Head Football Coach Lou Holtz

The Early Years

Holtz's head-coaching career began in 1969 at William & Mary at age 32. Despite three straight losing seasons, his second team in '70 won the Southern Conference title and advanced to play 15th-ranked Toledo in the Tangerine Bowl in the only postseason appearance in the history of the school.

Holtz's stab at professional football-between his tenures at North Carolina State and Arkansas-produced a 3-10 record. He resigned the week of the Jets' final regular-season game.

Before becoming head coach at William & Mary in '69, Holtz served as an assistant coach at Iowa (freshmen, 1960), William & Mary (offensive backs, 1961-63), Connecticut (defensive backs, 1964-65), South Carolina (defensive backs, 1966-67) and Ohio State (defensive backs, 1968). The Buckeyes won the national championship in '68 in his one season on the Ohio State staff. He worked under such respected coaches as Forest Evashevski at Iowa, Rick Forzano at Connecticut, Paul Dietzel at South Carolina and Woody Hayes at Ohio State.