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<p>WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz captivated the crowd of nearly 500 King&#8217;s College graduates along with their friends and families by delivering the school&#8217;s commencement speech at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza Sunday afternoon.</p><p>&#8220;You were born to be the very best you could possibly be,&#8221; said Holtz, head coach of the 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish National Championship team. &#8220;You might be very successful and make a lot of money, but when you die that ends. I urge you to live your life where you can help others be successful. That lasts many lifetimes.&#8221;</p><p>After receiving a brief introduction before heading to the podium to deliver his near 15-minute speech, Holtz was showered by &#8220;Lou&#8221; chants and loud applause.</p><p>&#8220;You&#8217;re either growing or you&#8217;re dying. You&#8217;re always going to have problems,&#8221; Holtz, the two-time Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year winner, said. &#8220;There are always going to be problems, you&#8217;re never going to reach a point where you don&#8217;t have them. You need to learn to handle them and cope with them.&#8221;</p><p>Holtz, a College Football Hall of Fame inductee, is the only person in college football history to coach six teams to post-season bowl games.</p><p>During his coaching career where he amassed 249 victories, Holtz was the head coach of William &amp; Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina.</p><p>Holtz often cited his strong Catholic faith for everything in his life.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not a singer, a dancer, an entertainer or an intellect,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m a simple individual who has a strong faith in God. He&#8217;s been invaluable to me.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;God does answer your prayers,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I can&#8217;t tell you how many times I would pray to God when we (Notre Dame) would play Michigan.&#8221;</p><p>Throughout the entirety of his speech, Holtz added a few jokes to his speech, sparking much laughter from the crowd. He said because of his age, the candles on his birthday cake cost more than the cake.</p><p>Holtz noted that Sunday&#8217;s commencement speech was the 14th one he delivered, but credited the King&#8217;s faculty and staff for doing something he never saw before.</p><p>As students processed in, they were flanked by faculty and staff on both sides of them. Some students shook hands with faculty members while others embraced them with a hug.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve done a bunch of these things, but that might have been one of the nicest things I&#8217;ve seen,&#8221; he said.</p><p>At the conclusion of his speech, Holtz was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd at the Mohegan Sun Arena.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz stands as King&#8217;s College graduates enter Mohegan Sun Arena during the school&#8217;s commencement ceremony on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_kings1_faa.jpg</photo0><caption0>Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz stands as King&#8217;s College graduates enter Mohegan Sun Arena during the school&#8217;s commencement ceremony on Sunday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_kings2_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ericka Martyn gets a hug from Barry Williams, the dean of the King&#8217;s College William G. McGowan School of Business, at the college&#8217;s commencement ceremony at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_kings2_faa.jpg</photo1><caption1>Ericka Martyn gets a hug from Barry Williams, the dean of the King&#8217;s College William G. McGowan School of Business, at the college&#8217;s commencement ceremony at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township on Sunday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_kings3_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Zachery Lescowitch checks out some of the art on the walls of Mohegan Sun Arena prior to King&#8217;s College&#8217;s graduation ceremony on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_kings3_faa.jpg</photo2><caption2>Zachery Lescowitch checks out some of the art on the walls of Mohegan Sun Arena prior to King&#8217;s College&#8217;s graduation ceremony on Sunday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_kings4_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kings College graduates enter Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_kings4_faa.jpg</photo3><caption3>Kings College graduates enter Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday. </caption3><photoCredit3>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_kings5_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Alexander Rowan, of Pittston, gets ready to enter Mohegan Sun Arena for King&#8217;s College&#8217;s graduation ceremony on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_kings5_faa.jpg</photo4><caption4>Alexander Rowan, of Pittston, gets ready to enter Mohegan Sun Arena for King&#8217;s College&#8217;s graduation ceremony on Sunday. </caption4><photoCredit4>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Former Notre Dame coach delivers address at King&#8217;s graduation</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dan Stokes</p><p>dstokes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dan Stokes at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @ByDanStokes</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz delights King’s graduates