Louis Leo Holtz (born January 6, 1937)[1] is an American former college football coach and television analyst.

After retiring from coaching, Holtz worked as a TV college football analyst for CBS Sports in the 1990s and ESPN from 2005 until 2015.

Holtz's first job as head coach came in 1969 at the College of William & Mary, who played in the Southern Conference at that time.

[7] Following the 1975 season, Holtz accepted an offer to leave college football and become the head coach of the NFL's New York Jets.

Holtz's lone foray into the professional ranks began when he was appointed as head coach of the New York Jets on February 10, 1976.

[7] The Sooners were in position to win their third national championship in four seasons after top-ranked Texas lost earlier in the day to fifth-ranked Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

In one of his last practices, All-American guard, Leotis Harris suffered a season-ending injury, and only a couple of days later Holtz suspended both starting running backs, Ben Cowins and Michael Forrest, and top receiver, Donny Bobo, for disciplinary reasons.

However, behind an Orange Bowl record of 205 yards rushing from reserve running back Roland Sales the Hogs defeated the Sooners, 31–6.

At the time, athletic director Frank Broyles stated that Holtz had resigned because he was "tired and burned out", and was not fired.

[16] Holtz confirmed that he had been fired, but that Broyles never gave him a reason,[17] although reports cited his political involvement as a major reason: controversy arose over his having taped two television advertisements from his coach's office endorsing the re-election of Jesse Helms as Senator from North Carolina at a time when Helms was leading the effort to block Martin Luther King Jr. Day from becoming a national holiday.

A taskmaster and strict disciplinarian, Holtz had the names removed from the backs of the players' jerseys when he took over at Notre Dame, wanting to emphasize team effort.

[23] In the season finale against the archrival USC Trojans, Notre Dame overcame a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit and pulled out a 38–37 win.

[23] The following year, Notre Dame won all eleven of their regular season games and defeated the third-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers, 34–21, in the Fiesta Bowl, claiming the national championship.

A 21–6 win over Colorado in the Orange Bowl gave the Irish a second-place ranking in the final standings, as well as back-to-back 12-win seasons for the first time in school history.

[23] Following an investigation in 1999, the NCAA placed Notre Dame on two years probation for extra benefits provided to football players between 1993 and 1999 by Kim Dunbar, a South Bend bookkeeper involved in a $1.4 million embezzlement scheme at her employer, as well as one instance of academic fraud that occurred under Holtz's successor, Bob Davie.

Holtz remained at Notre Dame; the Vikings, meanwhile, hired Dennis Green to replace the retired Jerry Burns.

In 1996, two members of the Minnesota Vikings's ownership board, Wheelock Whitney and Jaye F. Dyer, reportedly contacted Holtz.

[29] After two seasons as a commentator for CBS Sports, Holtz came out of retirement in 1999 and returned to the University of South Carolina, where he had been an assistant in the 1960s.

In his third season, Holtz's success continued, leading the Gamecocks to a 9–3 record and another Outback Bowl victory over Ohio State.

[33] Holtz's time in Columbia saw the resurrection of Gamecock Football, as the program had only one bowl win and no Top 25 finishes in the ten years before his hire.

Holtz finished his six-year tenure at South Carolina with a 2–4 record versus his former team, Arkansas, beating the Razorbacks in Columbia, SC in 2000 and 2004.

In 2005, the NCAA imposed three years probation and reductions in two scholarships on the program for ten admitted violations under Holtz, five of which were found to be major.

Holtz came under scrutiny after referencing Adolf Hitler in an on-air comment while appearing on College Football Live in 2008.

[37][38] In his analysis of Michigan Wolverines head coach Rich Rodriguez, Holtz stated sarcastically, "Ya know, Hitler was a great leader, too."

His cousins Ashton and Kerosene Holtz both played football in Fort Scott, Kansas, as a linebacker and defensive end.

[46] In 2020, Holtz voiced his support for Amy Coney Barrett's nomination the United States Supreme Court.

During his address at the 2020 Republican National Convention, Holtz said that Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden was "a Catholic in name only.

Holtz was awarded an honorary Doctor in Public Service from Trine University and elected to the board of trustees in 2011.