Lou Holtz outraged over ‘Fighting Irish’ name criticism
By Mike Luciano
Even in a world with Dabo Swinney and Mike Gundy sticking their feet in their mouth every week, 83-year-old Lou Holtz, most famous for leading Notre Dame back to glory after the hilariously awful Gerry Faust era, might be the college football personality that churns out hot takes more frequently than any other, as evidenced during a recent interview with Laura Ingraham.
During an interview on Fox News in which the former national champion was specifically asked about a FanSided article that queries if the name “Fighting Irish” is really the best option for Notre Dame in the year 2020, Holtz offered a scathing rebuke of that notion, claiming that the name started after some religiously motivated clashes between determined students and the Ku Klux Klan.
Lou Holtz’s claim has little basis in fact.
Holtz claimed that the name originated after some students had a run-in with KKK members, but that story is one of many potential theories that have been thrown out there trying to figure out how the name came about. Unfortunately, nothing concrete has materialized, so Holtz’s defense holds very little meaning.
Lou Holtz Angry at 'Fighting Irish' Criticism, Don't Change the Name! https://t.co/n0wcqyTUDf
— TMZ (@TMZ) July 10, 2020
Somehow, that wasn’t the most outrageous thing he said in this interview. Holtz advocated for the college football season to be played as scheduled in front of fans, as he claims that a similar “sacrifice” was made at the beaches of Normandy in World War II.
In case you haven’t noticed, Lou, there is a slight difference between fighting in a war and playing a college football game, and the comparison is really short-sighted.
Lou Holtz complains about the Big Ten cancelling out-of-conference games, saying risk is everywhere and “People stormed Normandy.” https://t.co/Y6NRRMRjig
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 10, 2020
Holtz wants to see college football. Most red-blooded Americans want to see college football. Unfortunately, playing the season with fans in the stands might lead to hundreds of new infections, and the idea that Holtz doesn’t realize this as a problem is pretty shocking.
dark. Next. Best college football QB from every state
For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.