Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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6 APRIL/MAY 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED LEGEND I am certain Blue & Gold Illustrated will have an article paying tribute to Lou Holtz in its next issue. Please remind your readers of Lou's famous press con- ference after a bad loss. An exasper- ated reporter asked: "Coach Holtz, do you really think God wants Notre Dame to win?" Holtz replied: "No, but His Mother does." Over the past few days, there have been illuminated highway signs depict- ing Lou's photograph and the following: "LEGEND." Go Irish. Cormac B. DeLaney Toledo Ohio Thanks, Mr. DeLaney. The story you shared perfectly captures the wit and faith that defined Coach Holtz. He was famous for those quick-fire responses that reminded everyone of Notre Dame's unique spiritual identity — often with a wink. RESPECT I hope ND does something spe- cial at one of our home games for Coach Holtz. My suggestion would be to play one of his speeches on the jumbo as team enters field. May I suggest his speech on re- spect that he delivered before the Miami game in 1988 would be awe- some. Tony Ardizzone No doubt it would , Mr. Ardiz- zone . That would be a powerful tribute to Coach Holtz. The 1988 "Respect" speech is arguably his most legendary moment, delivered right after a pregame tunnel scuffle with Miami. The 2026 season actually presents the perfect opportunity for this, with Notre Dame scheduled to host Miami at home Nov. 7. Playing that specific speech before the game versus the Hurricanes would be perfect. FAN FORUM BE HEARD! Send your letters to: steve.downey@on3.com or mail to: Blue & Gold Illustrated, P. O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702 After the passing of legendary Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz March 4, Fighting Irish fans shared their favorite memories of him. Here's a snippet of that conversation on our message board at BlueandGold.com. Irishchecf3: In honor of Lou Holtz I thought this would be fun to reminisce on your favorite Lou moment or win from when he was the HC of Notre Dame. I am partial to the "Catholics vs. Convicts" game in '88. I was lucky enough to be at that game, and it was amazing. I still have my original t-shirt. '93 Florida State also was amazing, which I also was at. Notre Dame Sta- dium was so loud that day! The ND win versus Florida in the '92 Sugar Bowl was very satisfying. Bettis running wild was so much fun! I remember the announcers saying in the first quarter that ND was going to get blown out, and basically did not belong in the game. It was fantastic that Notre Dame shut them up! I know Lou really enjoyed that one! Bigteve79: The most "Lou" moment for me might have been the last drive of the Orange Bowl against Colorado in '89. The Irish were ahead by 4 points and needed to close out the game. They proceeded to go on an 82-yard drive which took 9 minutes off the clock and didn't involve 1 pass thrown. That was good old-fashioned physical football as they kept running right at the Buffs who simply couldn't stop 2 NFL running backs in Anthony Johnson and Rocket Ismail running primarily behind 2 future NFL offensive linemen in Tim Grunhard and Dean Brown. It was like watching a wrecking ball take down a building, folks. SilentBanjo: If I were to single out one occasion, it would be his postgame speech after his final game in South Bend. It came from the heart and reveals all of his love and appreciation for the University. Rejean: The win over SC in '88 over the Miami win. The Miami win had more breaks go ND's way, whereas the SC game was an *** kicking. I sent Coach Holtz a letter after the '86 season telling him to never mind the naysayers, there were many, who couldn't see ND's improvement even though they had a losing record his first year. I treasure the thank-you letter he sent me. bradenmi: I picked the Fiesta Bowl win over West Virginia because I was fortunate enough to be in attendance to joyously celebrate our National Title. Mfischer21: 1993 Notre Dame over Michigan in the Big House was the sweetest victory outside of the '88 Miami win. Still might be my favorite ND team ever. Java65: For me it's 1989 UM vs. ND. I was in a bar in Ann Arbor watching that game and when Rocket returned that 2nd kick you could hear a pin drop … until I started screaming. The fact it was Bo's last season made it all the more enjoyable. CoachT4: Has to be the 1993 FSU game for me. I was 5 during the NC run so I vaguely remember those times. I remember Rocket VIVIDLY but not the whole game. That game was when I became a football FREAK. Vandypete: I picked the Sugar Bowl against No. 3 10-1 Florida vs. 8-3 ND. To me this game may have been one of Lou's best-coached games. Holtz fired his DC prior to the bowl game. They argued over what defense was needed to stop Florida's short passing game. Holtz took over coaching the defense often using 6 DB's that were effective in disrupting the Gators' passing attack. Then Bettis ran wild in the second half and Lou looked like a genius with that defensive strategy. A stunning upset considering no DC with Lou coach- ing the hell out the D. If you get a chance to watch it on YouTube, it was great watching how excited Lou was after the game. FROM THE WEB .com .com JOIN THE CONVERSATION AT BLUEANDGOLD.COM! Lou Holtz is celebrated as one of the most successful and charismatic figures in Notre Dame history, recognized for his quick wit and leadership. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME