The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544864
46 ■ THE WOLFPACKER PACK PAST Remembering Lou Holtz, Whose Fiery Competitive Spirit Sparked A Football Revival BY TIM PEELER L ou Holtz once said he should have never left his head coaching position at NC State. His Wolfpack teams from 1972-75 were successful, his family of four was comfortable at their MacGregor Downs Country Club home in Cary, and the ambitious coach was eager to play in an expanded and updated Carter Stadium, as promised by Wolfpack athletics di- rector Willis Casey. "I really didn't want to leave NC State," Holtz said in 2005 while in Ra- leigh on a book tour. "Does it bother me to this day? Yes. "The lesson is, don't go do anything unless you are totally committed to see- ing it through. When I [left NC State], I had no plan, no sense of urgency, no commitment to seeing it through." Holtz, ever the one-line quipster and sideline philosopher, was relent- lessly eager as a young coach. In 1966, as an unemployed 26-year-old coach, he compiled a list of 107 life goals that included winning a national champi- onship in college football, meeting the pope and appearing on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson, just to name a few. (He added one more after showing the list to his wife Beth: Get a job.) Holtz died March 4 at his home in Or- lando, Fla., having completed about 105 of his written goals. He was 89. Chasing Dreams The fact is, Holtz was too ambitious to wait for success in Raleigh. He was wildly popular at NC State after win- ning all but two of his 22 home games in four seasons and taking his team to four consecutive bowl games, back when postseason play was an exciting accom- plishment, not just an expectation. However, the renovations Casey promised didn't actually begin until 25 years and six coaches later, when one of Holtz's graduate assistants, Chuck Amato, was hired to lead the Wolfpack. By then, Holtz was well into estab- lishing his College Football Hall of Fame legacy, going 12-0 at Notre Dame to win the 1988 national title he longed for. He continued to tick off other items on his list, like having dinner at the White House, visiting all seven continents and flying in a plane that landed on an air- craft carrier. He never did run with the bulls in Pamplona, but the occasionally con- troversial coach never let go of pursuing his dreams. Holtz was known for his sharp wit, but on the practice field and in games, he was all business. In four seasons at NC State, he went 33-12-3. PHOTO BY ED CARAM/NC STATE ATHLETICS