A Snowy Night in South Bend With Lou Holtz

A freezing night after a Notre Dame game turned into a moment of kindness I never forgot.

Photo of my brief, childhood encounter with Lou Holtz in South Bend. 

by Tara Adams

Irish News Nation

Some sports memories fade with time.

But a cold, snowy night in South Bend and a brief moment with Lou Holtz is one that never did.

When I was a kid, I had the chance to meet Coach Holtz after a Notre Dame Fighting Irish football game against Navy in South Bend. It was one of those moments that sticks with you for life.

After the game, I wandered away from our bus group and ended up near the tunnel where the players and coaches exited Notre Dame Stadium. It was getting dark, the wind was whipping, and light snow was falling. The kind of cold that cuts right through you. 

But I waited anyway.

I leaned against a maroon car to block some of the wind as I waited. As it turned out, it was Coach Holtz’s car.

For a while, it was just me and one other woman standing there in the cold.

Eventually, Coach Holtz came out, climbed into the car, and before driving off he rolled down the window and signed our tickets. He even smiled and told me I was a true fan for sticking it out in that weather.

It was a small moment. Just a few seconds, really. But the kindness and humility he showed that night have stayed with me ever since.

I managed to snap a photo of him on my disposable camera while he was sitting in the car signing our tickets. It’s a simple picture, but it captures something that meant a lot to a kid who just wanted to meet the coach.

The moment only lasted a few seconds.

But that small act of kindness from Lou Holtz has stayed with me for a lifetime.

That was Coach Holtz — a legendary coach who still took a moment for two fans standing in the cold.

And it’s a moment I’ll always be grateful for.

Thank you for the memory, Coach.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let Your perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. 

Amen.