Coach Lou Holtz

 

Louis Leo “Lou” Holtz, a national championship-winning college football coach and National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Famer member who devoted more than five decades to college coaching and broadcasting, died on March 4, 2026, at age 89.

Holtz passed away peacefully surrounded by his family in Orlando, Florida. A devoted husband, father, faithful Catholic and one of college football’s most legendary figures, he leaves behind a legacy defined by faith, family, perseverance and an unwavering belief in the potential of others.

Born January 6, 1937, in Follansbee, West Virginia, as one of three children to Andrew and Anne Holtz, Holtz grew up in a working-class family that instilled in him a relentless work ethic and an abiding sense of gratitude from an early age.

Holtz married his East Liverpool hometown love and best friend, Beth Barcus, on July 22, 1961. Their loving, faith filled marriage endured more than five decades until Beth’s passing in 2020, and those who knew them will remember Lou and Beth as inseparable partners through both life’s joys and challenges.

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