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The son of college football coaching legend Lou Holtz on Sunday shared an update about his father after he was admitted to hospice care earlier in the week.
Skip Holtz wrote on social media that his father was “still struggling.”
“I appreciate everyone’s texts and prayers. Dad is 89 and STILL fighting! Only the man upstairs knows how much time is left on the clock,” he wrote. “Appreciating the time we still have together in Orlando.”
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Former Notre Dame Fighting and Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Lou Holtz holds a pregame press conference at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Sept. 27, 2025. (Nelson Chenault/Image Images)
Kevin Holtz confirmed Saturday that Lou was in hospice care.
“The Holtz family, Luanne Altenbaumer, Skip Holtz and Liz Holtz Messaglia, share the difficult news that our father, Coach Lou Holtz, is currently facing a health issue,” he wrote on Facebook. “While this is a challenging time, our focus is on maintaining your comfort, quality of life and care in your Orlando home.
“As family has always been the most important thing to Coach, we hold each other close and focus on making every moment and day count. The entire family appreciates your thoughts, prayers and support, but we ask for privacy as we navigate this journey. Psalm 41:3.”
Best known for patrolling the sidelines at Arkansas and Notre Dame, Holtz coached college football for 33 years. He was the head coach of the Fighting Irish for 11 seasons from 1986 to 1996, where he finished with a 110-30-2 record.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Lou Holtz on the field before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Foster Field in Stanford Stadium on October 2, 1993. (Photos by RVR/USA TODAY Sports)
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In 1988, Notre Dame finished with a perfect 12-0 record and won the Fiesta Bowl, which remains its last national championship. He was 249-132-7 in his coaching career.
Holtz rose to even greater prominence during his time as a college football analyst at ESPN.
He played at Kent State before moving into coaching as an assistant in 1960, then got his first head coaching job in 1969 at William & Mary. Holtz later went to NC State and spent four seasons in Raleigh before giving the NFL a shot. That stint didn’t work out, however, as the Jets finished 3-10 and he resigned.
In recent years, Holtz has been a strong supporter of President Donald Trump. In February 2024, Holtz posted on social media that the country “needs[ed] To coach America back to greatness!”
Former football coach Lou Holtz speaks remotely during the Republican National Convention at Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC, on August 26, 2020. (Republican National Convention via USA TODAY NETWORK)
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Holtz, who spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump in 2020, shortly after former President Joe Biden defeated Trump in the election.
