Customer Reviews

Wins, Losses, and Lessons: An Autobiography

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Lou Holtz is an incredible man who always makes me think of the parable of the men and their talents. Coach Holtz grew up poor and when he grew up he was short and skinny with a speech impediment. Short and skinny are not adjectives that are usually used to describe football players but through pure grit and determination Lou Holtz played college football. A speech impediment is not a condition normally associated with a head coach, motivational speaker or TV analogist but once again through grit and determination and with a great deal of heart and intelligence Lou Holtz has conquered all three of these professions. His is a story that needed to be told and thankfully he has done just that.

This book is sort of a combination of genres and is hard to categorize. It is a book about football, it is a motivational book, it is a history book, and it is an autobiography. Holtz takes his readers through his life from his impoverished childhood to his retirement to an "embarrassingly big" home in Orlando and he does so in such an engaging manner that this is about the most fun I have ever had reading a non-fiction book. As the title suggests, Holtz talks about the wins and losses he has faced both in football and in life and along the way he engages in his favorite activity, which is teaching. That is where the lessons come in and this man can make his point in a way that few other authors can. He is extremely adept at using humor, often self-depredating, to make his point and there are many valuable lessons that can be learned by reading this book.

It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman and we get to meet that woman in this book. Beth Holtz is a remarkable woman and the love story that is Mr. And Mrs. Lou Holtz is one of the most touching aspects of this book. Maybe some day Beth will write a book about what it is like to live with one of the greatest coaches of all time.

This is not just a book about Notre Dame football and although there is obviously a lot about Notre Dame to be found within these pages there is also a lot that will be highly interesting to any sports fan. There are also several references to Coach's Catholic Faith and I think that any Catholic will find this to be inspirational reading. In fact, I can't think of anybody who wouldn't find this book to be inspirational, poignant, enlightening and fun.

In this autobiography we come to understand the making of a champion.

Coach Holtz shares very personal stories, and his feelings about them, about his childhood, college years, and coaching years at several schools. While he clearly loves Notre Dame, he also has great affection for the players, fans, and friends of all the places he coached. ND fans will love this book, and so will fans of Ohio State, William & Mary, Arkansas, Minnesota, North Carolina State, and South Carolina.

Coach Holtz shares insight into many adversities, which helped make him a champion in football and life. The reader gets the feeling if this skinny-lisping-poor kid (as he describes himself), whom no one thought would amount to much, could be so successful, I could too.

His style is simple, easy to understand, humorous, and engaging--just like the man. The book reads like a story, not a business or leadership manual. Several football games are recounted but only briefly, not enough to annoy non-football fans.

If you are a parent raising kids, this book will provide great comfort in your choice to discipline your children. Lou talks in a non-condescending way about lack of discipline, kids running the households, and parental duties being pushed off to the schools. A great disservice for kids today is they are being sheltered from adversity rather than being taught to rise from it. Then, they go to college and are unprepared for reality when they enter the workforce. If you've been in the work world for any number of years, you've seen those kids. Parents who want to raise well adjusted adults could benefit from Lou's perspective on discipline.

Lou Holtz was significant to ND in that he won a National Championship; he was significant to other universities for turning around losing programs; he's been significant because he's coached hundreds of men to be champions. Sharing so openly in this new book makes him significant beyond college football, as now he's coached millions of readers to be champions.

I really enjoyed this book. Lou does a great job of keeping the book flowing and there was a remarkable amount of detail about his various coaching assignments. I especially like the way he focused on his family issues and his moral compass for always doing the right thing. I think he would have been a great coach to play for. It was a great read.

After reading Wins, Losses, and Lessons, I have gained a greater appreciation and respect for Coach Holtz, not only for his coaching success, but also for the person he seems to be.

Holtz comes across as honest, transparent, caring, tough, and with a dry sense of humor. Living about 1.5 hours north of Columbia SC (home of the USC Gamecocks - Holtz' last coaching job), I was particularly interested in reading this book when I saw it in the local library. Am I ever glad I did! Among the periods of his interesting life covered include:

1. His early life and upbringing where he learned the basic values of honesty, integrity, and hard work.

2. Early days of assistant coaching (Ohio St., etc.).

3. Head college coaching jobs (William and Mary, NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and finally, South Carolina).

4. His worst admitted mistake - going to coach the New York Jets.

5. Close family life and his dear wife's struggle with cancer.

6. His Catholic faith that particularly grew at Notre Dame.

7. Post coaching days - motivational speaking, working as a consultant, golfing, etc.

While the title is over 300 pages, the book is an easy read and the narrative flows quite smoothly. There was not a part of the book I found boring. While I am not a Catholic, I developed a greater respect for Holtz as both a coach and person.

All in all, a great read. Highly recommended. Read and enjoy!

This year our baseball team (comprised of 13-16 yr olds) decided end of year trophies would be a little juvenile for the boys. The coach let me know about this book and thought it would be a good idea to give each of the boys one for the end of the season gift. We did and it was very well received! An amazing book for anyone that aspires to do something more with their life!

Well written and very easy to read! I highly reccomend!

A revealing, honest portrayal of a true legend. He doesn't always

take the easy way of doing things but he always strive to do the right thing. Should be required reading for ever teenager. His teaching methods results in how to be the best staying within the moral boundries

of life. If you want a book about life, faith, sports, wit & how to make the right decisions, this is a must read. Lou Holtz is the Yogi Beri of football.

I first began following the career of football coach Lou Holtz when I read

about something he did when he was in his 20s; i.e., write

down a list of over 100 things he wanted to accomplish in his

life . . . among them: jump out of an airplane, land on an aircraft

carrier, go out on a submarine, appear on THE TONIGHT SHOW

with Johnny Carson, go white-water rafting down the Snake River,

play the greatest golf courses in the world, have dinner in

the White House, meet the Pope, learn to juggle and do

magic, and run with the bulls in Spain with a slower person.

The amazing thing is that 40 years later, he has accomplished all

but two items from his original list.

So when I saw his autobiography, WINS, LOSSES, AND LESSONS

came out, I knew that I just had

to read it to find out more about this amazing guy . . . and I'm glad

that I did.

Holtz is a guy who seems to have lived his life to the fullest--and loved

every minute of it . . . his book is funny, at parts, but also touching

in others . . . it is one that can be enjoyed by any football fan or

Notre Dame graduate; however, others will like it too.

There were several memorable sections in it; among them:

* I learned what it takes to be a great teacher, because I had

some great ones. My history professor Dr. Kaplan, for example,

was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic that he inspired me

to become a history major. In that first year I realized that to

be a good teacher you had to (1) know your subject inside and

out, (2) be able to present what you know in a cohesive and

interesting way so that your audience understands what you're

talking about, and (3) have enthusiasm for teaching.

Every good professor I've known has embodied all three of

these traits, and every bad one has fallen short in one or

more. I knew that if I was going to become an effective coach,

I had to embrace the principles of good teaching. What I didn't

know was how soon I would get to test my abilities.

* More than once, I jumped into the middle of a scrimmage

without pads to demonstrate a blocking or tackling technique.

I know this shocked a lot of players, but I was passionate about

doing things the proper way. If I got down in the middle of a pile

with no pads, there was no reason that kids who were much

bigger than I couldn't do the same when fully outfitted. I told them,

"If you're going to be something, do it to the best of your ability.

If not, don't waste your time or mine." Those are words I

repeated throughout my coaching career. How good those

players were was not important to me. What was important

was the effort they showed. I wasn't a great player, which

meant I had to put forth 100 percent on every play just to equal

those athletes who were more physically gifted than I.

Overcoming my own physical shortcomings made me a better

coach because I knew what it was like to give everything you

had on every play. I still can't understand people who fail not

because they aren't physically or mentally up to the task, but

because they simply don't put forth the effort to succeed. If you

aren't going to be the best you can be, why try?

Lastly, there was this fantastic bit of advice for anybody choosing

a career:

* We prayed a lot, talked a lot, and wrote a lot of things down. Out

of that discussion came our creed for what's important in choosing

a profession: First, you have to do something that you love. Work

isn't work when you love what you do. If you dread going to the

office in the morning and can't wait for the workday to end, you

need to seriously rethink your career choice. Second, you need to

find something you do well. You might love to play golf, but if you

shoot 100 every time you play, you're not very good, and you're

going to starve to death playing golf for a living. Finally, you have to

find somebody who will pay you. You might love something, and be

very good at it, but if no one is willing to pay you for doing it, you

don't have a career. I love eating Snickers bars, and I'm very good

at it. Unfortunately, I've yet to find anyone who is willing to pay me

to eat Snickers bars, so that aspect of my life doesn't qualify as a

profession.

This book provides something for every one.

It is entertainment yet self help. It has real life drama yet is motivational guide to life.

He shares how to deal with people in charge that have traits such as anger or dis-honesty yet shows you how to be a manager.

This books is a keeper and one I also buy to give as gifts.

Lou starts out with his child hood that is set in the poverty depression era and yet hits life head on all the way up.

This book is for every person of every age of every gender. And each of those will agree it is a page turner and they will be glad they read it.

I am a college football fanatic.

I am a Christian.

I was not a Lou Holtz fan.

I am now.

Lou Holtz is an amazing man with a great story. It's 33% football, 33% family/friends, and 33% Christianity and how those things have shaped his life.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know how you better your lot in life.

Excellent book for anyone to read. I also pruchased the teen version for my son. It is an excellent book as well.