Lou Holtz is leaving ESPN, the network confirmed.
The former college football coach, who coached at Arkansas, Notre Dame and South Carolina, among others, had been with ESPN since 2004.
"Lou brought a champion's perspective and a legacy of accomplishment to our coverage along with his distinctive style and humor," ESPN said in a statement. "We appreciate his contributions and wish him all the best in the future."
Holtz, 78, told a Notre Dame website in 2014 that he planned on retiring after the 2014 season, saying he wanted to spend some more time working on the important things, such as his golf game.
"I've been everywhere except to bed," he told the website. "I've spoken to everybody except my wife. Somebody said, 'Do you ever go anywhere where people don't recognize you?' I said, 'Home.' I owe it to her to spend a little more time with her. I said that last year, too."
SI.com's Richard Deitsch first reported Holtz's departure Sunday night.
Dual sport?
Russell Wilson isn't ready to give up his dream of playing professional baseball.
The Seattle Seahawks quarterback told Bryant Gumbel during a recent interview for HBO's Real Sports that he has not closed the door on the idea of playing both football and baseball.
"You never want to kill the dream of playing two sports," Wilson said in a clip of the interview that was provided to members of the media by HBO for the show that will debut on April 21. "I would honestly play two sports."
Gumbel asked Wilson what is stopping him.
"I don't know. I may push the envelope a little bit one of these days," Wilson said.
Wilson, who led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title in his second season in 2013, may be leaving the baseball option open since he's still negotiating a contract extension with Seattle. He may receive a deal that would make him the highest-paid player in the NFL, topping the $22 million annual salary of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Seattle hopes to get a deal done with Wilson before the 2015 season.
Wilson recently attended spring training with the Texas Rangers and has done so each of the past two seasons. He played two years of minor league baseball in 2010 and 2011 as a member of the Colorado Rockies' organization. He hit .230 in 32 games in Class A and .228 in 61 games in Class AA.
He said it
George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel on the Baseball Hall of Fame's ban for Pete Rose:
"The apologists are lining up for Pete Rose again.
"Good people. Great people. Iconic names like Cal Ripken Jr., who recently said, 'To me, he's a Hall of Fame player with the most hits. He should be celebrated in the Hall of Fame.'
"Respectfully so, I suggest there is a chink in the Iron Man's armor.
"Pete Rose does not belong in baseball's hallowed halls.
"Never.
"He bet on the game. Period. End of discussion.
"It is the ultimate sin, far worse than the beefed-up steroid junkies like Bash Brothers Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds (wink-wink), and all the others.
"At least they were juicing up to win games, looking for a competitive edge to allow them to skate past their prime. Betting on baseball is a far different beast. It doesn't matter if you bet on your team to 'win.' "
SPORTS QUIZ
How many bowl games did Lou Holtz win with the Arkansas Razorbacks?
ANSWER
Three: 1978 (Orange), 1980 (Hall of Fame Classic), 1982 (Bluebonnet)
Sports on 04/14/2015