Lou Holtz is known as one of the greatest College Football coaches of all time. Holtz tragically passed away on March 4th, 2026. His funeral will be celebrated at the University of Notre Dame on March, 16th. Lou Holtz started his legendary head coaching career at College of William and Mary in 1969.
After a quick stop at NC state, he got the head coaching position of the New York Jets in 1976. Following stops at University of Arkansas, University of Minnesota, he got arguably the best coaching job in the country: the Head Coach of Notre Dame Football.
During his time at Notre Dame, his 1988 team went 12-0, winning the Fiesta Bowl and being named national champions. During that 1988 season he won the Paul Bryant award, Eddie Robinson, Sporting News College, and Walter Camp Coach of the Year awards. He wrapped it all up by also winning the Woody Hayes Trophy.
He finished his college coaching career with a total record of 249-132-7. In 2008, Lou Holtz was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Many people around the world know Coach Holtz as simply a great football coach. Not many people got to know him personally, outside the gridiron. My dad, Kevin Trimble, had the privilege of working along with Coach Holtz, on a college football show, The Crowd’s Line.
The Crowd’s Line is an AI-driven sports betting app and crowd-sourced predictions for different games and player props. The Crowd’s Line was founded by Anthony Lage and during the 2018 college football season, The Crowd’s Line put on a weekly show similar to College Gameday, where they did game predictions.
My dad was the moderator for this show and during this time he got to know Coach Holtz on a personal level.
“Six months after retiring from 23 years in the Marine Corps, five combat deployments included, I found myself sitting in Lou Holtz’s living room helping launch an online college football show with Coach Holtz and Mark May,” Trimble said. “I ended up directing and moderating 18 shows over about 20 weeks.”
During the 20 weeks of working on the show, my dad got to realize what made Coach Holtz such a beloved coach, mentor, and friend.
“Coach Holtz’s real mission in life was developing people. He gave people his full attention and expected the same in return.” He added. “He told me something I’ve never forgotten: put God first, your wife second, and make sure your children know how much you love their mother. His belief was that strong leadership anywhere starts with strong priorities at home.”
Coach Holtz was undeniably one of the greatest football coaches of all time. But he’s not going to be remembered for his wins or his trophies, but for his character and the impact he had on his players, coworkers, and his friends.
