Holtz predicts good season for Fighting Irish

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Lou Holtz, the popular former football coach at Notre Dame, predicts a good season for the Fighting Irish in 2015.

During an interview with 24-Hour News 8’s Chris Widlic, Thursday night, Holtz said he expects his former team to have “an outstanding year.”

Holtz said current Coach Brian Kelly “has two great quarterbacks. They were a young team, last year. They’re very talented. And I think the schedule is really conducive to having a good year.”

“Other than Southern Cal and Clemson,” Holtz said, the Irish “should be favored in every game, at least by ten.”

Widlic also asked Holtz to reminisce about Notre Dame’s 1988 national title. He said that “was such an unusual year. Nobody thought we had a chance because, first of all, you have to beat Michigan. Then you have to play Miami who won, like, 36 in a row. We ended up beating, like, four teams that were either first or second when we played ’em.”

“We ended up beating six Top Ten teams,” Holtz said. “It was just sort of surprising. As I say, we won the ’88 national championship and” he laughed as he said they “got the shaft in ’89 and ’93. But,” still laughing, “no, I’m not bitter. That’s part of life.”

Holtz was in Indianapolis as an honoree and keynote speaker at the Brady Comeback Awards. The Methodist Sports Medicine event honors high school and college athletes who have achieved success by overcoming injury or hardship.

Holtz and former IU star basketball star Quinn Buckner are receiving Lifetime Awards for their achievements.

“Quinn Buckner’s here,” Holtz said, “because of what he did. I’m here because of what other people did.” He laughed as he said “I didn’t do anything as a coach except say ‘sic’ em’.”