Lou Holtz
Lou Holtz went 249–132–7 as a head coach, 1969–2004, at William & Mary, NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina. His 1988 Notre Dame team claims the national title. Share
- Record
- 249–132–7 career
- Seasons
- 33
- Schools
- 6
- National titles
- 1 claimed: 1988
- Hall of Fame
- 2008 inducted
- Best season
- 1988 12–0, No. 1
Season by season
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
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Tony RiceFourth in the 1989 Heisman vote- Reggie BrooksFifth in the 1992 Heisman vote
- Rick MirerNo. 2 pick, 1993
- Todd LyghtConsensus All‑American, 1989 and 1990
- Michael StonebreakerConsensus All‑American, 1988 and 1990
Steve LittleConsensus All‑American, 1977- Jeff BurrisConsensus All‑American, 1993
- Frank StamsConsensus All‑American, 1988
- Leotis HarrisConsensus All‑American, 1977
- Steve KorteConsensus All‑American, 1982
Bill YoestConsensus All‑American, 1973
Troy WilliamsonNo. 7 pick, 2005
15 more
Bobby Taylor (Consensus All‑American, 1994); Greg Kolenda (Consensus All‑American, 1979); Mirko Jurkovic (Consensus All‑American, 1991); Bryant Young (No. 7 pick, 1994); Dunta Robinson (No. 10 pick, 2004); Jerome Bettis (No. 10 pick, 1993); Gary Anderson (No. 20 pick, 1983); Renaldo Wynn (No. 21 pick, 1997); John Abraham (No. 13 pick, 2000); Charley Young (No. 22 pick, 1974); Ron Faurot (No. 15 pick, 1984); Derek Brown (No. 14 pick, 1992); Tom Carter (No. 17 pick, 1993); Andy Heck (No. 15 pick, 1989); Irv Smith (No. 20 pick, 1993).
18 of the 33 players from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick, the best of each school he coached among them. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 117 | 50–63–4 | 44% |
| Against top-10 teams | 69 | 26–41–2 | 39% |
| Against rivals | 149 | 107–39–3 | 73% |
| Conference games | 157 | 88–66–3 | 57% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 22 | 12–8–2 | 59% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 142 | 73–62–7 | 54% |
| At home | 200 | 144–54–2 | 73% |
| On the road | 154 | 83–68–3 | 55% |
| At neutral sites | 34 | 22–10–2 | 68% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 250 | 204–41–5 | 83% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 138 | 45–91–2 | 33% |
His own 388 games on file, 1969–2004, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Perles 1984–1994 | 8–3 | Michigan State | 11 | |
| Fred Akers 1977–1990 | 6–5 | Texas, Purdue | 11 | |
| Joe Paterno 1972–1992 | 5–6 | Penn State | 11 | |
| John Cooper 1977–2000 | 8–2 | Tulsa, Ohio State | 10 | |
| Fisher DeBerry 1986–1996 | 8–1 | Air Force | 9 | |
| Bill Yeoman 1974–1983 | 3–4–1 | Houston | 8 | |
| Grant Teaff 1977–1983 | 4–3 | Baylor | 7 | |
| Jackie Sherrill 1982–2002 | 4–3 | Texas A&M, Mississippi State | 7 | |
| Bobby Bowden 1970–1995 | 2–5 | West Virginia, Florida State | 7 | |
| Larry Smith 1987–1992 | 6–0 | USC | 6 |
Lou Holtz’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Purdueseries | 13 | 12–1 |
| Navyseries | 12 | 12–0 |
| Michigan Stateseries | 12 | 8–4 |
| USCseries | 11 | 9–1–1 |
| Michiganseries | 11 | 5–5–1 |
| Penn Stateseries | 11 | 5–6 |
| Texas A&Mseries | 10 | 8–2 |
| Clemsonseries | 10 | 5–5 |
National coaching awards
The awards- 1988 Notre Dame: Bear Bryant Award and Eddie Robinson
- 1977 Arkansas: Eddie Robinson and Walter Camp Coach
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Iowa | Assistant coach | |
| 1961–63 | William & Mary | Assistant coach | |
| 1964–65 | Connecticut | Assistant coach | |
| 1966–67 | South Carolina | Assistant coach | |
| 1968 | Ohio State | Assistant coach | |
| 1969–71 | William & Mary | Head coach | |
| 1972–75 | NC State | Head coach | |
| 1976 | New York Jets NFL | Head coach | |
| 1977–83 | Arkansas | Head coach | |
| 1984–85 | Minnesota | Head coach | |
| 1986–96 | Notre Dame | Head coach | |
| 1999–2004 | South Carolina | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Forest EvashevskiIowa
- Milt DrewerWilliam & Mary
- Rick ForzanoUConn
- Paul DietzelSouth Carolina
- Woody HayesOhio State
Assistants who became head coaches
- Bo ReinNC State, LSU
- Bobby RossThe Citadel, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Army, San Diego Chargers, Detroit Lions
- Larry BeightolLouisiana Tech
- Brian BurkeOhio
- Chuck AmatoNC State
- Charlie TaaffeThe Citadel, Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- Dan HenningBoston College, Atlanta Falcons, San Diego Chargers
- Bob CopePacific
- Jesse BranchMissouri State, Henderson State
- John JenkinsHouston, Ottawa Renegades
- Monte KiffinNC State
- Pete CarrollUSC, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders
- and 34 more
Worked under (5)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Evashevski | Iowa | 1960 | Assistant coach | |
| Milt Drewer | William & Mary | 1961–63 | Assistant coach | |
| Rick Forzano | UConn | 1964–65 | Assistant coach | |
| Paul Dietzel | South Carolina | 1966–67 | Assistant coach | |
| Woody Hayes | Ohio State | 1968 | Assistant coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (46)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bo Rein | William & Mary, 1969–70: assistant coach; NC State, 1972–74: assistant coach | NC State, LSU | |
| Bobby Ross | William & Mary, 1969–70: defensive backs coach, defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator | The Citadel, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Army, San Diego Chargers, Detroit Lions | |
| Larry Beightol | William & Mary, 1969–71: offensive line coach; NC State, 1972–75: offensive line coach; Arkansas, 1977–78: offensive line coach; 1981: offensive coordinator | Louisiana Tech | |
| Brian Burke | William & Mary, 1971: assistant coach; NC State, 1972–75: offensive coordinator | Ohio | |
| Chuck Amato | NC State, 1972: graduate assistant; 1973–75: defensive backs coach | NC State | |
| Charlie Taaffe | NC State, 1975: GA: offensive backs | The Citadel, Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats | |
| Dan Henning | New York Jets, 1976: wide receivers coach | Boston College, Atlanta Falcons, San Diego Chargers | |
| Bob Cope | Arkansas, 1977–79: defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator; 1980: defensive coordinator | Pacific | |
| Jesse Branch | Arkansas, 1977–79, 1981–82: wide receivers coach; 1980: defensive backs coach; 1983: offensive backs coach | Missouri State, Henderson State | |
| John Jenkins | Arkansas, 1977–78: defensive backs coach | Houston, Ottawa Renegades | |
| Monte Kiffin | Arkansas, 1977–78: defensive coordinator; 1979: assistant head coach and defensive coordinator | NC State | |
| Pete Carroll | Arkansas, 1977: graduate assistant | USC, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders | |
| Pete Cordelli | Arkansas, 1977–78: graduate assistant; 1983: wide receivers coach; Minnesota, 1984–85: wide receivers and tight ends coach; Notre Dame, 1986–90: quarterbacks and wide receivers coach | Kent State | |
| Rick Minter | Arkansas, 1978: graduate assistant; Notre Dame, 1992–93: defensive coordinator; South Carolina, 2004: defensive coordinator | Cincinnati, Marshall | |
| Kevin Coyle | Arkansas, 1980: assistant coach | Atlanta Legends | |
| Fred von Appen | Arkansas, 1981: defensive line coach | Hawai’i | |
| John Thompson | Arkansas, 1982: graduate assistant | East Carolina, Arkansas State | |
| Houston Nutt | Arkansas, 1983: graduate assistant | Boise State, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Murray State | |
| Jim Strong | Arkansas, 1983: assistant coach; Minnesota, 1984–85: assistant coach; Notre Dame, 1987–88: running backs coach; 1989: offensive coordinator | UNLV | |
| Kim Dameron | Arkansas, 1983: graduate assistant | Eastern Illinois | |
| Jeff Horton | Minnesota, 1984: graduate assistant | Nevada, UNLV, Minnesota | |
| John Gutekunst | Minnesota, 1984–85: defensive coordinator; South Carolina, 1999–2003: defensive backs coach | Minnesota | |
| Ron Cooper | Minnesota, 1984: graduate assistant; Notre Dame, 1991–92: assistant coach; South Carolina, 2004: defensive backs coach | Eastern Michigan, Louisville, Alabama A&M, Long Island University | |
| Dave Steckel | Minnesota, 1985: graduate assistant | Missouri State | |
| Foge Fazio | Notre Dame, 1986–87: defensive coordinator | Pittsburgh | |
| Mike Stock | Notre Dame, 1986: running backs and wide receivers coach | Eastern Michigan | |
| Barry Alvarez | Notre Dame, 1987: linebackers coach; 1988–89: defensive coordinator | Wisconsin | |
| Jerry Partridge | Notre Dame, 1988–89: graduate assistant | Missouri Western, Northwestern Oklahoma State | |
| Steve Hagen | Notre Dame, 1989–90: wide receivers coach | Wartburg | |
| Gary Darnell | Notre Dame, 1990–91: assistant head coach and defensive coordinator | Florida, Western Michigan, Texas A&M, Tennessee Tech | |
| J. C. Harper | Notre Dame, 1990–91: graduate assistant | Stephen F. Austin | |
| Peter Vaas | Notre Dame, 1990: running backs coach; 1991: quarterbacks coach | Allegheny, Holy Cross, Berlin Thunder, Cologne Centurions | |
| Robert McFarland | Notre Dame, 1990: graduate assistant | Stephen F. Austin | |
| Skip Holtz | Notre Dame, 1990–91: wide receivers coach; 1992–93: offensive coordinator; South Carolina, 1999–2003: assistant head coach and offensive coordinator; 2004: assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach | East Carolina, South Florida, Louisiana Tech, UConn, Birmingham Stallions | |
| Todd Monken | Notre Dame, 1991–92: graduate assistant | Southern Miss, Cleveland Browns | |
| Tom Beck | Notre Dame, 1991: offensive coordinator | St. Procopius / Illinois Benedictine, Elmhurst, Grand Valley State | |
| Bob Davie | Notre Dame, 1994–96: defensive coordinator | Notre Dame, New Mexico | |
| Dave Roberts | Notre Dame, 1994–96: offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach; South Carolina, 1999–2004: assistant coach | Baylor, Western Kentucky, UL Monroe | |
| Dean Pees | Notre Dame, 1994: defensive backs coach | Kent State | |
| Charlie Strong | Notre Dame, 1995–96: defensive line coach; South Carolina, 1999–2002: defensive coordinator | Florida, Louisville, Texas, South Florida | |
| Jay Sawvel | Notre Dame, 1996: graduate assistant | Wyoming | |
| Urban Meyer | Notre Dame, 1996: wide receivers coach | Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, Ohio State, Jacksonville Jaguars | |
| Todd Fitch | South Carolina, 1999–2001: wide receivers coach; 2002: running backs coach; 2003: quarterbacks coach | Vanderbilt | |
| Joker Phillips | South Carolina, 2002: wide receivers coach | Kentucky | |
| Chad Staggs | South Carolina, 2003–04: graduate assistant | Coastal Carolina | |
| Rick Stockstill | South Carolina, 2004: wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator | Middle Tennessee |
Other assistants under him (15)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Dick Bumpas | Arkansas, 1977: graduate assistant; Notre Dame, 1990–91: defensive line coach | |
| Don Breaux | Arkansas, 1977–80: offensive backfield | |
| John Mitchell | Arkansas, 1977, 1982: defensive line coach | |
| Pat Ruel | Arkansas, 1977: offensive line graduate assistant | |
| Dave Wommack | Arkansas, 1979–80: graduate assistant; 1981–82: wide receivers coach | |
| Don Lindsey | Arkansas, 1981: defensive coordinator | |
| Chris Cosh | Minnesota, 1984: graduate assistant; South Carolina, 1999–2002: linebackers coach; 2003: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Phil Elmassian | Minnesota, 1984: defensive backs coach | |
| Joe Yonto | Notre Dame, 1986–87: defensive line coach | |
| Brian White | Notre Dame, 1988–89: graduate assistant | |
| Chuck Heater | Notre Dame, 1988–90: defensive backs coach | |
| Joe Moore | Notre Dame, 1988–96: offensive line coach | |
| Mike Markuson | Notre Dame, 1989: graduate assistant | |
| Greg Hudson | Notre Dame, 1993: graduate assistant | |
| Don Martindale | Notre Dame, 1994–95: assistant coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
How he coached
Holtz’s teams went for it on 20% of fourth downs and on 24% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 39% of plays and took 25.3 seconds a play, in 2004.
| Season | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 11 g | 17 of 84 20% | 24% | 39% | 25.3 | −0.08 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.
Books
Books: Open Library (CC0); most-reissued first, each linked to its page there.