Lou Hoax

I'll never forget Thanksgiving Eve, 1986. At the time, I was living in Des Moines, Iowa. As I drove north on Interstate 35 to visit family for the holiday, in Minneapolis, I heard, from the radio announcer I recently eulogized, about the resignation of the head football coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The coach who had arrived with great fanfare, two years earlier, and had already begun turning around a once-moribund Gopher program, was leaving, to take a similar position at the University of Notre Dame. The radio announcer re-christened the departing coach as Lou Hoax.

I never attended the University of Minnesota. Up and down the Northeast Corridor, where I've lived for quite a while now. people don't tend to understand the concept of being a sports fan of a college other than their own alma mater. But that's quite a common phenomenon west and south of here.

I don't tend to hold grudges in the less important areas of life. But sports are a different matter. I've never forgiven Lou Hoax for walking out on the "U".

Now, while perusing Politico, I find that the ex-coach (whose real surname is Holtz, if you hadn't figured that out yet) is considering running for Congress.

It's possible that Mr. Holtz would perform quite well in the House of Representatives. Although I suspect he's too far to the right, especially as a social conservative, for me. But, regardless of that, he'll always be Lou Hoax and, as such, one Republican I can't support.