When I was interviewing Lou Holtz for the Gophers head football coaching job back in 1984, I picked him up at the airport, along with his wife and three children, and hid him at the downtown Marriott Hotel. After a day and a half of interviews, he said he wanted to talk it over with his wife and children. He came out 3 hours and 45 minutes later.
I still remember this like it was yesterday. He said, ‘I’ll accept the head football coaching job at the University of Minnesota under the following condition: Starting with the popcorn sellers to the ticket takers to the trainers to the managers to the secretaries to the public relations, advertising and sales promotion people—if all those people are not committed to excellence, I will fire every single one of them.’ I looked at him and said, ‘You’re hired.’
I don’t think the state of Minnesota has ever had an outsider come in and absolutely energize the school with such a positive impact. I’ve had an opportunity to observe Lou for the better part of 20 years. He’s still my closest friend today outside of my family. I sincerely believe that he could run a billion-dollar company. If you rank his leadership, strategy, tactics, planning, goal-setting and motivation skills on a scale of 1 to 10, he’d be a 12. He made me better just from being around him. I’ve implemented all his team concepts at Mackay Envelope Company. He’s always said his guiding philosophy is, ‘Do the right thing,’ and wow, does he practice it. Lou Holtz has had a gigantic influence on me.
