Another legendary coach is calling it quits at ESPN. A week after Bob Knight’s contract was not renewed, Sports Illustrated reports that Lou Holtz’s time in Bristol has come to an end. The 78 year old Hall of Famer was an ESPN analyst for 10 seasons.
Before the 2014 season, Holtz had publicly said that it would be his last campaign at ESPN and he seems to held true to that proclamation.
There’s no questioning what Holtz means to college football and what he’s accomplished in the sport. Unfortunately, ESPN relegated one of the great coaches and personalities in the history of college football to being part of a maddening dog and pony show with Mark May for the last several years. Instead of sharing his experience and expertise about the sport in a way that entertained and informed viewers, Holtz was doing mock pregame pep talks and fake courtroom debates, where the results would often lead to him or May throwing temper tantrums on national television. The Holtz/May dynamic is on the short list with First Take and Colin Cowherd for some of the most unflattering things about ESPN.
With Holtz’s departure, it represents a significant season of change for ESPN’s College Football Final program that was manned by Holtz, May, and Rece Davis. Now two of the three are gone with Davis finally receiving the promotion he’s long deserved to College GameDay. Hopefully the network listens to some new ideas examined here instead of merely picking another debate partner and continuing to empower May’s trolling. Hopefully the network gives us something new and fresh. Or maybe ESPN will give us someone who also speaks in secret Illuminati code.