Lou Holtz built one of college football’s most influential coaching trees during his career spanning more than three decades. His assistants went on to capture national championships and Super Bowls across both college and professional football.
Holtz is best known for his tenure at Notre Dame, where he posted a 100-30-2 record over 11 seasons. He led the Fighting Irish to a perfect 12-0 season and consensus national championship in 1988.
His influence extended across six different programs. Holtz remains the only coach in college football history to lead six schools to bowl games, with four of those teams finishing in the Top 15 in the final AP Poll.
Notable Coaches from Holtz’s Tree
Barry Alvarez played for Holtz and later joined his coaching staff. Alvarez transformed Wisconsin into a national power, winning three Rose Bowls during his tenure as head coach.
Urban Meyer served as wide receivers coach on Holtz’s Notre Dame staff. Meyer later won national championships at Florida and Ohio State.
Pete Carroll worked as a graduate assistant under Holtz at Arkansas. Carroll captured a national title at USC and led the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory.
Holtz’s defensive coaching disciples made their mark as well.
Monte Kiffin coached under Holtz at Arkansas before becoming one of the NFL’s most respected defensive coordinators. Kiffin helped popularize the Tampa 2 defensive scheme during his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Charlie Strong worked under Holtz at South Carolina. Strong later became head coach at Louisville and Texas.
Jimmye Laycock served as a longtime assistant under Holtz at William & Mary before enjoying a successful head coaching career at the same school.
Dan Henning also worked on Holtz’s staff and transitioned to NFL coaching.
The coaching tree extends to Holtz’s family as well. His son Skip Holtz carved out a lengthy career as both a college head coach and NFL assistant.
Holtz’s Coaching Record
Holtz retired in 2004 with a career head coaching record of 249-132-7. He earned consensus Coach of the Year honors in 1977.
Beyond Notre Dame’s 1988 national championship, Holtz guided teams to three conference titles. He won the Southern Conference in 1970, the ACC in 1973, and the Southwest Conference in 1979.
Holtz coached at William & Mary, NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and South Carolina during his career.
The philosophy he taught his assistants continues to influence football decades after his final game. His coaching tree represents one of the most successful in college football history.
