ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 20, 1996 TAG: 9611200061
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: SOUTH BEND, IND.
SOURCE: Associated Press
Lou Holtz tried to treat this like any other Tuesday. If he tried hard enough, maybe he could convince himself he wasn't really leaving Notre Dame.
But his cover was blown as soon as he arrived for his weekly news conference. A cameraman reached out to hug Holtz as he passed, and the coach paused for a moment to return the embrace.
Then he walked onto the stage and confirmed what everyone already knew: After 11 seasons at Notre Dame, Lou Holtz is leaving.
``I feel worse than I've felt in a long time,'' he said. ``I do not feel good about this at all. But I do think it's the right thing to do.''
Holtz's successor hasn't been named, but the new coach is expected to be in place by early December.
On Tuesday, however, the focus was on Holtz, and he did things his way. He insisted on spending the first few minutes of the news conference discussing Saturday's game against Rutgers, his final appearance at Notre Dame Stadium. Only after he was finished would he address the subject everyone wanted to discuss.
For 75 minutes, he talked about his love for the university and his players, and how honored he is to have coached here. He was calm and composed, his voice catching briefly when he talked about his players and his childhood.
He could give no explanation for why he is leaving, except that he thinks it's the right thing to do. He said he's glad he won't break Knute Rockne's record of 105 victories at Notre Dame, but said that isn't why he's leaving.
Holtz's record at Notre Dame is 99-29-2 - six wins shy of tying Rockne's Irish school victory record - and 215-94-7 overall.
And despite rumors that he resigned to go to the NFL, possibly to the Minnesota Vikings, Holtz, 59, said he has no future plans. He still wants to coach, he just doesn't know where.
``I felt this would be the end of my life,'' he said, referring to his coaching tenure at Notre Dame. ``It's hard for me to even think of coaching anywhere else. But if I feel the way I do today, I would still want to coach.''
Though it was obvious Holtz is leaving Notre Dame reluctantly, he said it was his decision to go. He started thinking about it last February, and quickly put the idea out of his mind.
But as the season began, he thought once again that maybe it was time to leave. He went to athletic director Mike Wadsworth three weeks ago and told him to start looking for a new coach, and Wadsworth asked him to reconsider.
He did, but told him a week later that his mind was made up. The details were finalized Monday.
``I miss the relationship with our players already and I'm not even gone,'' Holtz said said. ``There will be a depression. This is a sad day for me and there will be other sad days in the future.''
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Lou Holtz said of his resignation at Notre Dame, ``Iby CNBdo not feel good about this at all. But it's the right thing to
do.''