Free Republic

American politics are rich with characters and stereotypes—Joe the Plumber, Harry and Louise, Nascar dads and hockey moms, to name a few. But one persistent type hasn't gotten much attention: the Republican football coach.

----snip---- There's no evidence that coaches with a conservative bent are better coaches or more likely to get jobs. Football coaches aren't the most diverse group, which may help explain their political similarities. Still, could it be that football coaches, just by the nature of the job, are more comfortable on the right end of the political spectrum? "I'd say that sounds likely—very likely," said Bobby Bowden, the longtime Florida State coach and an outspoken Republican. Mr. Bowden, a 79-year-old native Alabaman, describes himself as a lifelong conservative who—like many white Southerners of his generation—migrated from the Democratic Party to...

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz told an Indiana television station he doesn't plan to run for Congress. Lou Holtz tips his Notre Dame cap during festivities prior to his College Football Hall of Fame induction in July. "I'm working for ESPN. I don't want to run for Congress," Holtz told WNDU-TV of South Bend on Wednesday at a golf outing in nearby Bridgman, Mich. "All I'm going to do is fulfill the commitment to ESPN. I'm prepared for it and then we'll go from there." A GOP strategist said Tuesday that Holtz was considering...

WASHINGTON - After earning nearly 250 wins on the college gridiron, former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz is eyeing another competition -- as a candidate for Congress in Central Florida.

By way of the South Bend Tribune comes a story about the relationship between Lou Holtz and former North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms. As EDSBS points out, Holtz is an interesting guy to say the least. Lou Holtz Sports Illustrated Cover Lou Holtz met Jesse Helms during his coaching stint at North Carolina State. According to Holtz, Helms used his political influence to help Lou build the program. In his autobiography, “Wins, Losses and Lessons”, Holtz explains how the friendship later cost him his job at Arkansas. “When he ran for the U.S. Senate … Jesse asked me to do...

(Columbia) Nov. 18, 2004 - The uncertainty of Coach Lou Holtz's football future has one of Columbia's top high school athletes looking more closely at his options. WIS News 10 has learned that Coach Holtz told his squad at a Thursday evening meeting that he will retire. Columbia High School's Mike Davis has been recruited by both Clemson and South Carolina, but he wants to know will Lou stay or go, "I can see myself in any uniform, but I can see myself as a Gamecock." The Columbia High School football star met Holtz last summer, "It made me look...

From the Indianapolis Star: Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz will speak at a fund-raiser for Gov. Joe Kernan's campaign. The coach and the former South Bend mayor have been friends for years. The $300-a-person reception and dinner June 7 will be at the Indianapolis Colts' Union Federal Football Center on West 56th Street. In the past Holtz has endorsed or campaigned for Republican candidates. He appeared in a commercial for Jesse Helms. Holtz attended an inaugural luncheon for then Attorney General Charlie Condon (a Notre Dame alumnus) in 1999. Holtz also was listed as a supporter of Dan...