NCST celebrates the life, legacy, and contributions of Lou Holtz, the legendary football coach and television personality whose advocacy for young adult education has had a long-lasting impact on the East Liverpool community he grew up in. Coach Holtz passed away March 4, 2026.
Best known for coaching the University of Notre Dame from 1986 to 1996, Coach Holtz led the team to a National College Football Championship in 1988.
Coach Holtz was a friend to New Castle School of Trades, especially the East Liverpool Campus. East Liverpool NCST students and graduates will recognize the Lou Holtz/Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame, located across the street from NCST’s East Liverpool campus.
In , NCST’s East Liverpool campus became a partner to the Holtz Hall of Fame’s Life Improvement Scholarship program, providing a matching scholarship annually to qualified students who received the Holtz Award and planned to attend NCST.
Coach Holtz also established Holtz’s Heroes, a nonprofit organization that performs charitable works, supports former student athletes facing hardship, provides scholarship aid to individuals, and serves communities in need.
Humble Beginnings Lead to Success
A 1954 graduate of East Liverpool High School, Coach Holtz attended Kent State University, where as a walk on he played linebacker for two seasons. He was also a veteran of the US Army Reserves, receiving a commission as a field artillery officer.
Coach Holtz loved the East Liverpool community. In an article published on March 4, 2026 in the Morning Journal Newspaper, Assistant Sports Editor Michael Burch wrote “Since his days as a youngster in Follansbee, West Virginia, and later East Liverpool, Holtz was keenly aware of his humble beginnings and hung onto that for the rest of his life.
Holtz called growing up in East Liverpool a “blessing.”
A Legendary Coach, an Iconic Community Figure
Coach Holtz is still celebrated in college football, especially in South Bend, where his contributions to the Notre Dame program helped restore it as one of the most celebrated programs in college football. Notre Dame was struggling in the years before his arrival and within two years was an annual title contender.
In addition to the 1988 National Championship team, Coach Holtz’s squads finished Number 2 in the nation in 1989 and 1993.
He also coached college teams at William & Mary, North Carolina State University, the University of Arkansas, and the University of South Carolina, and coached the NFL’s New York Jets in 1976. He’s the only head coach to lead six different programs to bowl games, according to ESPN.
Coach Holtz also was well-known as an on-camera football analyst for CBS Sports and ESPN. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2020 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
NCST honors and thanks Coach Holtz for his contributions to our students and the East Liverpool community, and extends condolences and best wishes to his family, friends, former players, and fans who loved him.
ESPN celebrated Coach Holtz’s legacy and accomplishments in a career retrospective video: