A former Notre Dame football coach wants you to have a comfortable place to read in the Hesburgh Library.

One of the last areas of the library that hadn’t been renewed or renovated, the Grand Reading Room, will benefit from a massive makeover thanks to former Head Football Coach Lou Holtz.

The library has been extensively renovated in the last five years to modernize the spaces used by students, faculty and staff. Now, Coach Lou has made a generous gift in the name of his late wife Beth, saying she had a very special relationship with Father Ted, and education and faith were important to her. He says the new Grand Reading Room will honor her devotion to learning.

She passed away in June of 2020 at the age of 82.