1976 Profile: Lou Holtz

Head Coach
"'There is something about Lou Holtz that just clicks,' Jets general manager Al Ward said in introducing new head coach Lou Holtz to New York.
'He was strongly recommended by football people at all levels- players, scouts, college coaches and pro coaches.'
One pro head coach and former coach of Lou Holtz, Detroit's Rick Forzano, said, 'I know him and I'll tell you he is an exceptional person and and an exceptional coach. I predict that in one year, what they'll be saying about him in New York is that they haven't had a guy like him before.'
Holtz, who literally worked miracles at North Carolina State in four seasons, faces a similar task with the Jets, a team coming off its worst season in history- 3-11. His approach is simple, but typically Lou Holtz:
'I believe in God, Lou Holtz and the Jets, in just about that order,' he said in becoming the club's sixth head coach. 'To me, the delight in coaching always comes from creating and not in maintaining. I'm not a miracle worker, but I guarantee we'll field a team that will play exciting, enthusiastic football with a will to win.'
Miracles by Holtz had almost become a legend at N.C. State when the 39-year-old amateur magician joined the Jets' new push for the top. In four seasons, Holtz won 33 games, lost 12 and tied two. He took the Wolfpack to four consecutive postseason bowl games- winning two, tying one and losing one. His 1974 club (9-2-1) became the first team in the history of the school to conclude the season ranked in the top 10 (ninth).
The trademark of Holtz-coached teams has been innovation and explosive offense. During the Holtz era, his teams eclipsed 91 N.C. State records while 14 Atlantic Coast Conference records were equalled of bettered.
Holtz looks to subtle changes to bring the Jets back. 'I tell players that you are not born a winner, but you also are not born a loser. You're what you think you are. I've seen this team play. We have the talent to win.'
Holtz, working under a five-year contract, bristles at the thought of rebuilding. 'I don't want to rebuild. I want to win, now. But when we win, I want a good foundation where we will win for years to come, which means building with draft choices.'
And he is convinced his Jet club will move the football, but says blithely: 'I hope to God it's forward.'
His coaching background indicates moves forward. He began as a graduate assistant at Kent State (1958) before moving to Iowa as an assistant coach in 1960. In 1961 through 1963, he served as an assistant coach at William & Mary before joining Forzano at Connecticut (1964-65). After serving two seasons as an assistant at South Carolina and one season under Woody Hayes at Ohio State, Holtz returned to William & Mary as head coach and promptly took the school to its first bowl appearance in 24 years and first Southern Conference title (1971) in 23 years.
At North Carolina State, Holtz inherited a loser and immediately produced an 8-3 team. He left N.C. State after compiling the best won-loss record in the school's 84-year history. He was named Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year and NCAA District III Coach of the Year after the 1972 season. In seven years as a collegiate head coach, Holtz compiled a 46-31-2 overall record.
Enthusiasm and straight forward talk are the trademarks of the 5-10, 150-pound dynamo. He is in heavy demand as a clinic and after dinner speaker, and has conducted clinics for the U.S. Air Force in England and Germany as well as coaching in the first Japan Bowl in 1975.
A native of Follansbee, West Virginia, Holtz was born on January 6, 1937. He played high school football at East Liverpool (Ohio) and played center and middle linebacker at Kent State in 1956-57. He holds a B.S. in education from Kent State and a Master's degree in education from Iowa.
Holtz and his wife Beth have four children: Luanne Rae, Louis, Jr. (Skip), Kevin Richard (K.R.) and Elizabeth Jane."

-1976 New York Jets Media Guide