Third-year Irish Head Coach Lou Holtz brought his “not so good football team” to a National Championship
As I’m writing this, it’s been just over 24 hours since I returned home from Atlanta, and I’m still processing everything that happened. I truly believed this team had something special—time and time again, they found ways to win. I thought this would be our year, the year Notre Dame would take down Ohio State in the National Championship Game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. While I’m heartbroken for the team, I also see hope: a young, talented roster, a strong foundation, and a cultural shift that’s long overdue. This feels like the beginning of something great, and I’m excited to watch this team continue to rise.
For this week’s Throwback Thursday post, I’m sharing a letter from Coach Lou Holtz, printed in the 1988 football review, “Lou’s Coup.” It reflects on how his team’s commitment, leadership, and belief in one another led them to a National Championship. This inspiring story reminds us that the foundation for greatness starts long before the glory.
Lou’s Coup
Third-year Irish Head Coach Lou Holtz brought his “not so good football team” to a National Championship
by Lou Holtz
There has to be a beginning to every story and I vividly recall the day when I believed that the University of Notre Dame’s football team could be outstanding. I don’t mean to say that we, the coaches, never believed that we could have an outstanding football team this season, but one day showed that we might have the qualities necessary to be champions. That day was August 29.
That afternoon was one of the longest, most grueling practices I have ever seen on a football field. But when it was all over, you could sense the players knew what they were capable of. That was a tired group of young men that walked off the practice field in the dusk, but you could see in their eyes that, as a unit, they had come to realize the commitment that it would take to be champions. And they realized they were committed. That’s the day we came together as a football team.
A little over a week after that, Andy Heck, a senior tri-captain, predicted to the press that the team would finish 12-0 and be national champions “if we do what we’re capable of.” At that point, I had to check with our medical staff to see if Andy had suffered a blow to the head in practice that day. He hadn’t.
The commitment of the players, especially the senior class, was what made this Notre Dame football team special, national champions and one that will be considered among the greatest in the fine tradition of the university.
Andy Heck is a perfect example of the type of dedication it required for this team to win. Since coming to Notre Dame, Andy has always been a tight end, but following the end of the 1987 season, we asked him to move to offensive tackle because of the large number of losses there due to graduation. Andy told the coaches he would do whatever necessary to make Notre Dame a winner. He put on the weight necessary, he became stronger, he learned the position and at the end of his only season as an offensive tackle he was named an All-American. I cannot think of too many instances in the history of college football where that has happened.
Another shining example of the senior class was Flash Gordon. Here was a young man in his fifth season who started against Pittsburgh and then did not play the next week against Miami. But Flash Gordon never complained. He just went out there and kept playing hard football and contributing to the team. And I’ll remind you that Flash Gordon started in the Fiesta Bowl against West Virginia. His willingness to sacrifice is one of the things that made this team a winner.
Ned Bolcar, another one our tri-captains, was voted the defensive player of the year two years ago, but his role found him coming off the bench this season. Ned Bolcar wasn’t happy about it, but that’s because he’s a competitor and no competitor wants to sit by and watch. But Ned Bolcar is also a winner and so he came off the bench for his team. And in the Fiesta Bowl, Ned was one the key characters in our win. He played almost the entire game and came off the field in Phoenix without an inch of clean uniform showing. He was bruised and bloodied from a cut over his nose, but he was also a champion.
The willingness of our seniors to accept their roles, especially as leaders, was an integral part of this team’s success. I cannot emphasize how the players did exactly as the coaching staff asked of them. They trusted our judgment and never questioned our requests. I can say unequivocally that the attitude of this football team was as good, if not better, than any other I’ve ever seen.
One reason this team was a winner was because it had fun playing football. I can’t think of any individuals I’ve ever seen enjoy the game as much as Wesley Pritchett or Frank Stams. They’ve both overcome adversity as players and their enthusiasm toward playing and their commitment made them outstanding football players. They had a special gift of keeping those around them loose. They truly kept the game in perspective. I don’t think I will ever forget the sight of Wesley smoking a cigar at practice with his helmet on just to liven things up, or of Frank Stams constantly sending freshmen over to me one day in practice because “I had requested to see them,” when actually I hadn’t. I don’t think those freshmen will ever forget that day either.
There were many memorable moments for this football team both on and off the field. I would later look back and realize that Reggie Ho’s last minute field goal against Michigan would set the stage for this season. In order to be a champion you have to have some things happen in your favor. You could call that luck or you could attribute that to hard work. Either way, that was the type of win that you grow up dreaming of. It also demonstrated to our team that even with their backs against the wall, they would not flinch and carry out their mission.
I have never seen the enthusiasm, hype and wonder surround one football game like the game against the University of Miami. The amount of press coverage was unbelievable. But our players handled it well, and in stride. I could not believe waking up the morning of the game, picking up my newspaper, and reading that I had predicted at the pep rally that the University of Notre Dame would win the football game. Many people questioned why I said that. We, as the coaches, knew that we could win that particular football game; I just wanted to make sure that our players knew we believed that we could win.
At that point we were not the best football team in the nation. I repeatedly said that I believed Miami was. But we told our team that it didn’t matter what team was listed atop the polls. That did not mean that team would start the game with six points or get five downs to gain ten yards. What mattered was who was the best team in Notre Dame Stadium on that day.
We told the team all, year not to concentrate on anything but the next game. If you could be the best team on the field on a particular Saturday, then you could be a winner every Saturday. The players understood that and believed that. There was never anyone on this team looking ahead except to next Saturday’s opponent. That also helped to make this team a winner.
On the trip home from Baltimore after playing the Naval Academy the team heard that Washington State was beating top-ranked UCLA and the feeling was that Notre Dame would go to number one in the rankings. Someone asked me how I felt about it when our team was ranked number one. I inquired if that was the final poll of the year. They said no. I asked if there would be another poll next week. They said yes. So I told them to ask me about polls when they finished voting and the final one had come out.
The character this football team displayed while it was ranked number one was remarkable. They soon realized that being ranked number one doesn’t make you any faster, it doesn’t mean you can throw the ball any farther or kick it any longer. It just means that everyone is just that much more eager to play and defeat you. I think our football team did a fine job of keeping the rankings in proper perspective. We didn’t talk about the polls. The only reminder was the “number one” sign that was lit up on Grace Hall. When I saw that every night as I drove home it made me realize that the student body was enthused and that was good for the university.
The history of being ranked number one is usually short for most teams, so the fact this team carried it throughout the rest of the season was quite an accomplishment. It’s much tougher to stay on the top than it is to get there. Following our victory against a fine West Virginia team in the Fiesta Bowl I had no doubts about who had the best football team in the country – Notre Dame. This team had beaten the number two, three and four teams in the nation. It had beaten the top team in the West in USC. It had beaten the best team in the South in Miami, it had beaten the best team in the Midwest in Michigan and it had beaten the best team in the East in West Virginia.
But the process for being named a national champion in Division I football is a unique one. Unlike all the other NCAA sports, Division I football does not have a format for determining a national champion. There is a lot written and said about winning a national title. That is something you cannot do. You simply wake up one morning and you are the national champions. That’s what happened with this football team.
Many of the young men on this football squad said that being national champions did not sink in right away after the game. I can say the same for myself. It was not until I walked into my office the first day I was back on campus that I realized that the university’s football team was the national champion. It was a fulfilling moment, but you can’t dwell on it or become complacent with it. You have to move on. As I tell our players, “Don’t tell me what you did yesterday; what have you done today?”
I don’t think you can say that we’re going to be an outstanding football team next year because we won this year and we’ll have quite a few players back. The question I ask is, “Are they going to be willing to work like this year’s team did?” If there was one thing about this year’s team that was really great, it was that from day one, they said, “Hey, tell us what we have to do.”
That willingness and commitment towards a common goal is what makes a good football team a great one, and what makes that great one a champion.
This week’s Throwback Thursday post serves as a powerful reminder that greatness doesn’t happen overnight—it’s built on hard work, sacrifice, and belief in one another. Lou Holtz’s reflections on the 1988 National Championship team highlight the commitment and leadership it takes to achieve something extraordinary. As I think about the journey of today’s Notre Dame football team, I can’t help but draw parallels. While this season didn’t end with the outcome we hoped for, the foundation for something special is undeniably there. Just like the champions of 1988, success starts with the willingness to do the hard work and the belief that greatness is within reach. The future is bright for Notre Dame, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Cheers & GO IRISH!