Former Gopher HC Lou Holtz in hospice care

Donate To GopherHole



GoldRush said:
Fun fact. Lou was 10-12 in 2 seasons as a coach here and left before the bowl game he was supposed to coach in. Left us with a 2-year NCAA probation.
Click to expand...
True. His legacy here far outweighs his achievements.

I do think if he stayed for 8-10 years we would be in a different spot now.
 

Holtz's legacy here is the PTSD he caused for the next 40 years as fans worried that any coach who had any level of success was going to be stolen away even though it never happened in football or men's basketball.

It would definitely have been interesting to see how things would have gone for the football program if he had stayed.

Hopefully he is comfortable for whatever time he has left. He led a very full life.
 


GoldRush said:
Fun fact. Lou was 10-12 in 2 seasons as a coach here and left before the bowl game he was supposed to coach in. Left us with a 2-year NCAA probation.
Click to expand...
I was to young to be following then, but looking it up, the violations were Holtz giving $250 to a player for a course to stay eligible, and $65 to a player that lost their wallet? Man times have changed!
 

GoldRush said:
Fun fact. Lou was 10-12 in 2 seasons as a coach here and left before the bowl game he was supposed to coach in. Left us with a 2-year NCAA probation.
Click to expand...
Never a fan of the guy. Don't wish him any ill will at this point of his life but I certainly think he did more harm than good here. Regardless of how minor many of them seem today he left a wake of NCAA violations nearly everywhere he went. I believe he in part led to a rule change that was eventually was made that NCAA punishments would travel with the coach to his next job if he left the school where the infractions occurred.
 






GoldRush said:
Fun fact. Lou was 10-12 in 2 seasons as a coach here and left before the bowl game he was supposed to coach in. Left us with a 2-year NCAA probation.
Click to expand...
Lou Holtz didn’t kill the glory days but between coming in moving the program to the dome then bailing he did put the glory days on hospice care.



In all seriousness feel bad for his family. End of life is always tough. He is old, lived a good life. It’s hard anyways.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Holtz's legacy here is the PTSD he caused for the next 40 years as fans worried that any coach who had any level of success was going to be stolen away even though it never happened in football or men's basketball.
Click to expand...
It didn't help that Grinnin' Glen was holding out hope that the Buckeyes would give him a call someday.
 

Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0 said:
It didn't help that Grinnin' Glen was holding out hope that the Buckeyes would give him a call someday.
Click to expand...
True, but had that one happened it would have been understandable because Mason was never shy about his love for Ohio State.

But there have been so many other cases since Holtz's departure where fans would twist themselves into knots worrying about our coach getting stolen away and it never happened.
 



MNVCGUY said:
True, but had that one happened it would have been understandable because Mason was never shy about his love for Ohio State.

But there have been so many other cases since Holtz's departure where fans would twist themselves into knots worrying about our coach getting stolen away and it never happened.
Click to expand...
Agree.
 

holtz left NC State for the NFL, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch
holtz left Arkansas for Minnesota, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch
holtz left Minnesota for Notre Dame, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch
holtz left ND for South Carolina, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch
holtz retired from SC, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch

Every college stop he coached at was punished by the NCAA and even with that constant cheating he won a total of 1 natty. And he was warmly welcomed to the NCAA hall of fame. Sham.

He got caught cheating everywhere he coached and left every place before the sanctions hit because he knew they were coming. He’s scum.
 


Unregistered User said:
holtz left NC State for the NFL, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch
holtz left Arkansas for Minnesota, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch
holtz left Minnesota for Notre Dame, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch
holtz left ND for South Carolina, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch
holtz retired from SC, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch

Every college stop he coached at was punished by the NCAA and even with that constant cheating he won a total of 1 natty. And he was warmly welcomed to the NCAA hall of fame. Sham.

He got caught cheating everywhere he coached and left every place before the sanctions hit because he knew they were coming. He’s scum.
Click to expand...
You missed your calling as a writer for Hallmark.
 

NCAA violations aside......

I was a kid and the dome was rocking. He would have led the Gophers to a Rose Bowl. I also believe him when he said that he wasn't leaving Minnesota but for the fact that he got his dream job at Notre Dame.
 

Unregistered User said:
holtz left NC State for the NFL, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch
holtz left Arkansas for Minnesota, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch
holtz left Minnesota for Notre Dame, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch
holtz left ND for South Carolina, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch
holtz retired from SC, NCAA slapped them with sanctions under his watch

Every college stop he coached at was punished by the NCAA and even with that constant cheating he won a total of 1 natty. And he was warmly welcomed to the NCAA hall of fame. Sham.

He got caught cheating everywhere he coached and left every place before the sanctions hit because he knew they were coming. He’s scum.
Click to expand...
I agree that Holtz the coach did things that were easy to dislike, but I still pray that he goes in peace. For a moment he gave hope and allowed fans/ boosters to consider the great potential this program had/ has.
 

I was attending the U when Lou left to Notre Dame. I recall watching a Notre Dame game on TV in his first year and several in our Gopher student ticket group would spit on the TV every time they showed Lou. It was gross, but it felt appropriate.
 

Minnesota (5-1 & 3-0 in the Big Ten) against Ohio State (6-0 & 3-0 in the Big Ten). It is the ABC game of the week. 64,000 in the Dome. The Gophers are delayed taking the fired and the band plays the Rouser about five times further stoking the crowd. Minnesota trails 23-19 and is driving for a game winning touchdown. Rickey Foggie gets hurt on
a QB keeper leaving about a fourth & one about the OSU 7 or 8 yard line. The backup QB Ford replaces Foggie and is stuffed in 4th down and Minnesota loses. Foggie doesn’t play the next week against MSU. The Gophers fall way behind (31-0?) but rally to make it a one score game before losing. Foggie was never as quick after the injury. In the OSU game, Glen Dusbabek intercepted a pass right before halftime and tripped over a seam in the artificial turf with an open field in front of him. I’ll always wonder if we had qualified for a major bowl would Holtz had left. I also have a recollection that Tony Rice changed his commitment from Minnesota and followed Holtz to Notre Dame.
 

My talent for hoops and football was D2. I applied to the U to be just a student. After applying, I got a letter from Coach Holtz. He noticed my accomplishments and asked me to walk on. I jumped at the chance. I was a punter and a WR. We were 3 a days and classes didn't start until mid September. Between practices me, Tim Juneau and some others would play basketball. I believe Tim was all state. I know he sat on the basketball bench when the iron five played. Adam Kelly was our punter. Chip was our kicker-he was cocky as a freshman. We were short of uniforms, so I borrowed Brett Sadek's pants for pictures. I was only on the team for less than half the season. I was in over my head at D1 football. Had a few interactions with Lou. One time he was with the punt returners. I boomed a moon shot that he lost in the sun. It hit his foot. He came storming down to where the punters were and asked who kicked that one. I sheepishly raised my hand. He came over and said "great kick". I hope he is at peace.
 


He was one of the biggest frauds and cheaters in college football. Nonetheless Here's hoping he and his family find peace.
 


cheeseheadgophfan said:
NCAA violations aside......

I was a kid and the dome was rocking. He would have led the Gophers to a Rose Bowl. I also believe him when he said that he wasn't leaving Minnesota but for the fact that he got his dream job at Notre Dame.
Click to expand...
I agree with everything you said. I remember being a season ticket holder back when Holtz was the head coach. He was the biggest hire we ever had. He made us the talk of the town. I didn’t blame him for taking ND job. I think we could have been big time if he stayed. Wish him and his family the best though these tuff times.
 

Didn't Lou have an out in his contract which allowed him to go to Notre Dame with no penalty or buyout clause?

I was disappointed but not mad when he left because he negotiated that fair -&-square.

Still glad the U said yes because for one brief moment...
 

Married@SiebertField said:
Minnesota (5-1 & 3-0 in the Big Ten) against Ohio State (6-0 & 3-0 in the Big Ten). It is the ABC game of the week. 64,000 in the Dome. The Gophers are delayed taking the fired and the band plays the Rouser about five times further stoking the crowd. Minnesota trails 23-19 and is driving for a game winning touchdown. Rickey Foggie gets hurt on
a QB keeper leaving about a fourth & one about the OSU 7 or 8 yard line. The backup QB Ford replaces Foggie and is stuffed in 4th down and Minnesota loses. Foggie doesn’t play the next week against MSU. The Gophers fall way behind (31-0?) but rally to make it a one score game before losing. Foggie was never as quick after the injury. In the OSU game, Glen Dusbabek intercepted a pass right before halftime and tripped over a seam in the artificial turf with an open field in front of him. I’ll always wonder if we had qualified for a major bowl would Holtz had left. I also have a recollection that Tony Rice changed his commitment from Minnesota and followed Holtz to Notre Dame.
Click to expand...
I was there for that OSU game. With today’s replay/camera angles, either or both of those plays, were 1st downs. That is my infallible 1st person memory, at least, and of course.
 

GoldRush said:
Fun fact. Lou was 10-12 in 2 seasons as a coach here and left before the bowl game he was supposed to coach in. Left us with a 2-year NCAA probation.
Click to expand...
I'm not a fan of him as a human being, but as a football coach here at Minnesota he was the best we ever had. Why you ask. Because I was a freshman and witnessed when we lost 84-13 to Nebraska. The gopher program was in the absolute sh*tter. Holtz came in the following year and immediately, and i mean literally immediately established credibility like no gopher fan had ever witnessed before. By Holtz's second season they barely lost to eventual national champion Oklahoma 13-6, no other team played the Sooners as well as Minnesota did that year. The closest was when Texas lost to OU 14-7. If Holtz had stayed for a 3rd season Minnesota would have been National Champions. Yes, really. Since that time (Harvey Mackay/Paul Giel) U leadership has lacked the balls to essentially accomplish what Indiana recently did by putting the right people in place, swing for the fences, and actually try to become a winner. Too bad for us.
 

Big Dawg said:
My talent for hoops and football was D2. I applied to the U to be just a student. After applying, I got a letter from Coach Holtz. He noticed my accomplishments and asked me to walk on. I jumped at the chance. I was a punter and a WR. We were 3 a days and classes didn't start until mid September. Between practices me, Tim Juneau and some others would play basketball. I believe Tim was all state. I know he sat on the basketball bench when the iron five played. Adam Kelly was our punter. Chip was our kicker-he was cocky as a freshman. We were short of uniforms, so I borrowed Brett Sadek's pants for pictures. I was only on the team for less than half the season. I was in over my head at D1 football. Had a few interactions with Lou. One time he was with the punt returners. I boomed a moon shot that he lost in the sun. It hit his foot. He came storming down to where the punters were and asked who kicked that one. I sheepishly raised my hand. He came over and said "great kick". I hope he is at peace.
Click to expand...
Wasn't he a QB at Rosemount H.S.?
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom