Former Gophers HC Lou Holtz discusses his "Notre Dame clause" when leaving Minnesota

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Former Gophers HC Lou Holtz discusses his "Notre Dame clause" when leaving Minnesota

per the Public Opinion:

After a six-year stint as head coach at the University of Arkansas to 1983, Holtz received an offer to coach the Golden Gophers at the University of Minnesota. With the Gophers coming off a dreadful 1983 season at 1-10, the job proved to be unattractive.

“They offered the job to five different coaches — three assistant coaches — and all five turned it down,” Holtz said.

Holtz took the job after initially being impressed by the Gophers’ supposed competitiveness relayed by a university official.

“He said, ‘You know, Lou, last year, Nebraska only beat us by 10.’ That impressed me,” Holtz recalled. “I didn’t know he meant 10 touchdowns!”

The Gophers lost to the top-ranked Cornhuskers, 84-13, on Sept. 17, 1983. The Gophers later lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes, 69-18, and the Iowa Hawkeyes, 61-10. According to Holtz, the average score for the Gophers’ games saw the opponents outscore them 47-13 in that forgettable season.

With his work cut out for him, Holtz led the 1984 Golden Gophers squad to a three-win improvement over the previous year at 4-7. The 1985 squad improved further yet, amassing a record of 7-5 en route to a win in the Independence Bowl.

Holtz wasn’t there to guide the Gophers to the bowl win. Sometime before the bowl game was played, Holtz received an offer to coach at Notre Dame. Since Notre Dame was Holtz’s dream job, Holtz was able to utilize an escape clause in his contract with the University of Minnesota tied specifically to a Notre Dame coach opening. Holtz was only able to utilize the escape clause due to his success at Minnesota.

“The Notre Dame clause said that I was free to go to Notre Dame if they contacted me and we already accepted a bowl bid at Minnesota,” Holtz said. “The logic being that if we accepted a bowl bid, that meant we brought Minnesota to a decent program.”

http://www.thepublicopinion.com/new...cle_a5a7c07c-858f-11e6-b266-c7f323b49f92.html

Go Gophers!!
 

“He said, ‘You know, Lou, last year, Nebraska only beat us by 10.’ That impressed me,” Holtz recalled. “I didn’t know he meant 10 touchdowns!”


So was Lou always that old and kinda not with it?
 


How many times do you suppose Cock-aDoodle Lou has told the Nebraska beat us by 10 story?

I heard it in the mid 90's when I attended a top sales performer conference. As I was in Operations, I sat near the back. Lou got a big chuckle. Glad it's still working for him 20+ years later

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
 



A couple of minor issues with the writer:

1. The 1-10 season was unforgettable, not at all forgettable. I wish it was more forgettable than it is.
2. The 1985 squad did not amass a 7-5 record en route to a win in the Independence Bowl. They amassed a 6-5 record en route to the Independence Bowl, or a 7-5 including the Independence Bowl.
 

There was no "Notre Dame" clause. When he told his bosses at the U that he wanted to go, they figured there was no reason to try and keep him. Who knew that the Weasel would lie about it? Or that the "solid supporter of the U" at the Minneapolis paper would help him complete the scam.

Yeah, those last sentence sounds pretty funny now huh? ;)
 

everybody knows my name said:
A couple of minor issues with the writer:
Click to expand...

Yeah. But my issue is this: He NEVER had a ****ing clause. It's a lie that he and Sid still tell so Holtz (the cheating ****er) doesn't look like the bad guy for leaving in the middle of the night.

I mean...this is a pretty specific "clause" that he put in there. The only time it would trigger would be between the time bowl offers would go out and the actual bowl game? What if they offered after a bowl game? Clause is null and void?

Go **** yourself Lou.


"The Notre Dame clause said that I was free to go to Notre Dame if they contacted me and we already accepted a bowl bid at Minnesota,” Holtz said. “The logic being that if we accepted a bowl bid, that meant we brought Minnesota to a decent program.”
 

I love that some still refuse to believe fact no matter how plainly it is presented. Yeah, Lou's still lying about something from the 80s because.......


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 



Spoofin said:
I love that some still refuse to believe fact no matter how plainly it is presented. Yeah, Lou's still lying about something from the 80s because.......


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Because you posted from your iPhone?
 



Spoofin said:
I love that some still refuse to believe fact no matter how plainly it is presented. Yeah, Lou's still lying about something from the 80s because.......

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Even better are the guys that don't have a clue, but have been easily hooked into Lou's story. Which was a WAY better story to print, and be fooled by.

Know a guy pretty high up at the U who had access to all the contracts. You?
 



Iceland12 said:
Even better are the guys that don't have a clue, but have been easily hooked into Lou's story. Which was a WAY better story to print, and be fooled by.

Know a guy pretty high up at the U who had access to all the contracts. You?
Click to expand...

until this i always thought the clause was a fact. now im not sure.
 

I think both positions are partly correct. The contract apparently did not have a Notre Dame clause, but Holtz got a letter giving him permission to leave - for anywhere else.

From 1985:
So when Minnesota began to discuss a lifetime contract after his arrival in 1984, this was something new. He felt satisfied with the Big Ten Conference, with the effort to succeed, with the support from business. He said he did not feel there could be more potential for success at a state university elsewhere. Still, that did not mean that Minnesota would be the last stop.

''The only job that is not a state institution that enters your mind is Notre Dame,'' he said.

It had entered his mind. Although he said he had no reason to believe that opportunity would ever develop, that a call would ever come, Holtz decided that if he was going to commit himself to Minnesota forever and ever, there would have to be one provision.

''Lifetime commitment,'' Holtz recalled, and paused. ''With the exception of if Notre Dame ever calls.''

When the contract arrived five months after his arrival at Minnesota, Holtz read it and discovered there was no reference to Notre Dame. He said he was not going to sign a contract that did not have such a clause. Holtz said he then received a letter that gave him permission to leave for any other position.
 

gopherfannnn said:
I think both positions are partly correct. The contract apparently did not have a Notre Dame clause, but Holtz got a letter giving him permission to leave - for anywhere else.

From 1985:
So when Minnesota began to discuss a lifetime contract after his arrival in 1984, this was something new. He felt satisfied with the Big Ten Conference, with the effort to succeed, with the support from business. He said he did not feel there could be more potential for success at a state university elsewhere. Still, that did not mean that Minnesota would be the last stop.

''The only job that is not a state institution that enters your mind is Notre Dame,'' he said.

It had entered his mind. Although he said he had no reason to believe that opportunity would ever develop, that a call would ever come, Holtz decided that if he was going to commit himself to Minnesota forever and ever, there would have to be one provision.

''Lifetime commitment,'' Holtz recalled, and paused. ''With the exception of if Notre Dame ever calls.''

When the contract arrived five months after his arrival at Minnesota, Holtz read it and discovered there was no reference to Notre Dame. He said he was not going to sign a contract that did not have such a clause. Holtz said he then received a letter that gave him permission to leave for any other position.
Click to expand...

Then, there is the matter of impending & standing NCAA violations... http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-03-28/sports/9101280110_1_chuck-smrt-limited-sanctions-enforcement-staff
 


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