Holtz Takes Over South Carolina

Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz took over South Carolina's struggling football program Friday after marathon, last-minute negotiations to complete his $600,000-a-year deal.

The announcement follows CBS SportsLine's report Thursday that Holtz was leaving his football analyst's job at CBS to return to coaching.

About 5,000 fans cheered Holtz as he walked to the center of Williams-Brice stadium this afternoon. Earlier, about 40 applauding fans met him at Owens Field airport accompanied by his wife and one of his sons, Kevin Holtz.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here because I want to be here," the new coach said.

"When I left the University of Notre Dame, I honestly felt I would never coach again," Holtz said. "My heart is now here at the University of South Carolina. My effort and dedication is to you."

The crowd burst into cheers again when Holtz told them, "Our goal is to win the national championship."

South Carolina's 1-10 record this season was its worst in 106 years of football, and Brad Scott was fired on Nov. 23.

Holtz said the Southeastern Conference is tough, and people should not think that he alone can turn the team around.

"A lot of people said, 'You can't win at South Carolina and you're making a big mistake if you go there,' and they're absolutely right, I can't win here. But our team can and we plan on doing it," Holtz said.

He will be paid a $150,000 base salary, but with broadcast revenues, endorsements and other payment, the five-year deal is worth a total of about $600,000 annually, the school said.

"From the very beginning of this search, Lou Holtz was the coach we identified who would be able to lead the Carolina program to the next level," athletic director Mike McGee said.

Negotiations apparently hit a snag, and the announcement the school had expected to make late Thursday was delayed until this morning.

An athletics administration source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said telephone negotiations with Holtz continued until 3:30 a.m. today, then resumed at 7:30 a.m. Holtz said they wrapped up at 10:45 a.m.

He played down any differences during the talks.

"It's not easy to put everything together," Holtz said. ``There wasn't any problem or indecision."

The (Columbia) State, citing unidentified sources, had said the snag was at least in part over whether Skip Holtz, the coach at Connecticut, would eventually succeed his father as head coach at South Carolina. An athletics administration source who spoke with The Associated Press said Skip Holtz was given no guarantees he would take over the job, but he would get "fair consideration" if his father leaves and Lou Holtz said there was no contractual agreement covering his son.

In an interview Thursday with USA Today, Holtz said he almost stayed at CBS.

"The other night, I decided not to take it," said Holtz, whose wife, Beth, is fighting throat cancer. "But when we got up the next morning, my family wasn't comfortable with the decision, and I changed my mind."

All night, fans and supporters waited for the final word on Holtz, viewed as a savior for a team that went 1-10 this season. A plywood sign was quickly put up in Columbia's Five Points shopping district: "Yes, South Carolina, there is a Santa Claus. Welcome Coach and Mrs. Holtz."

The 61-year-old Holtz was cautious about returning to coaching because of his wife's health. Kevin Holtz said this week that she has improved in the past year.

Holtz left Notre Dame in 1996 after 11 years at the Indiana school, where his record was 100-30-2, including a national championship. He also has coached William & Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas and Minnesota, and spent one season with the NFL's New York Jets.

He said recently that before taking another coaching job he would have to resolve any conflicts with his family responsibilities.

In late November, he said, "I feel that God wants me to coach, otherwise he wouldn't have put the desire in me. I do enjoy coaching at the college level, but will not be active until my wife is well."

Holtz was an assistant at South Carolina from 1966-67.

He and McGee are good friends, and Holtz's name surfaced for the South Carolina job even before Scott was fired.

McGee met with Holtz at least twice, including Sunday and Monday in Columbia. While Holtz was in town, Gov.-elect Jim Hodges, a Suth Carolina graduate, called to encourage him to take over the Gamecocks.

"I gave him my best recruiting pitch," Hodges said.

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