NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Ill., made a statement commemorating the life and legacy of legendary football coach Lou Holtz after his death Wednesday.
Buckner provided a statement to Pak Gazette Digital reflecting on Holtz’s efforts to recruit him to the University of South Carolina as a college football prospect, and said he is praying for the coach’s family.
“Like many Chicago kids, I grew up watching Lou Holtz on the Notre Dame sidelines. South Bend always felt like it was right next door to us, and Coach Holtz was synonymous with that program and college football in general. I was incredibly honored that our paths crossed years later when he recruited me during his time at South Carolina,” Buckner said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
“I ultimately chose a different path, but the opportunity to sit with him, hear his vision and learn from a man who meant so much to the game is something I will never forget. Coach Holtz is a true college football legend. I pray for his family and all who loved him. His impact on the game, and the young men he coached, will last for generations.”
Buckner’s tribute to Holtz is an anomaly for Democratic figures since the coach’s death.
Most Republican lawmakers were quick to offer condolences for the coach’s death on Wednesday, but most Democrats remained silent. This includes other Democrats with ties to football, in addition to Buckner.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who worked as an assistant high school football coach, has not made any public statement about Holtz’s death.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., like Buckner, was also a college football recruiting target for Holtz prior to Booker’s NCAA career. But Booker has also not said anything publicly about Holtz’s death.
Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, who played in the NFL, also has not commented on Holtz’s death.
Pak Gazette Digital reached out to the offices of Walz, Booker and Allred for a response.
A prominent voice on the left, former journalist Keith Olbermann, has sparked controversy for calling Holtz a “scumbag” after the coach’s death.
“A legendary motherfucker, yes,” Olbermann wrote on X in response to a clip of Holtz criticizing former President Joe Biden in 2020 for supporting abortion rights.
Olbermann received harsh criticism in response to his publication in X.
Holtz was a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, even saying in February 2024 that Trump needed to “coach America back to greatness.”
Near the end of Trump’s first term, shortly after former President Joe Biden defeated him in the 2020 election, Trump awarded Holtz the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. Holtz, who also spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention, was humbled by the honor.
“It is the highest honor or award you can receive and I receive it with mixed emotions. First of all, I am honored,” Holtz said.fox and friends” later. “There are many more people much more worthy than me, I can assure you.
“No one is more grateful than me. So I’m excited to have this opportunity and at the same time, I’m excited to get it from President Trump. The president that I admire and respect. I think he did a tremendous job.”
At the time, Holtz also called Trump “one of the great presidents of my lifetime.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
United States President Donald Trump presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz at the White House in Washington, DC, on December 3, 2020. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Holtz was the first coach in NCAA history to take six different football programs to bowl games, including William & Mary (1969-71), NC State (1972-75), Arkansas (1977-83) and South Carolina (1999-2004). The only team with which he could not achieve the feat was Minnesota, which he coached from 1984 to 1985.
Holtz finished his coaching career with a record of 249-132-7 in 388 games. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Related article
