Previously, he was the head coach for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, South Florida Bulls, East Carolina Pirates, and the Connecticut Huskies.

Skip's father, Lou Holtz, is a former head football coach and worked as a commentator on the television channel ESPN.

He joined the coaching ranks immediately upon graduation from college, working initially for Bobby Bowden as an assistant at Florida State.

He gradually worked his way through the ranks at various NCAA Division I schools before being named head coach at Connecticut in 1994.

One year later, the Holtz family moved to Williamsburg, Virginia and The College of William & Mary for Lou's first head coaching position.

After two seasons, Lou took a head coaching position with the Wolfpack of North Carolina State University.

The family lived in Raleigh, North Carolina for four years until Lou accepted a head coaching job for the National Football League's New York Jets.

The family lived in Cold Spring Harbor, New York for one year, while Lou coached the Jets.

In his final year of high school, Skip was denied admission to Notre Dame due to average grades and his failure to learn a foreign language.

Coaches Faust and Phelps encouraged Skip to enroll at nearby Holy Cross College, located adjacent to the university in Notre Dame, Indiana.

After two years of study at Holy Cross, Skip had improved his grades and transferred to Notre Dame.

Skip began spring practice before the 1986 season as a quarterback, but quickly changed to flanker due to his lack of throwing ability.

[3] Due to Skip's lack of success on the field and his desire to remain associated with football, he began to investigate the possibility of becoming a coach.

[7] Holtz's first job at his alma mater was to serve as wide receivers coach, and he filled the position for two years.

Lou Holtz called Coach Bowden to ask permission to speak to Mark Richt.

On December 4, 1998, The University of South Carolina announced that Lou Holtz would serve as its next head football coach.

Skip accepted the offer, in part due to a desire to live closer to his parents and so his children could spend more time with their grandparents.

South Carolina Athletic Director Mike McGee rebutted by saying, "There are no formal or informal guarantees at him," and "It's always helpful to have potential succession in a staff.

[13] On November 22, 2004, one season after Skip's demotion, Lou Holtz announced he was retiring as head coach of South Carolina.

[18] Skip's first victory at ECU came in the first game of the 2005 season as the Pirates defeated the Duke Blue Devils 24–21 at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium.

The victory was ECU's first non-conference Division I win since 2000, when the Pirates won the Galleryfurniture.com Bowl against Texas Tech.

[21] In 2007, Holtz's team won eight games, including wins over intrastate rival North Carolina and going 3–2, versus Conference USA East opponents.

Finishing second in the East Division, Holtz's team was invited to the Hawai'i Bowl to play #24 Boise State University.

[26] Holtz earned his first win as head coach of the Bulls on September 1, 2010, in USF's season opener against Stony Brook 59–14.

At the end of the season Holtz lead the USF Bulls to a mostly dominant 31–26 victory over the Clemson Tigers at the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

To start the 2011 season, Skip Holtz led the Bulls to an emotional homecoming against his alma mater, Notre Dame.

[31] On January 20, 2022, Holtz was named Head coach and General manager of the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League (USFL).

[34] The Drew Steele-Skip Holtz Golf Classic benefits citizens of Pitt County with special needs.