Earlier this week, the college football world lost a legend. It was on March 4 when the news of Coach Lou Holtz’s death was made official. The 89-year-old had reportedly been in hospice care for the past couple of weeks, and it was yesterday afternoon when the Holtz family shared that the coaching legend had passed away: “Louis Leo ‘Lou’ Holtz, legendary college football coach, Hall of Famer, bestselling author, and one of America’s most influential motivational voices, has passed away at the age of 89 in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by family… Holtz is remembered for his enduring values of faith, family, service, and an unwavering belief in the potential of others. His influence extended far beyond the football field through the Holtz Charitable Foundation and the many players, colleagues, and communities shaped by his leadership.” Louis Leo “Lou” Holtz, legendary college football coach, Hall of Famer, bestselling author, and one of America’s most influential motivational voices, has passed away at the age of 89 in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by family. Born January 6, 1937, in Follansbee, West Virginia,… — Lou Holtz (@CoachLouHoltz88) March 4, 2026 Undoubtedly a massive loss. The college football coach was one of the most influential and respected figures in all of sports. His 50-plus year coaching career included stints at William & Mary, NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, South Carolina, and most notably, Notre Dame. Holtz spent a decade with the Fighting Irish, and won the 1988 National Championship while he was in South Bend, Indiana. Many athletes, coaches, analysts, Garth Brooks, and other figures in sports paid tribute to the life that Lou Holtz lived after his passing. If you noticed that one of those things was not like the other, that wasn’t a typo. On garthbrooks.com, the only website that breaks news about Garth or anything that he’s doing, the singer shared a story titled “Remembering Lou Holtz, Notre Dame and a Never Before Moment in Time” that started by paying tribute to the late, great head coach… and then got into the massive concert that Garth Brooks held in South Bend, Indiana in 2018: “The passing of coaching legend Lou Holtz (March 4 at the age of 89) not only marks the end of one of the storied careers in college football – it marks the loss of a man who played a substantial role in Garth Brooks’ story… and indirectly helped give millions of music fans concert experiences they might never have had. It’s well known that Garth’s historic concert at Notre Dame Stadium in October 2018 provided the blueprint – and a sold-out ‘first show’ – for what would become his Stadium Tour, a four-year run that found him playing some of North America’s largest and most iconic sporting venues, entertaining millions of people (including tens of thousands on a return visit to the South Bend, Indiana campus in May 2022). And it might not have happened without the one-and-only Lou Holtz.” The tie-in that apparently caused Garth to share this story was Lou Holtz’s endorsement of the concert at Notre Dame Stadium, which was the first time the football field ever hosted a concert in its rich history. Granted, Holtz did fly to Nashville and stood by Garth while the announcement of the concert was made. The legendary coach famously and jokingly said that Brooks was going to play at the special place because “Elvis wasn’t available.” RIP Lou Holtz.The post Garth Brooks Eulogizes Coaching Legend Lou Holtz By… Sharing A Story About His 2018 Concert At Notre Dame first appeared on Whiskey Riff.