WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — President Donald Trump will award former football coach Lou Holtz with the Presidential Medal of Freedom Thursday.
Holtz, who led Notre Dame to a national championship and has campaigned for Trump, will receive what is considered the United States’ highest civilian honor during a White House ceremony.
The medal is awarded by the president to individuals who have made an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the country, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
Holtz, 83, played football at Kent State but it was in coaching where he left his mark.
During a long career Holtz coached a number of teams both college and professional, including a brief and unsuccessful run with the NFL’s New York Jets.
But in the college ranks Holtz was among the all-time best with his crowning achievement being a perfect season in 1988 leading the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame to a national title.
Holtz retired from coaching in 2004. He was 249-132-7 in 33 seasons at William & Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina. He was 3-11 with the New York Jets in the NFL in 1976.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 04: Former football coach Lou Holtz arrives for a news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on September 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump took questions on a variety of topics, including a recent magazine article in The Atlantic accusing him of making disparaging remarks about American soldiers. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) 
US President Donald Trump speaks with the press alongside former American football player and coach Lou Holtz upon arrival at Pittsburgh International Airport in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 31, 2020. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images) 
MIAMI GARDENS, FL – JANUARY 04: ESPN analyst Lou Holtz congratulates players from the West Virginia Mountaineers after they won 70-33 against the Clemson Tigers during the Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium on January 4, 2012 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) 
GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 10: ESPN reporter Lou Holtz looks on during the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game between the Oregon Ducks and the Auburn Tigers at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 10, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Beyond Holtz’s Hall of Fame career, the White House said his notable achievement was inspiring “generations of young athletes along the way.”
“America recognizes Lou Holtz as one of the greatest football coaches of all time for his unmatched accomplishments on the gridiron, but he is also a philanthropist, author, and true American patriot,” the White House said.
