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1986 – 1996
The tenure: Lou Holtz coached Notre Dame from 1986 to 1996 and went 100–30–2. The stretch from 1988 to 1993 went 64–9–1 and included a school-record winning streak of 23 games.
1988 — Michigan: In September 1988 Notre Dame beat Michigan 19–17, on four field goals by Reggie Ho, a walk-on who stood 5 feet 5 inches.
1988 — "Catholics vs. Convicts": On October 15, 1988, No. 4 Notre Dame beat No. 1 Miami 31–30 at Notre Dame Stadium before 59,075, ending Miami's 36-game regular-season winning streak. The game's name came from a T-shirt sold by Notre Dame students. There was a fight between the teams in the tunnel before the game. Miami's late touchdown cut the margin to 31–30 and its two-point conversion attempt failed; a fumble by Miami's Cleveland Gary near the goal line, ruled in Notre Dame's favor, remains disputed in the record.
1988 — the close: On November 26 Notre Dame won at No. 2 Southern California, 27–10. On January 2, 1989, it beat No. 3 West Virginia 34–21 in the Fiesta Bowl — Tony Rice the game's offensive most valuable player, Frank Stams the defensive. The 1988 team, 12–0 and consensus champion, had beaten the teams that finished Nos. 2, 4, 5 and 7 in the final AP poll.
After: Holtz entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. He died on March 4, 2026, at Orlando, aged 89; the fact is carried here in this one line, and his biography stands in the People record.
Sources:
- Holtz coaching record — the 100–30–2 mark, the 1988–93 stretch, the 23-game streak, the 2008 Hall of Fame induction.
- The 1988 season record — the Michigan game and Ho's field goals; the Miami game in its documented detail, the name's origin, the tunnel fight, the disputed fumble; the USC and Fiesta Bowl closes; the final-poll accounting of the beaten teams.
- Holtz obituaries (2026) — the death of March 4, 2026, at Orlando, aged 89.