Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Under Bob Davie - Before Davie

Before Davie

For the 11 years before Davie, the Irish were coached by Lou Holtz. Holtz, who, it was reported, had returned the program to excellence, led the team to a national championship in 1988 and had been given, what was reported to be, a lifetime contract by Notre Dame. By his final season, 1996, Holtz had tallied 92 wins to put him third on the all-time Notre Dame wins list (only behind Ara Parseghian with 95 wins and Knute Rockne with 105 wins). Throughout the season there was speculation that Holtz, who passed Parseghian's mark, would retire rather than break Rockne's record, and on November 19, a week before his final home game at Notre Dame, it was revealed that he turned in his letter of resignation to the Notre Dame administration. In his final game at Notre Dame Stadium, where the team shut-out Rutgers 62–0, Holtz got his 100th and final win for the Irish. The Notre Dame administration didn't look far for Holtz's replacement, as their defensive coordinator, Bob Davie, who was hired by Holtz three years previous, was named as his replacement.