During his wonder years, Louisiana Tech football coach Skip Holtz, like most kids, had a regular appointment with the television set on Saturdays.
His favorite TV personality was Lou Holtz Sr.
To the football world, Lou Sr. was a successful head coach who won a national championship with Notre Dame, gained induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, and then became an animated television analyst.
But back then, Skip Holtz noted, “he was dad. He was just on TV on Saturday. … The guy who was on TV was the guy who disciplined me when I stepped out of line and kept me pat. For me, he was dad. It was never, ‘oh, wow, that’s Lou Holtz. He’s my father.’”
Holtz said his father introduced him to the sport.
“He gave me an opportunity to live out my childhood dreams of being around my heroes and my idols that I looked up to,” Holtz said.
After earning a degree at Notre Dame in 1985, Holtz decided to pursue a career in coaching.
“My father tried to talk me out of it,” Holtz said.
His first jobs were under Bobby Bowden, Earle Bruce and the elder Holtz.
“You’re talking about three legendary Hall of Fame coaches,” Holtz said. “What they’ve done will go down as some of the winningest coaches in college football history. Having the opportunity to learn from them, you learn a little bit from each of them.”
Holtz picked up the intricacies of the passing game from Bowden, whose Florida State offense utilized spread concepts. Holtz said he is grateful for his father’s influence, but they do not always share the same views.
“Where we differ a little bit is I’m enamored and enthralled with the passing game where he doesn’t think you have to throw a pass to win a football game,” Holtz said. “We just have a little different philosophy. But the core values in what you have to do to win are still the same.”
Holtz has developed into an accomplished coach. After serving as head coach at Connecticut, East Carolina and South Florida, he is in his sixth season at Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs have been inconsistent on offense this season, but they produced a stifling defense. Defensive end Jaylon Ferguson needs 1.5 sacks to tie the NCAA career record.
In a circle-of-life situation, Skip Holtz’s son is an assistant coach at Texas.
“I had the conversation to try to get him out of (pursuing coaching),” Holtz said. “He’s been saying since he was a little kid, ‘I’m going to get into the family business.’ He wants to coach. I’m excited that he’s chosen the profession.”
All three Holtz men have the same name.
“I’m a junior,” Skip said. “When (my parents) came home from the hospital, Skip was my new name. My father wanted a junior but he didn’t want to call him junior. My son is Lou Holtz III. We call him Trey.”
