To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Servite sought to honor a Faith-Filled Leader, someone who had dedicated their life to the pursuit of excellence and served a living example of the Catholic values that Servite teaches young men. We are blessed to announce that the recipient of our 2018 National Leader Award is the legendary Lou Holtz. From his storied years as a college football coach to his later work as a television sports analyst, author, and motivational speaker, the plain-spoken wisdom of Lou Holtz has inspired countless individuals to strive beyond their limits to achieve their goals.
Born on January 6, 1937, in Follansbee, West Virginia, Holtz grew up in East Liverpool, Ohio. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in history from Kent State in 1959 and a Master’s degree from Iowa in arts and education in 1961. He played linebacker at Kent State for two seasons before an injury ended his career. He has received numerous honorary doctorate degrees.
Holtz became the 25th head coach of Notre Dame in 1986, following stints at Minnesota, Arkansas, NC State and William & Mary. Twenty-one of the 26 collegiate teams under his direction have earned post-season bowl invitations – and 14 have finished in the final AP top 20, eight in the top 10.
In his 11 seasons at Notre Dame, Holtz chalked up more victories than the number accumulated by Parseghian, Rockne or Leahy in their first 11 years on the job. He led the Fighting Irish to a consensus national championship in 1988, a record 23-game winning streak that ranks as the longest in Notre Dame history. He was selected for the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
After his departure from Notre Dame following the 1996 season, he joined CBS Sports’ College Football Today as a sports analyst but returned to coaching in 1999. As head coach at the University of South Carolina from 1999-2004, he led the Gamecocks to back-to-back January 1 bowl games for the first time in the history of the school and defeated Ohio State in consecutive bowl appearances. He returned to television after leaving South Carolina, working as a college football studio analyst on ESPN. He appeared on ESPNews, ESPN College GameDay programs, SportsCenter, and served as an on-site analyst for college football games.
Holtz has authored three New York Times best-selling books: The Fighting Spirit, Winning Every Day: A Game Plan for Success and Wins, Losses and Lessons. He is a renowned public speaker, sharing with audiences many of the same messages he shared with young athletes.
Please join us on February 24th as we celebrate National Leader Honoree Lou Holtz, Distinguished Alumnus Honoree Dr. Thomas Heywood ’71 and the 60th Anniversary of Servite High School! For more information, go to servitehs.org/excellence or contact Steve Beaird, Vice President of Advancement, at sbeaird@ servitehs.org or (714) 774-7575, ext. 1168.
