him. Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman also issued a statement, saying he and Holtz “shared a very special relationship.”

Remembering the life and legacy of Lou Holtz pic.twitter.com/8WiEtVr6fT
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) March 4, 2026

Head Coach Marcus Freeman’s statement on the passing of Lou Holtz pic.twitter.com/q7WwLVwoSX
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) March 4, 2026

While Holtz will always be best known for his coaching career, a number of people also remembered him for his time as a college football analyst on ESPN from 2005 to 2015.

Lou Holtz was the rare example of an icon to different generations for different reasons.

My dad knew him as the man that returned Notre Dame to the head table. I knew him as the cornerstone of the greatest CFB studio show ever produced.

Rest in peace Coach pic.twitter.com/4vp3cwfMhf
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) March 4, 2026

Today's kids don't understand how big of a deal Lou Holtz and Mark May debating at midnight to Rece Davis in judge robes was to my generation. pic.twitter.com/uayykIxGtJ
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) March 4, 2026

The array of tributes made it clear that Holtz impacted multiple generations of college football fans. Older ones remembered him for his coaching prowess, while younger ones focused on his memorable television career.

Holtz went 249-132-7 in his college coaching career and won a national title at Notre Dame in 1988. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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