Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State only 96 days away
To preview one of the most anticipated games for Notre Dame this century and the official start of the Marcus Freeman era, BlueandGold.com is counting down the days to the matchup against Ohio State on Sept. 3.
This daily series of 99 stories celebrates by the numbers some of the most notable names, dates, moments and memories related to the past and present of Notre Dame football.
Today, we feature No. 96 with a look at the 1996 season, the final one for legendary head coach Lou Holtz.
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Speculation met reality at Notre Dame on Nov. 19, 1996, when as expected, Holtz made official his resignation as Fighting Irish head coach after 11 successful seasons with one national championship.
Holtz, who was 59 at the time, provided few details for his departure, cryptically saying, “I cannot honestly give you a reason for my resignation, except to say I feel it is the right thing to do.”
Notre Dame went 8-3 in 1996 with two losses coming in overtime, so the parting of ways wasn’t a function of on-field failures.
Scandal, personality conflicts, burnout, a return to the NFL, the rumor mill churned.
Instead, Holtz explained six years later that the intense pressure he began putting on himself to win a national title every year was pulling his attention away from where it needed to be, on the development of his student-athletes.
“I thought I was tired of coaching,” Holtz explained. “I wasn’t tired of coaching, I was tired of maintaining.”
Passing the torch
Holtz didn’t leave his successor, Bob Davie, empty-handed. The Irish roster became thoroughly stocked after the 1988 national championship season and through the early 1990s.
Highlighted by defensive end Renaldo Wynn and offensive tackle Luke Petitgout — two first-round selections — along with star tailback Autry Denson, and blazing return man Allen Rossum, 14 Irish players from the 1996 team were drafted to the NFL.
Rossum enjoyed a 12-year NFL career and still ranks second in NFL history in kickoff return yardage (11,947) and combined punt and kickoff return yardage (15,003).
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Rossum scored four touchdowns on returns for Notre Dame in 1996, three on punts and one on a kickoff.
The 1996 season included a win over No. 6 Texas in Game 3, which pushed Notre Dame to No. 5 in the AP Poll.
The Irish also beat No. 16 Washington but lost to No. 4 Ohio State and at unranked USC in the regular-season finale, snapping a 13-game unbeaten streak against the Trojans. Notre Dame finished No. 19 in the final AP Poll.
The USC loss ended up being the final game where Holtz coached the Irish.
Deciding that a trip to Shreveport, La., for the Independence Bowl and a game against Auburn wasn’t a worthwhile postseason destination, Notre Dame declined the bowl invite.
Holtz compiled a 100-30-2 record at Notre Dame, leaving him five wins shy at the time of tying Knute Rockne as the school’s all-time winningest coach.
On the field, the 1996 season was rather uneventful. But the departure of Holtz afterward certainly made ’96 worthy of a revisit on this countdown.
