November 22, 2006: Lou
Holtz Appreciation Page
"Noshra Schame ish bacsh!"
In honor of Notre Dame's rise to number 5 in the BCS, this November shall be known as Lou Holtz Appreciation Month.
A look back at one of Lou's most memorable moments...
In
his first season with Arkansas in 1977, Lou Holtz led the Razorbacks to an
11-1 record and a 31 to 6 upset victory in the Orange Bowl over 2nd-ranked
Oklahoma, a 17-point favorite. Holtz had suspended three players for the game
for disciplinary reasons after a dormitory incident involving a woman. Those
three players, his top two running backs (Ben Cowins and Michael Forrest)
and top wide receiver (Donny Bobo), had combined to score 78% of the team's
touchdowns that year. The backup running back, Roland Sales, ran for an Orange
Bowl record 205 yards. Interestingly, both Forrest and Bobo were suspended
the following season before Arkansas played UCLA in the Fiesta Bowl.
Also missing from the game was all-America offensive guard Leotis Harris, who was injured in the last on-campus practice before Christmas. Starting safety Howard Sampson was injured on the first play of the game and did not return.
In that game, Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer, who later became head coach of Sandman’s favorite NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys, decided to receive the ball to begin the game, contrary to his own strategy and the strategy encouraged by Sandman to defer to the second half. Billy Sims fumbled on the third play of the game and Sales scored two plays later, only 1 minute and 59 seconds into the game. It was Switzer going against his own and Sandman’s strategy that opened the window for Sandman’s favorite college team to strike early.
The players who Holtz suspended had even gone to court to force Holtz to let them play. Holtz won the case with the help of a young court-appointed Arkansas attorney general. That attorney general remains a close friend to this day. And that young attorney general's name? Another of Sandman’s favorites - Bill Clinton.
Earlier in the day, Texas had lost in the Cotton Bowl, meaning that if Oklahoma could beat Arkansas in the Orange Bowl, Oklahoma would be declared the national champions. The Arkansas victory meant that the national championship went to the team that beat Texas. And the name of the team that won the championship because of the Arkansas victory over Oklahoma? Notre Dame...
The Lou Holtz Drinking Game
The rules are simple. Every time Lou Holtz mentions Notre Dame, everyone drinks
a shot. Last man standing wins.
Excerpts
from The Lou Holtz Forum
White Russian:
Lou Holtz Fatherly Advice of the Day (date unknown)"Don't tell your problems to people - eighty percent don't care, and the other twenty percent are glad you have them."
Sandman:
If someone stumbles over their words the new phrase should be...."Quit Holtzing you idiot."The Diesel:
Which side does the Dalai Lama or Mother Theresa fall? I suspect they are glad that you have problems.White Russian:
I would hate to think they don't care...The Diesel:
Either way not as saintly as they appear to be. May need to write letter to Mr. Lama and cc Lou Holtz.Sandman:
I say to the Lama and Mother T, Quit Holtzing around and get me a cherry pie (slightly warm, if you please).Albuquerque Tom:
This is a huge disappointment. Everyone seems so sincere.
Do I care about my own problems or am I glad that I have them?
Can Mr. Holtz prove this in repeated experiments with lab coats and beakers and such?
I don't want to be believe it. But he seems so sure.The Diesel:
With Bo Schembechler passing away just before the big game what will Ohio do in honor of him on Saturday?1) Nothing
2) Moment of silence
3) Sensitive songster (Michael Bolton, Aaron Neville) singing Michigan fight song or "Wind Beneath My Wings"
4) Candlelight ceremony at halftime
5) Let Michigan score uncontested touchdown on their first play from scrimmage.
6) Let pit bulls eat a raw steak likeness of Bo at midfield.White Russian:
They will have the Ohio State Drama Club do a slapstick comedy skit re-enacting Bo's death, followed by a tasteful tribute to Pat Tillman...Sandman:
I say that they will have the word "Bo" in a heart on their jerseys.On a separate note….Emmitt Smith won dancing with the stars.
3 time superbowl champ
Nfl all time rushing leaderHOW BOUT THEM COWBOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
White Russian:
Holtz is unable to expand on the 80/20 ratio of not caring/happy for your sorrow quote, as he is pretty much limited to single statements. Basically, he has his one prepared line, which he delivers with a mouth full of saliva, but is unable to take it further. Instead he moves on to the next prepared line if there is one. If there is nothing left to say he smiles and shrugs his shoulders and makes a reference to the greatness of Notre Dame.
Which brings us to today's Lou Holtz quote (date unknown)
"If you burn your neighbor's house down, it doesn't make your house look any better."Sandman:
Holtz is what is wrong with Notre Dame.
The lore of yesteryear means nothing. Ghosts don't win championships, people do.The Diesel:
I think Lou's quote was in reference to Fable.
If Lou brought something of value to the party and kept a dentist strength saliva sucker in his mouth at all times it he would be welcome. Despite his vast experience he prefers to give ND a 24/7 hand job instead of providing some unique insight that only someone with his experience can offer. He brings the show down which at times shows on his co hosts faces when they stop chortling at his old man shtick.Albuquerque Tom:
I haven't seen everything Lou Holtz has done, but as a kid in the third grade I loved his work when he starred as the Incredible Hulk with Bill Bixby (who is also a very talented, under-rated, performer).White Russian:
Holtz has that sheepish smile that old men get when they can’t hear what someone said and would rather pretend to hear than admit they are lost. There is no comprehension behind the grinning and shrugging of shoulders – they just wait for the conversation to move on.
More
Quotes from Lou Holtz
"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has
a song."
"How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser."
"Do right. Do your best. Treat others as you want to be treated."
"I think everyone should experience defeat at least once during their career. You learn a lot from it."
"Don't let failure get you down. Babe Ruth struck out over 1,300 times."
"I won't accept anything less than the best a player's capable of doing... and he has the right to expect the best that I can do for him and the team!"
"I can't believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary."
"You're never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you're never as bad as they say when you lose."
"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."
"Motivation is simple. You eliminate those who are not motivated."
"A lifetime contract for a coach means if you're ahead in the third quarter and moving the ball, they can't fire you."
"Coaching is nothing more than eliminating mistakes before you get fired."
"Don't be a spectator, don't let life pass you by."
"If you're bored with life - you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals."
"It is a fine thing to have ability, but the ability to discover ability in others is the true test."
"It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it."
"Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it."
"No one has ever drowned in sweat."
"On this team, we're all united in a common goal: to keep my job."
"Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity."
"The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it."
"There's nothing is this world more instinctively abhorrent to me than finding myself in agreement with my fellow-humans."
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."
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