Wins, Losses, and Lessons: An Autobiography [Audio Download]

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.