COLUMBIA, S.C. - No Lou. No bowl. At least the Ol' Ball Coach is on the way.

On one of the strangest days in South Carolina football history, the Gamecocks said goodbye Monday to one national championship coach in Lou Holtz and prepared to welcome another in Steve Spurrier.

In between came the news that South Carolina and rival Clemson, both 6-5, would forego bowl bids because of a brawl late in the Tigers' 29-7 victory Saturday.

Spurrier's hiring had been expected for nearly a week. But a school official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Spurrier would be returning to college coaching with the Gamecocks.

After South Carolina's loss at Clemson, several Gamecocks players said they were told Spurrier would be their next coach. Holtz himself alluded to his good friend and former Florida coach on his last TV show, saying "I think South Carolina's future will be excellent. You'd have to not know that President Bush was elected not to know what was going to happen in the future."

A news conference was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon to introduce Spurrier and end a whirlwind time for the Gamecocks.

"I can't believe everything that's happened," said former South Carolina quarterback and current play-by-play radio announcer Todd Ellis.

The 67-year-old Holtz kicked things off Monday, making official what he hinted about for weeks, and retired after 33 seasons.

He leaves with 249 victories, eighth-most in Division I-A, and a reputation for turning stumbling programs into winners. At each of his six schools - William & Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina - Holtz went to bowl games by his second season.His greatest accomplishment came in 1988, when he led Notre Dame to the national title only three seasons after the disastrous Gerry Faust era ended."Lou Holtz has been one of the great coaches in college football history," said Florida State's Bobby Bowden, the winningest coach in Division I. "He has brought a lot to the game and has coached some great teams. It will seem strange without him."His latest reconstruction project at South Carolina was nearly as remarkable. He came out of retirement in 1998 at age 61 to rebuild the Gamecocks. After going 0-11 his first season in Columbia, Holtz brought South Carolina to its best two-year mark in history (17-7) and won consecutive Outback Bowls."I don't know where I'm going to go. I don't know what I'm going to do. I have faith in the Lord to let him lead me. As long as my family's with me, everything else will be OK," Holtz said. "But I do feel confident leaving here that the football program is on a firm foundation."Spurrier will try to build on Holtz's work.Holtz didn't mention good friend Spurrier by name, but said his replacement "was a very-well-known, proven winner ... that I play golf with."Holtz worried that his reputation would be damaged by the brawl with Clemson. Holtz was in the middle of it, trying to restore order."Isn't it a heck of a note, Lou Holtz is going to be remembered along with Woody Hayes for having a fight at the Clemson game," Holtz said.Hayes' career ended after he punched Clemson linebacker Charlie Bauman at the Gator Bowl in 1978.South Carolina players were told of the school's no-bowl decision by athletic director Mike McGee on Monday evening. They quickly scattered to their cars with belongings and mementoes of their winning season."I thought some players were going to be suspended," Gamecocks center John Strickland said. "I didn't think we were going to be sitting home during Christmas for the third year straight."