2001 Outback Bowl Game Ball Presented to "The Lou Holtz Hall of Fame" (Holtz LOA)

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/18/2022

Presented is a 2001 Outback Bowl Game Ball presented to "The Lou Holtz Hall of Fame". The brown pebbled leather Wilson 1005 football features a white leather presentation panel on which is painted the legend "Game Ball Presented to The Lou Holtz Hall of Fame" in black painted block letters as well as red gothic script with gray accents. To the left of the legend is the University of South Carolina Gamecocks logo painted in red and black. Below the legend, painted in red letters, is the caption "U.S.C. 24-Ohio State 7 Outback Bowl 1-01-2001". Below the presentation panel is the embossed black logo "USC". The top panel features the Wilson logo embossed in black and gold, as well as the logos "AFCA" and "1005" both embossed in black. After two seasons as a commentator for CBS Sports, Holtz came out of retirement in 1999 and returned to the University of South Carolina, where he had been an assistant in the 1960s. The year before Holtz arrived, the Gamecocks went 1–10, and the team subsequently went 0–11 during Holtz's first season. In his second season, South Carolina went 8–4, winning the Outback Bowl over the heavily favored Ohio State Buckeyes. The eight-game improvement from the previous year was the best in the nation in 2000 and the third best single-season turnaround in NCAA history. It also earned National Coach of the Year honors for Holtz from Football News and American Football Coaches Quarterly. In his third season, Holtz's success continued, leading the Gamecocks to a 9–3 record and another Outback Bowl victory over Ohio State. The nine wins for the season were the second highest total in the history of the program. Under Holtz's leadership, the Gamecocks posted their best two-year mark in school history from 2000 to 2001, going 17–7 overall and 10–6 in SEC play. This item comes with a LOA from Lou Holtz, and 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of this item will benefit the Holtz Charitable Foundation, Inc.