Soccer Champion Coach Lou Holtz, a Professional-Life Hero, Has Handed Away

Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz, a pro-life champion who led the Fighting Irish to the 1988 national college football championship, has passed away.

Holtz was a vocal advocate for the pro-life cause. He spoke at the annual spring banquet of Right to Life of Southwest Indiana in Evansville, an event attended by about 1,700 pro-life activists and described as the largest pro-life banquet in the country.

He urged the crowd to “fight, fight, fight” for the lives of unborn babies and emphasized that their mission was noble, telling them they must be the hope of the unborn.

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“One person decides, out of 4.4 million (abortions). The father has no say, has no vote,” Holtz said. “And the baby has no vote, and that’s why we’re here! We are the vote for the baby. We’ve got to be the voice for the unborn — or nobody else will.”

He added: “Ladies and gentlemen, don’t talk about pro-life; live it. Be proud of it. Understand, what we’re doing is so critical.”

During his tenure at Notre Dame from 1986 to 1996, Holtz coached 132 games with a record of 100-32-2. He ranks second in victories at the school behind Knute Rockne.

Before Notre Dame, he was head coach at the College of William & Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas and Minnesota.

In May 2024, Holtz publicly applauded Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker after Butker’s commencement speech at Benedictine College, which defended Catholic teachings on life and family.

“Thank you [Harrison Butker] for standing strong in your faith values. Your commencement speech at Benedictine College showed courage and conviction and I admire that. Don’t give in,” Holtz wrote on social media.

He also promoted a petition to thank Butker, calling him “a true man of God.”

Holtz’s lifelong commitment to protecting the unborn earned him recognition as a pro-life hero among advocates nationwide.