Lou Holtz's Son Skip Honors Dad With Emotional Tribute At Funeral, ND Legends Gather

Lou Holtz built a legendary football résumé -- but according to his son, what mattered most was the impact he had on people.

That was the message Skip Holtz delivered Monday, delivering an emotional eulogy for his father during the Mass of Christian Burial at Notre Dame's Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

Standing before hundreds of former players, coaches and family members, Skip told mourners his dad wasn’t defined by championships or wins -- even though he had plenty of both.

“Yes, he was successful,” Skip said. “But most of all, he was incredibly significant, and he changed people’s lives for the better.”

Skip described the legendary coach as a “complicated man” who came from humble beginnings and rose to become one of the most influential figures in college football.

“He found a way to believe in you more than you believed in yourself,” Skip told the packed church. “He built his life on trust, commitment and love.”

Skip -- who followed his father's footsteps to become a college head coach -- mixed heartfelt reflections with lighter memories that drew laughs.

He joked that Holtz loved golf, Diet Coke and Chardonnay “with two ice cubes” … and famously believed, “You don’t drink water -- you bathe in it.”

The emotional service drew many of his former players, along with current Irish coach Marcus Freeman, former Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly and longtime Irish basketball coach Digger Phelps.

Holtz’s former ESPN colleagues -- Rece Davis and Mark May -- were also among those in attendance.

The funeral concluded with the playing of “Notre Dame, Our Mother” and “Amazing Grace,” before mourners lined both sides of Notre Dame Avenue in wintry conditions as the Holtz family led a funeral procession to the cemetery.

Holtz died March 4 at the age of 89.

He won 249 games as a head coach ... and famously led the Irish to the national championship in 1988 with a perfect 12–0 season.

But Skip said the most important lesson his father left behind had nothing to do with football.

“When you think of Lou Holtz,” he told the crowd, “find the people closest to you and ask them, ‘What can I do for you?’”