The Notre Dame community will find it difficult to move on from Lou Holtz’s passing. For Tim Brown, who was a standout player during Lou Holtz’s tenure, it’ll be even more painful. Today, at his funeral mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the University of Notre Dame campus, the former Irish star shared one last emotional moment.

As the casket carrying the legendary coach was being carried out of the church, Brown leaned out from his seat just to get one last touch and say a final goodbye to the man who changed his life. For Brown, it was about honoring his only father figure, who believed in him before anyone else did.

“One last chance to say thanks,” Brown wrote of the act on X.

The bond between Tim Brown and Lou Holtz is one of the most memorable player-coach relationships in college football. When Holtz first arrived at Notre Dame in 1986, Brown hadn’t quite broken out yet. He was talented but frustrated, playing for a team that wasn’t winning much. But after two days of spring practice in Holtz’s first season as head coach, he told Brown that he could be the best player in the country. He kept repeating that to the WR for two weeks straight.

The Natty-winning head coach famously told Brown that the only way he wouldn’t get the ball was if the other team intercepted the snap from the center. Holtz also moved Brown all over the field: returning punts, catching passes, and running the ball just to make sure he was always the biggest threat on the field. In 1987, just like Holtz believed, Tim Brown ended up lifting the Heisman trophy. Brown went on to win higher accolades in the NFL and also sits in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. All because Lou Holtz pushed Tim Brown to be that kind of player.

“Making me into a Heisman winner had less to do about football and more to do about life!” Brown shared on X after Holtz’s passing was announced. “Rest Easy coach!”

Brown, of course, was one of the heaps of people whose lives were impacted for the better by Lou Holtz. As a swarm of attendees stood to pay their respects as the casket passed, people could gauge how seminal a figure they had lost in the late coach.

Lou Holtz’s funeral mass was one to remember

The sports world knows the coach for his 249 career wins and that iconic 1988 national title at Notre Dame. But at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the funeral attendees remembered a man whose life was built on three simple rules: do the right thing, do your best, and always show people you care.

The funeral was a big reunion for the Notre Dame community. Despite the 25-degree weather and a bit of sleet, hundreds of fans and former players lined Notre Dame Avenue to see the procession. The marching band played the Alma Mater as the hearse passed by, celebrating the hero who catapulted the Irish to success. Lou Holtz’s son, Skip, gave a touching tribute.

After the service, Lou was buried beside his wife, Beth, at the Cedar Grove Cemetery. She had passed away in 2020 after nearly 60 years of marriage. Lou had spent his final years missing her dearly, so there was a real sense of peace knowing they were back together.

Even though he’s gone, his legacy is everywhere on campus, from the ‘Play Like A Champion Today’ sign he popularized to the chapels he and Beth helped renovate. He was the last coach to lead the Irish to the mountaintop, and it’s clear from the turnout that he’ll be an inspiration for generations to come.