Word: holtz
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...this self-described wimp done it? Not with mirrors, although one of Holtz's secondary skills is the ability to perform parlor magic tricks. First and foremost, he is a disciplinarian in the Vince Lombardi mold. In his first team meeting in 1985, he looked around and saw players slouching in their seats. He ordered them in no uncertain terms to sit at attention from that point on. Says senior defensive tackle Jeff Alm, who is almost 1 ft. taller and 120 lbs. heavier than Holtz: "He's not the biggest guy in the world, but he seems to possess...
...Holtz is a master salesman. Junior defensive back Todd Lyght was recruited by Michigan, Michigan State and UCLA when he was a high school senior in Flint, Mich. But Holtz told Lyght that if he came to Notre Dame he would be part of a national-championship team. "I looked deep into his eyes, and I knew he was telling the truth," says Lyght. Holtz also persuaded quarterback Tony Rice, tailback Ricky Watters and flanker Raghib ("Rocket") Ismail, players who have been crucial to the Irish success, to enroll at Notre Dame. Not that Notre Dame, with its mystique...
...Holtz also possesses the ability to make young people believe in themselves. His sharply honed self-deprecation is designed in part to demonstrate to his players that if a 98-lb. weakling like him can succeed, surely they can. Holtz likes to tell his coaches, "If you preach something long enough, people are going to believe it. Especially in our case, where it's true...
Then there are his work habits. His days begin with daily Mass at 6 a.m and end with paperwork at midnight. He will leave no memo or chart or report unturned that could contribute to victory. On top of all that, Holtz is widely regarded as one of the game's finest technicians, along with Joe Paterno of Penn State and Bobby Bowden of Florida State. Says Bill Walsh, who was viewed as a tactical genius while coaching the San Francisco 49ers: "Lou has great command of game situations and the game itself...
...result, little Lou Holtz from East Liverpool, Ohio, looms as one of the biggest men on -- and well beyond -- the Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Ind. His 35-minute motivational video, Do Right with Lou Holtz of Notre Dame (price: $595), has sold briskly. The living, breathing version of Holtz is totally booked on the lecture circuit through 1990 at an estimated $10,000 per inspirational pop. Moreover, he has his own syndicated cable TV show and a national radio call-in program, and he's featured in magazine ads promoting the Holtz philosophy, paid for by Volkswagen. These...