At the time, athletic director Frank Broyles stated that Holtz had resigned and was not fired, but two decades later Broyles acknowledged that Holtz was indeed fired because his actions were negatively affecting the fan base. Holtz would subsequently be hired by Minnesota. Reports also cited his political involvement as a major reason for his firing: controversy arose over his having taped two television advertisements from his coach's office endorsing the re-election of Jesse Helms as Senator from North Carolina at a time when Helms was leading the effort to block Martin Luther King Day from becoming a national holiday. Holtz left the program with a mark of 60–21–2. His teams reached six consecutive bowls (1977–1983), but only won one split conference championship. Holtz used a very conservative option offense.