Hospice has hit Holtz and Holtz has headed into Hospice Care…Lou Holtz…One of the top All-Time Great Football Coaches at N.C. State University…This is not a happy time, but a sad time for Lou Holtz, and the whole Holtz Family…N.C. State football fans will never forget the job Lou Holtz did, while leading the Wolfpack…Again sad news, but here is the word….
Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz, 89, has entered hospice care at his Orlando home as of late January 2026, facing serious but unspecified health challenges. His family has confirmed the news, requesting prayers and privacy while focusing on spending time together during this difficult period.
Here are the key details regarding the situation:
Current Status: Confirmed to be in hospice care as of January 30, 2026.
Family Statement: His son, Kevin Holtz, confirmed the update on Facebook, noting he is receiving care at home and asking for prayers.
Context: The 89-year-old Hall of Famer has faced various health issues over the years, including a treated prostate cancer diagnosis in 2014.
Recent Activity: Despite declining health, he appeared in public as recently as September 2025 as an honorary captain for an Arkansas-Notre Dame game.
There is no official word on the exact nature of the current illness, but reports highlight his advanced age and long history of health challenges.
Lou Holtz Head Coaching Career over the years…
William & Mary…(13-20)
N.C. State from 1972-1975…at N.C. State Holtz’ Wolfpack teams went (33-12-3)
N.Y. Jets…After going (3-10) with the Jets, Holtz said upon his departure, “God did not put Lou Holtz on this earth to coach in the pros.”…Holtz spent just one year with the Jets…
Arkansas….Holtz’ 1977 Arkansas team(11-1) defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl, and was recognized by the Rothman (FACT) poll as co-national champions, along with Texas and Notre Dame for 1977.
Overall at Arkansas(60-21-2)
Minnesota…(10-12) with the Golden Gophers…
Notre Dame…National Title while at Notre Dame in 1988 (12-0)
Overall Holtz went (100-30-2) while with the Fighting Irish…
South Carolina….Lou Holtz goes (33-37) in his last college football coaching stop, there with the South Carolina Gamecocks….
Overall College Coaching Career (249–132–7)
***********But here is what really gets you remembering, jumping up, and thinking back to good ole days in Raleigh, back when Lou Holtz was there, with the N.C. State Wolfpack…**********
Lou Holtz was the leader of so many outstanding Wolfpack players…The Buckey Brothers/Buckey Twins, Dave and Don…Dave the QB, and brother Don, the wide receiver…Believe they came in here to North Carolina from Ohio, and they were so magical, they were UNREAL…Best active brother combination I have ever seen on a college football field…It just changed the entire dynamic of N.C. State football, when those two brothers went to work together…It gave N.C. State so much credibility, and it gave them clarity on the football field…Clarity, as in it is crystal clear you have a chance to win, when Dave and Don Buckey are on the football field together…
Ah, those Buckey boys…The Buckey Brothers…The Buckey Twins…The list goes on and we could lay them out here for you forever…
You had Stan Fritts, Willie Burden, and Roland Hooks…One of the best sets of running backs, together in the backfield, in college football history…The you had Charley Young back there with them too…Fritts later played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Hooks played for the Buffalo Bills, Young played for the Dallas Cowboys, and I know Burden had a go of it with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL…
And there was another key fella that played for Lou Holtz, while Holtz was coaching at N.C. State…He was a linebacker, and his name is Bill Cowher…Super Bowl winning player and Super Bowl winning coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers…How ’bout the Bill Cowher, and he came from N.C. State, and he was coached by Lou Holtz…
Holtz last year at N.C. State was 1975, and he had a freshman running back on that last team, and the freshman was from High Point Andrews High School, in High Point, N.C. As a freshman RB under Holtz, Ted Brown ran for 913 yards and 13 touchdowns that year, earning the ACC Freshman of the Year honors…Ted Brown is considered by many to be the top running back in ACC Football History…And he came from High Point, N.C. State, and from the tutledge of Coach Lou Holtz…
N.C. State had another High Point Andrews High School product that did some very good things for the N.C. State Wolfpack, both as the Pack’s quarterback and the punter…His name was Johnny Evans and Evans took over at QB after Dave Buckey moved on, and Evans just added the QB duties to what he had already been doing, as the Wolfpack punter…
from Faith, Family and Football: Johnny Evans….by A.J. Carr
“Coach Holtz had a great sense of humor and was very emotional,’’ Evans says. “He got your respect. He was a very strong leader. He sat in on quarterback meetings with a special eye. It was difficult at times. But it was a benefit for me to play for him. I loved him.”
Sometimes, if Holtz’s team wasn’t gelling in practice, he would call everybody to midfield and do a magic trick — like pulling a coin out of a player’s ear.
But Evans also saw the coach’s feisty side: One time, Wolfpack team buses arrived at Arizona State’s stadium on game day and found the gate entrance blocked. While a security guard spoke to the driver, Holtz jumped out of the bus and tossed the barricade onto the side of the road.
“We were already jazzed up… that energized us,” Evans says.
Evans averaged 46.1 yards per kick his All-America junior year and posted a 44-yard career average.
Old-timers will remember a 83-yard quick kick at Penn State in 1975, a pivotal punt with the clock ticking down in the Wolfpack’s nerve-grinding, 15-14 upset victory. “It was the only quick kick I ever attempted,’’ Evans says. “It was unique… Coach Holtz pulled it out of the bag at just the right time.”
There was another magical moment that season: Trailing top-10-ranked Florida 7-0, NC State scored late in the fourth quarter and Holtz called for a two-point conversion attempt — to go for the win, boom or bust.
The play? A pitchout from quarterback Dave Buckey to Evans, who was playing halfback. “I had the option of running or passing,’’ Evans explains. “I ran and got my right hand right on the flag, barely broke the plane of the goal line. We won 8-7. It was a big victory.”
++++++++++And there you have it….That gives you a pretty good wrap on Lou Holtz, while he was at N.C. State…How ’bout that Holtz, and how ’bout that Pack….++++++++++