Coaches / Head coach / Lou Holtz
Career
89
not coaching now
Rating—recent
Peak83best 5 yrs
Career89whole career
confidence
Lou Holtz
Head coach, 1969–2004
Headline rating: as head coach. Every role he has been rated in is below.
Chemistry
—
index in development
Seasons here—
Programs6
Stints6
Career path
Head-coaching stints since 1936; assistant roles since 2016
1969–1971William & MaryHead Coach
As head coach
Rating—Peak83Career89
1969–2004 · 33 seasonsRecord 249-132National titles 1Great seasons 10 (top ~7% of all teams that year)
- Rating 77: his whole career, recent seasons weighted most, measured as how far his teams stood above their era, crediting him with half of what each program already was when he arrived (about the share that, historically, follows a coach to his next job), fading as the program becomes his own.
- Peak 83: best five-season stretch, 1988–1992 at Notre Dame (53-8, 4 top-10 seasons by team strength, 1 national title), taking over a good program.
- Career 89 (#17 since 1936): total accomplishment over 33 seasons (249-132), 1 national title, 10 elite seasons; full credit for the program he inherited.
- Proven at 3 programs: NC State · Arkansas · Notre Dame.
Rating = who he is: his whole head-coaching career (since 1936), weighted toward recent years — how far his teams stood above their contemporaries, how much he lifted programs, his great seasons and titles. Form = the last two seasons. Career = the all-time ranking number.
| Season | Team | Record | Season rank | vs contemporaries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | South Carolina | 6-5 | #47 | +0.33 SD |
| 2003 | South Carolina | 5-7 | #47 | +0.28 SD |
| 2002 | South Carolina | 5-7 | #60 | +0.04 SD |
| 2001 | South Carolina | 9-3 | #16 | +1.02 SD |
| 2000 | South Carolina | 8-4 | #21 | +0.89 SD |
| 1999 | South Carolina | 0-11 | #87 | -0.70 SD |
| 1996 | Notre Dame | 8-3 | #6 | +1.54 SD |
| 1995 | Notre Dame | 9-3 | #5 | +1.62 SD |
| 1994 | Notre Dame | 6-5-1 | #17 | +1.02 SD |
| 1993 | Notre Dame | 11-1 | #5 | +1.67 SD |
| 1992 | Notre Dame | 10-1-1 | #2 | +2.12 SD |
| 1991 | Notre Dame | 10-3 | #9 | +1.59 SD |
| 1990 | Notre Dame | 9-3 | #13 | +1.28 SD |
| 1989 | Notre Dame | 12-1 | #3 | +1.92 SD |
| 1988 | Notre Dame | 12-0 | #1 | +2.05 SD |
| 1987 | Notre Dame | 8-4 | #9 | +1.45 SD |
| 1986 | Notre Dame | 5-6 | #16 | +1.12 SD |
| 1985 | Minnesota | 6-5 | #34 | +0.49 SD |
| 1984 | Minnesota | 4-7 | #78 | -0.73 SD |
| 1983 | Arkansas | 6-5 | #47 | +0.03 SD |
| 1982 | Arkansas | 9-2-1 | #24 | +0.98 SD |
| 1981 | Arkansas | 8-4 | #19 | +1.05 SD |
| 1980 | Arkansas | 7-5 | #37 | +0.46 SD |
| 1979 | Arkansas | 10-2 | #8 | +1.58 SD |
| 1978 | Arkansas | 9-2-1 | #6 | +1.76 SD |
| 1977 | Arkansas | 11-1 | #5 | +1.83 SD |
| 1975 | NC State | 7-4-1 | #38 | +0.44 SD |
| 1974 | NC State | 9-2-1 | #26 | +0.77 SD |
| 1973 | NC State | 9-3 | #14 | +1.11 SD |
| 1972 | NC State | 8-3-1 | #16 | +0.99 SD |
| 1971 | William & Mary | 5-6 | #71 | -0.35 SD |
| 1970 | William & Mary | 5-7 | #103 | -1.89 SD |
| 1969 | William & Mary | 3-7 | #105 | -1.72 SD |
Season rank = his team among all major-college teams that year; vs contemporaries = how far above the average team (in standard deviations).