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Men’s Rally in the Valley is April 29
By Bob Jackson
YOUNGSTOWN
Even in the wake of a devastating loss, Lou Holtz finds inspiration, drive, and humor – even if the joke comes at his own expense.
“I’m the first homeless man they’ve ever asked to speak at the Men’s Rally in the Valley,” said Holtz, a legend among college football coaches.
He was referring to a fire that destroyed his Orlando, Fla., house on Father’s Day 2015, leaving him and his wife homeless. The $1.6 million home burned to the ground, yet Holtz and his wife, Beth, escaped unharmed. The cause of the fire was believed to be a lightning strike.
“I told my wife that we had exactly one day to feel sorry for ourselves,” Holtz said. “After that, we were never going to talk like that again. We were going to put it behind us and start with rebuilding something better than what we lost, and that’s what we did.”
That gritty refusal to be defeated by a loss is what helped place Holtz among college football’s coaching elite. It’s also what’s made him a highly regarded motivational speaker all over the country.
He’ll be the keynote speaker at the 8th annual Men’s Rally in the Valley, set for April 29 at the Covelli Centre downtown. The event is aimed at encouraging men to be strong in their Christian faith and challenging them to grow in it.
Holtz, 80, was an assistant coach at Ohio State University and head coach at the University of South Carolina, the University of Minnesota, North Carolina State University, the University of Arkansas and the College of William and Mary.
But he’s best known for his 11-year stint at the helm of Notre Dame’s football program, where he amassed a record of 100-30-2, and won a national championship in 1988.
He then served as an ESPN college football analyst from 2004-15.
Though he no longer prowls the sidelines or offers insight from a television studio, Holtz remains active by traveling the country for speaking engagements. He said it’s his past that keeps driving him forward when others would have stopped. He said his success is largely because of others who offered him support and encouragement along the way, and he wants to pay it forward.
“I guess I just have a strong desire to help people,” Holtz said. “So many people reached out to me and helped me move ahead during my life. Plus, I have great energy at my age, and I have a message that’s really well-received.”
Holtz said he’ll deliver a two-part message to the men who attend the rally. The first part is that men have an obligation to provide the right leadership to their children and their spouse. The second part is about the importance of making good life choices.
“If you choose to do drugs, drop out of school and get covered with tattoos from head-to-toe, you’re probably setting yourself up for some tough times. Please stop blaming [others] for that,” Holtz said bluntly. “Choices have ramifications.”
Dealing with young athletes nearly all his life, Holtz said he’s seen the toll drugs can take on young lives. He’s committed to trying to find a solution to the drug-abuse epidemic, working with officials in his hometown of East Liverpool to fight the scourge of drugs.
“We must find a way to solve this, or we’ll lose our country,” Holtz said. “We’re losing a generation.”
Walter “Bing” Newton of Leetonia, one of the rally organizers, said he’s looking forward to seeing Holtz at the podium this year.
“We’re so excited that he would come here and do this,” said Newton. “The influence that this man has had on so many young people is awe-inspiring. He’s a very well-respected coach and person.”
Also slated to speak is Kyle Maynard of Atlanta,, who was born with a condition known as congenital amputation. Both his arms end at the elbows, and his legs both end near the knees.
Despite his disability, Maynard spent his life in “pursuit of normalcy.” In high school, he joined the wrestling team and, after two mostly winless seasons, went on to win 36 varsity matches his senior year, defeating several of the state’s top wrestlers along the way.
Maynard is also a CrossFit instructor and a mixed-martial arts fighter, in his seventh year of studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. But perhaps his most impressive feat was in January 2012, when he became the first quadruple-amputee to climb Mount Kilimanjaro without the use of prosthetics. Essentially bear-crawling the entire way, Maynard scaled more than 19,000 feet to the top of the mountain.
Maynard said the message he’ll deliver to men at the rally is a tribute to his friend and former Navy SEAL, Richard Machowicz, who recently died.
“NDCQ,” Maynard said. “Not dead, can’t quit. If there is still air in your lungs, continue moving forward. Know your limits and never stop trying to break them.”
Maynard said he is inspired by people who live a “double-bottom-line life” – a life that is both profitable and purpose-driven.
For the past seven years, Maynard has traveled to five continents speaking at corporate meetings, grade schools, universities and programs supporting injured American military veterans. He said his deepest passion is helping each audience member on their path toward reaching their highest human potential.
Newton said he believes men who attend the rally will be truly inspired by Maynard’s story.
He said for the second year, there will be no charge to attend the rally, with all costs being underwritten by sponsors and private donations.