Former players and coaches return to Notre Dame to honor Lou Holtz

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Former Notre Dame players, coaches and fans returned to campus Sunday night to honor the life and legacy of former Fighting Irish coach Lou Holtz, whose impact on the program extended far beyond the football field.

Holtz, who revived Notre Dame football during his 11 seasons in South Bend, won 100 games with the Irish and 249 games overall in his Hall of Fame coaching career. His visitation was held Sunday night at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, where a steady line of mourners gathered from 7 to 10 p.m. to pay their respects.

Among those in attendance was former assistant coach Mike Trgovac, who worked on Holtz’s staff from 1992 to 1994. Trgovac, who later spent more than two decades coaching in the NFL, said the foundation of his career was built during his time under Holtz.

“We had a great relationship,” Trgovac said. “He was hard on us, but he was fair on us, and that’s probably the best way to describe him. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Trgovac said Holtz hired him over the phone while he was at Colorado State, before the two had ever met in person. Their first face-to-face meeting came in the Notre Dame staff room, where Trgovac quickly learned one of Holtz’s core expectations: never be late.

He said Holtz’s presence and ability to motivate set him apart from nearly anyone else in the profession.

“I always tell people this,” Trgovac said. “If Knute Rockne, Bill Walsh and Lou Holtz were in three rows side by side and were speaking clinic talk, at the end of the day, every one of them would be in Lou Holtz’s room. He was such a fantastic speaker and such a fantastic motivator.”

Former Notre Dame defensive player Brian Shannon, a member of the program’s 1988 national championship team, also returned to campus Sunday. He said Holtz taught his players that football was only one part of a much larger lesson about life, character and commitment.

“He’s a man of high moral values and such good character,” Shannon said. “I think that’s the legacy that Notre Dame football is really based on. It’s competition and success, and it’s based on those fundamental qualities.”

For many gathered on campus, the night reflected the broad reach of Holtz’s influence — not only as a coach, but as a mentor and leader whose lessons stayed with those around him long after their football careers ended. Holtz’s official funeral Mass and burial are scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. EST.