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The son of college football coaching legend Lou Holtz on Sunday shared an update on his father after he was admitted to hospice care earlier in the week.
Skip Holtz wrote on social media that his father was “still fighting the fight.”
“Appreciate everyone’s text and prayers. Dad is 89 and he is STILL fighting the fight! Only the man upstairs knows how much time is left on the clock,” he wrote. “Cherishing the time we still have together in Orlando.”
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Former Notre Dame Fighting and Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Lou Holtz holds a press conference prior to the game at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Sept. 27, 2025. (Nelson Chenault/Imagn Images)
Kevin Holtz confirmed on Saturday that Lou was in hospice care.
“The Holtz family, Luanne Altenbaumer, Skip Holtz, Liz Holtz Messaglia, share the difficult news that our father, Coach Lou Holtz, is presently facing a health challenge,” he wrote on Facebook. “While this is a challenging time, our focus is on maintaining his comfort, quality of life and care in his Orlando home.
“As family has always been the highest importance to Coach, we are holding to each other and focusing on making every moment and day count. The whole family appreciates your thoughts, prayers, and support but ask for privacy as we navigate this journey. Psalm 41:3.”
Best known for patrolling the sidelines at Arkansas and Notre Dame, Holtz coached college football for 33 years. He was the head coach of the Fighting Irish for 11 seasons from 1986-1996, where he finished with a 110-30-2 record.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Lou Holtz on the field prior to the game against Stanford Cardinal at Foster Field at Stanford Stadium on Oct. 2, 1993. (RVR Photos/USA TODAY Sports)
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In 1988, Notre Dame finished with a perfect 12-0 record and claimed the Fiesta Bowl, which remains their last national championship. He went 249-132-7 in his coaching career.
Holtz rose to even further prominence during his time as a college football analyst on ESPN.
He played at Kent State before moving into coaching as an assistant in 1960, then got his first head coaching job in 1969 at William & Mary. Holtz later left for N.C. State, spending four seasons in Raleigh, before giving the NFL a shot. That stint didn’t work out, though, as the Jets went 3-10 and he stepped down.
In recent years, Holtz has been a stern supporter of President Donald Trump. In February 2024, Holtz posted to social media that the country “need[ed] to coach America back to greatness!”
Former football coach, Lou Holtz, speaks remotely during the Republican National Convention at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 26, 2020. (Republican National Convention via USA TODAY NETWORK)
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Holtz, who spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention, was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump in 2020, shortly after former President Joe Biden defeated Trump in the election.
’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
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