Holtz was an Army veteran and past recipient of The American Legion Good Guy Award.
American Legion National Commander Dan K. Wiley issued the following statement today concerning the passing of Lou Holtz:
“Lou Holtz was not only a champion college football coach, but he was an even better patriot and role model. At our 2019 national convention, The American Legion honored Coach Holtz with a prestigious award for his charity work. He spent considerable time visiting with wounded warriors who were invited to the event as special guests. He made each one feel special. After the award was presented to him, Coach Holtz made a financial contribution to The American Legion which was completely unexpected by us. It was just another reflection of his enormous generosity. Our condolences to his family, the many athletes who benefited from his leadership and his legion of friends and fans.”
Holtz, an Army veteran, received The American Legion Past Department Commander Club James V. Day “Good Guy” award during the organization’s 101st National Convention held in Indianapolis.
In a 2018 letter to The American Legion, the University of Notre Dame legend wrote, “Every couple of years I go abroad speaking to the armed services in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, etc. Not many people know that I was an officer in the Army, and I learned more in the military than I ever learned in a college classroom.”
To read an interview with and watch Lou Holtz receive the James V. Day Good Guy Award, click here.
- Honor & Remembrance