Former South Carolina football coach Lou Holtz is in hospice care
College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz, who led the South Carolina Gamecocks for six seasons, is currently in hospice care, The State confirmed on Friday.
A few media outlets reported the development Thursday, but further confirmation came Friday when longtime broadcaster Tim Brando wrote on social media that he spoke with Holtz’s son, Skip.
“They’re well aware of all the (prayers) his Dad is receiving around the country and world,” Brando said through a post on X/Twitter. “He (Skip) did add, ‘He’s still fighting the fight.’”
Holtz is 89 years old.
Skip Holtz offered this update Sunday morning through an X post: “Appreciate everyone’s text and prayers. Dad is 89 and he is STILL fighting the fight! Only the man upstairs knows how much time is left on the clock. Cherishing the time we still have together in Orlando.”
The legendary coaching figure spent time leading William & Mary, N.C. State, Arkansas and Minnesota. He is best-known nationally for his time at Notre Dame — an 11-season run (1986-96) that included 100 victories and the 1988 national championship. To a younger generation, Holtz is most familiar for his 10 years working at ESPN, where he and analyst Mark May provided constant entertainment on the “College Football Final” show.
In the Palmetto State, Holtz is known for his time as South Carolina’s head football coach.
In six seasons guiding the Gamecocks from 1999-2004, Holtz went 33-37 and led South Carolina to back-to-back Outback Bowl victories (2000 and 2001), both against Ohio State.
While Holtz’s first season in Columbia amounted to the worst-season in program history — a winless 0-11 campaign where USC was outscored by nearly 200 combined points — the turnaround was even more remarkable.
The Gamecocks went 8-4 in 2000 — highlighted by ranked wins over No. 9 Georgia and No. 25 Mississippi State (”The Fade” game) — and followed it up with a 9-3 season in 2001. Prior to Holtz’s arrival at South Carolina, the Gamecocks had nine games just once (1984, 10 wins).
This story was originally published January 30, 2026 at 3:03 PM.
