Lou Holtz

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- He had been gone more than two years, a wisp of a man who spent 11 seasons here and, like many of the legendary coaches preceding him, became larger than life at Notre Dame. But when Lou Holtz returned to the campus one day last spring, it was as if he had never left.Holtz had come to give a motivational speech for 200 people at the business school. It turned into an impromptu pep rally for more than 500, including a horde of students that was barely out of grade school when Holtz led the Fighting Irish to their last national championship in 1988.

If any of his coaching peers can relate to what Randy Edsall is going through in his first season at Maryland, it is the man who will be on the opposing sideline Saturday night at FedEx Field in Landover. Like Edsall, Brian Kelly came to a more high-profile position - in the case of Notre Dame, one of the most highly-scrutinized in the country - after having success at a Big East school. And, as Edsall has already experienced in his first 10 months in College Park, many wondered if Kelly was the right man for the job. Some still do. Though recent victories over Navy and Wake Forest have helped soften the mood since Kelly - like Edsall - questioned the level of talent he inherited in South Bend from Charlie Weis when he was hired before last season, the coach who built Cincinnati and two smaller programs into perennial winners believes it is part of the transition most coaches go through when changing jobs.

John Robinson and Lou Holtz are among college football's biggest names, having spent a majority of their respective careers in the glare that comes with coaching at schools such as Southern Cal and Notre Dame. Eleven years ago this week, their careers and teams collided at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, with the Fighting Irish beating the Trojans and going on to win the national championship.They are now far removed from that moment and those programs, with Robinson at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and Holtz at South Carolina.

Top 10 9 p.m. [NFL Network] The program looks at successful college coaches whose NFL tenures were much less so. Included are Lou Holtz, Pete Carroll and the ol' ball coach himself, Steve Spurrier. Also on the list: Bobby Petrino (left). Did he even unpack his boxes?

Good morning --Charlie Weis--No. 2 in the AP preseason poll is nice. Now let's see if you can poor-mouth your team as well as Lou Holtz used to do.

Top 10 9 p.m. [NFL Network] The program looks at successful college coaches whose NFL tenures were much less so. Included are Lou Holtz, Pete Carroll and the ol' ball coach himself, Steve Spurrier. Also on the list: Bobby Petrino (left). Did he even unpack his boxes?

First, it was the tie with Michigan. Then, it was the loss to Stanford.Now, it's Lou Holtz's sideline decorum.Two days after Notre Dame's 42-16 romp over Brigham Young, Irish coach Lou Holtz was trying to live down the latest incident in his topsy-turvy season.Late in the fourth quarter Saturday, Holtz became so incensed over a non-call by an official that he staged a sideline tantrum. He threw his hat, stomped out onto the field and then, after getting hit with a 15-yard penalty, apparently put a headlock on referee Thomas Thamert.

MITCH TULLAI, of St. Paul's, is my choice for MSA football Coach of the Year. Tullai took a young team with a sophomore quarterback, Chas Offutt, and three sophomore defensive backs, including Joey Unitas, John's son, and posted an 8-1 record, including a marvelous come-from-behind 8-7 win over Boys' Latin last week.Says Tullai, who is in his 38th year coaching the Crusaders -- and who suffered a serious heart attack three years ago -- "This was an exhilarating experience as a coach. I'm proud of the way these kids hung in there until they could score.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Without any explanation of substance, any hint at his future, or even a sense of relief after a difficult decision, Lou Holtz, the Notre Dame football coach, walked away yesterday from an existence he has coveted or lived for much of his adult life.His departure, which he said he first began contemplating nine months ago, will come after 11 seasons as coach of the Fighting Irish."I feel worse than I've felt in a long time," said Holtz, who will leave after two more regular-season games and an anticipated bowl appearance.

CHICAGO -- Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz is fond of saying that things are neither as good nor as bad as they seem, and reality lies somewhere in between.That seemed an appropriate theme for his Irish yesterday, who were fresh off a decisive road victory at Brigham Young with all eyes turning toward their showdown with No. 1 Florida State Nov. 13.Their 45-20 win, coupled with Alabama struggling for a tie with Tennessee, elevated the Irish to No. 2 in the polls. Then they received the bad news.

Good morning --Charlie Weis--No. 2 in the AP preseason poll is nice. Now let's see if you can poor-mouth your team as well as Lou Holtz used to do.

John Robinson and Lou Holtz are among college football's biggest names, having spent a majority of their respective careers in the glare that comes with coaching at schools such as Southern Cal and Notre Dame. Eleven years ago this week, their careers and teams collided at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, with the Fighting Irish beating the Trojans and going on to win the national championship.They are now far removed from that moment and those programs, with Robinson at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and Holtz at South Carolina.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- He had been gone more than two years, a wisp of a man who spent 11 seasons here and, like many of the legendary coaches preceding him, became larger than life at Notre Dame. But when Lou Holtz returned to the campus one day last spring, it was as if he had never left.Holtz had come to give a motivational speech for 200 people at the business school. It turned into an impromptu pep rally for more than 500, including a horde of students that was barely out of grade school when Holtz led the Fighting Irish to their last national championship in 1988.

For some ex-coaches and players, the playing field and all its trappings issue a Circe-like call, beckoning them back to the site of their joys and triumphs.So far, CBS football analyst Steve Tasker has been able to resist any pangs of regret that he might have ended his 14-year career a bit prematurely.Well, there was that once, when Tasker's parents visited a few weeks ago, and a tape of the 1992-93 season, one in which his Buffalo Bills made a Super Bowl trip, was played.But Tasker, a five-time Pro Bowl special teams performer, says that, most of the time, he's been too busy getting ready to do games on the weekend with his partner Gus Johnson to miss the NFL."

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Without any explanation of substance, any hint at his future, or even a sense of relief after a difficult decision, Lou Holtz, the Notre Dame football coach, walked away yesterday from an existence he has coveted or lived for much of his adult life.His departure, which he said he first began contemplating nine months ago, will come after 11 seasons as coach of the Fighting Irish."I feel worse than I've felt in a long time," said Holtz, who will leave after two more regular-season games and an anticipated bowl appearance.

CHICAGO -- Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz is fond of saying that things are neither as good nor as bad as they seem, and reality lies somewhere in between.That seemed an appropriate theme for his Irish yesterday, who were fresh off a decisive road victory at Brigham Young with all eyes turning toward their showdown with No. 1 Florida State Nov. 13.Their 45-20 win, coupled with Alabama struggling for a tie with Tennessee, elevated the Irish to No. 2 in the polls. Then they received the bad news.

MINNEAPOLIS -- There is no more unlikely success story in Super Bowl XXVI than that of Mike Brennan, a former Mount St. Joseph lacrosse star.Lou Holtz once told Brennan he had no chance of playing football at Notre Dame. The Cincinnati Bengals cut him twice in the space of one week this season. And the Phoenix Cardinals kept him on their roster for nine weeks, then released him without letting him take a single snap.Yet, showing the luck of a leprechaun, Brennan landed on his feet with the playoff-bound Buffalo Bills in December.

If any of his coaching peers can relate to what Randy Edsall is going through in his first season at Maryland, it is the man who will be on the opposing sideline Saturday night at FedEx Field in Landover. Like Edsall, Brian Kelly came to a more high-profile position - in the case of Notre Dame, one of the most highly-scrutinized in the country - after having success at a Big East school. And, as Edsall has already experienced in his first 10 months in College Park, many wondered if Kelly was the right man for the job. Some still do. Though recent victories over Navy and Wake Forest have helped soften the mood since Kelly - like Edsall - questioned the level of talent he inherited in South Bend from Charlie Weis when he was hired before last season, the coach who built Cincinnati and two smaller programs into perennial winners believes it is part of the transition most coaches go through when changing jobs.

First, it was the tie with Michigan. Then, it was the loss to Stanford.Now, it's Lou Holtz's sideline decorum.Two days after Notre Dame's 42-16 romp over Brigham Young, Irish coach Lou Holtz was trying to live down the latest incident in his topsy-turvy season.Late in the fourth quarter Saturday, Holtz became so incensed over a non-call by an official that he staged a sideline tantrum. He threw his hat, stomped out onto the field and then, after getting hit with a 15-yard penalty, apparently put a headlock on referee Thomas Thamert.

MINNEAPOLIS -- There is no more unlikely success story in Super Bowl XXVI than that of Mike Brennan, a former Mount St. Joseph lacrosse star.Lou Holtz once told Brennan he had no chance of playing football at Notre Dame. The Cincinnati Bengals cut him twice in the space of one week this season. And the Phoenix Cardinals kept him on their roster for nine weeks, then released him without letting him take a single snap.Yet, showing the luck of a leprechaun, Brennan landed on his feet with the playoff-bound Buffalo Bills in December.