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Charlie Weis

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For his son, seeCharlie Weis Jr.

Charlie Weis
Weis with Notre Dame in 2009
Biographical details
Born(1956-03-30)March 30, 1956(age 68)
Trenton, New Jersey,U.S.
Alma materNotre Dame
Coaching career (HCunless noted)
1979Boonton HS (NJ)(assistant)
1980–1984Morristown HS (NJ)(assistant)
1985South Carolina(GA/DB)
1986South Carolina (GA/LB)
1987South Carolina (volunteer/DE)
1988South Carolina (ARC)
1989Franklin HS (NJ)
1990New York Giants(assistant)
1991–1992New York Giants (RB)
1993–1994New England Patriots(TE)
1995New England Patriots (RB)
1996New England Patriots (WR)
1997–1999New York Jets(OC)
2000–2004New England Patriots (OC)
2005–2009Notre Dame
2010Kansas City Chiefs(OC)
2011Florida(OC)
2012–2014Kansas
Head coaching record
Overall41–49
Bowls1–2

Charles Joseph Weis Sr.(born March 30, 1956) is a formerAmerican footballcoach. He was the head coach for theNotre Dame Fighting Irishfrom 2005 to 2009 and theKansas Jayhawksfrom 2012 to 2014. He also served as an offensive coordinator in theNational Football League(NFL) for theNew York Jets,New England Patriots,andKansas City Chiefs.Weis most recently hosted "Airing It Out," along withBob Papa,onSirius XMNFL Radio.

Coaching career

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After graduating fromNotre Damein 1978, Weis began his coaching career atBoonton High Schoolin New Jersey. He spent the next five seasons at perennial powerhouseMorristown High Schoolin New Jersey as a football assistant developing players such as Michael Landsberg.[1]In 1985, he was hired by head coachJoe Morrisonat theUniversity of South Carolina,where he received his master's degree in education while working as a graduate assistant position coach and assistant recruiting coordinator.[2]He served four seasons on theGamecockstaff until Morrison died in 1989. He then returned to New Jersey as the head coach atFranklin High Schooland directed Franklin Township to the New Jersey state championship while also assisting in theNew York Giants' pro personnel department.[2]

Early years

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Weis launched his professional coaching career in 1990 when he was named offensive assistant and assistant special teams coach under Giants head coachBill Parcells.The Giants went on to winSuper Bowl XXVat the end of that season, beating theBuffalo Billsby a score of20–19.

AfterRay Handleytook over as head coach in 1991, Weis stayed on as therunning backcoach for two seasons. In 1991, he helped guide 2nd year running backRodney Hamptonto 1,059 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. The Giants finished 6th in rushing yards and 7th in rushing touchdowns in the NFL. The next year, Weis utilized both Hampton (1,141 yards and 14 touchdowns) andJarrod Bunch(501 yards and 3 touchdowns) to form a potent running back combination. The Giants finished 6th in rushing yards and 2nd in rushing touchdowns in the NFL.

After that he began a four-year stint with theNew England Patriots.For the first two years (1993–1994), Weis served as thetight endcoach. In 1995, he would switch torunning backcoach and finished 1996 aswide receivercoach. In 1993, he helpedBen Coatesbreak out with 659 yards and 8 touchdowns.Marv Cookproved a reliable blocker as well. In 1994, Coates had one of the best seasons by a tight end ever with 96 catches, 1174 yards, and 7 touchdowns. In 1995, Weis helped turn rookieCurtis Martin's year into a Pro Bowl season with 1,487 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.Dave MeggettandSam Gashproved to be reliable receivers out of the backfield as well with a combined 78 catches.Terry Glennbroke out with 90 catches for 1,132 yards and 6 touchdowns. Weis also helpedwide receiverShawn Jeffersonput up 771 yards and 4 touchdowns along with developingTroy Browninto a solid role player with 21 catches for 222 yards.

In 1997, Weis became theoffensive coordinatorof the Jets, in addition to duties as the team's primary receivers coach. In his second year as offensive coordinator, the Jets finished fourth in theNational Football Leaguein offense. Weis served as the team's offensive coordinator from 1997 to 1999.

New England Patriots

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Weis returned to New England Patriots following Parcells' announced retirement after the 1999 season. He served as offensive coordinator under head coachBill Belichickfrom 2000 through 2004, installing theErhardt-Perkins offensive system,and assisting the Patriots in three Super Bowl victories (XXXVI,XXXVIII,XXXIX).[3]

Notre Dame

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On November 30, 2004, after finishing its football season with a 6–5 record, Notre Dame released head coachTyrone Willingham.[4]After first choiceUrban Meyeraccepted the head coaching position at theUniversity of Florida,[5]Notre Dame hired Weis on December 12, 2004, as the 28th football coach in the school's history with a six-year contract worth a reported US$2 million per year. He was the first Notre Dame graduate to hold the position sinceHugh Devore(a 1934 graduate) served as interim coach in 1945 and 1963, and the first alumnus to serve as the Irish football coach on a full-fledged basis sinceJoe Kuharich(a 1938 Notre Dame graduate), who coached in South Bend from 1959 to 1962.[6]

2005
Main article:2005 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

In hisfirst seasonas head coach of the Fighting Irish, Weis was widely quoted as telling his team that they would have a "decided schematic advantage" against their opponents, apparently in the belief that his schemes and strategies developed in theNFLwere superior to the schemes being run by other college coaches.[7]Indeed, the team's play, particularly that of junior quarterbackBrady Quinnand junior wide receiverJeff Samardzija,improved greatly. Samardzija, previously a little-used wide receiver, became Quinn's favorite target and a frequent game-breaker, and set school records for most touchdown receptions in a season (15), most receiving yardage in a season (1,249), and most consecutive games with a touchdown reception (8),[8]after having no touchdown receptions in his previous two years at Notre Dame.[9]Notre Dame lost to Michigan State in a dramatic overtime loss. Weis was quoted as saying they would never again lose to Michigan State on his watch. He went 2–3 against the Spartans over his career.

With a record of 9–2, his team finished the regular season ranked sixth in theBowl Championship Series(BCS) standings, granting them a berth in the2006 Fiesta BowlinTempe, Arizona,on January 2, 2006, which they lost to theOhio State Buckeyesby a score of 34–20.[10]The Irish finished ninth in the finalAP Polland eleventh in theCoaches Poll.[11][12]His team's success on the field helped make Weis winner of the 2005Eddie Robinson Coach of the YearAward, selected by theFootball Writers Association of America.[13]

On October 29, 2005, barely halfway through the first year of a six-year contract, and with a 5–2 record, Weis signed a contract extension with Notre Dame. The new 10-year deal, which began with the 2006 season, and which was to be worth a reported $30–40 million, would keep Weis at Notre Dame through 2015.[14]

2006
Main article:2006 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

During the2006 season,Weis led the Fighting Irish to a 10–2 regular season record, and a second straight BCS berth, this time losing 41–14 in theSugar Bowlto theLSU Tigers.This loss was the second straight bowl loss under Weis and the ninth straight bowl loss for the Irish.[15]The Irish finished No. 17 in the final AP poll, and No. 19 in the finalCoaches' Poll.[16][17]While this season could be considered a disappointment based on Notre Dame's No. 2 pre-season ranking, Weis led the Irish to its second straight season of nine wins or more, something not achieved since the 1992 and 1993 seasons underLou Holtz.[18]Also for the second straight year Weis put together a top 10 recruiting class,[19]including national player of the yearJimmy Clausen.[20]

2007
Main article:2007 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

In the2007season, Notre Dame went 3–9, with their only wins coming againstUCLA,DukeandStanford.[21][22]Their losstoNavyon November 3 snapped an NCAA-record 43-game winning streak over the Midshipmen, dating back to the Heisman Trophy-winning tenure ofRoger Staubachat the Naval Academy.[23]The team ranked near the bottom of Division I FBS in both rushing yards per game and total yards per game.[24][25]Along with being third from last in scoring per game,[26]the team was shut out twice en route to its first nine-loss season ever.[27][28]Weis attributed the team's downfall to his own mistakes, including his failure to use full-speed practices and to develop his players properly, his installation of two separate offensive systems, one for each potential starting quarterback, as well as to the graduation of star quarterbackBrady Quinn.[29]Despite the poor season, which was Notre Dame's worst ever (by losses), Weis nonetheless managed to recruit one of the top recruiting classes in the country.[30]

2008
Main article:2008 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

In 2008, The Irish started 4–1, but completed the regular season with a 6–6 record, including a 24–23 loss to Syracuse, the first time that Notre Dame had fallen to an eight-loss team. The combined 15 losses from 2007 to 2008 marks the most losses for any two-year span. Despite speculation the university might fire Weis, Notre Dame retained Weis for the 2009 season.[31]Weis's Notre Dame squad ended the season on a positive note, finally breaking the Irish's NCAA record nine-game bowl losing streak by beatingHawaii49–21.[32]In the process, Notre Dame scored its highest point total of the season, its highest point total ever in a bowl game, and broke 8 other bowl records.[32]The bowl win also helped Notre Dame to a 7–6 final record, its 102nd winning season in 120 years of football and Weis' third in four years.[32]Notre Dame ended the year with a top 15 recruiting class, including signing the top defensive player in the nation.

2009
Weis on the sidelines during the 2009 season
Main article:2009 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The Fighting Irish finished the 2009 regular season with a 6–6 record. A poor record for the season in addition to high preseason expectations for the team, including a preseason top 25 ranking, caused widespread speculation that Notre Dame would fire Weis.[33]Weis was fired on November 30, 2009.[34]He was succeeded byBrian Kelly.

Kansas City Chiefs

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Weis was named offensive coordinator of theKansas City Chiefsfor 2010. In Weis's first year, the Chiefs improved from a record of 4–12 to 10–6 and returned to the playoffs after winning theAFC WestDivision. With Weis as offensive coordinator, the Chiefs had the NFL's best rushing attack, averaging an impressive 165 yards per game on the ground. Offensively the Chiefs ranked 9th in total offense, 11th in points per game, and 1st in rushing, but 28th in passing. However, the Chiefs also sent four players on offense (WRDwayne Bowe,RBJamaal Charles,QBMatt Casseland OGBrian Waters) to the Pro Bowl. Cassel, Bowe and Charles made their first ever trip to the Pro Bowl. Weis has also been credited with the improvement of Cassel who had a career year throwing for 27 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions in 14 games.

Florida

[edit]

On December 31, 2010,ESPNreported that Weis was targeted by theFlorida Gatorsto become the next offensive coordinator under new head coachWill Muschamp.[35]On January 2, 2011, Chiefs coachTodd Haleyannounced Weis would indeed be leaving for the Florida offensive coordinator position effective at the end of the season.[36]Weis' tenure was broadly criticized after the team finished ranked 102nd nationally with just 334.17 yards per game.

Kansas

[edit]

On December 8, 2011, Weis was named the head football coach for theUniversity of KansasreplacingTurner Gill.[37]He initially stated that he would not stay longer than the duration of his five-year contract, which would have run out in 2016, but school officials persuaded him to consider a longer stay.[38]His 2012 team struggled to a 1–11 record in what was dubbed as a rebuilding year. Weis' 2013 team showed signs of improvement. Although they only compiled a 3–9 record, Weis' Jayhawks ended a 27-game Big 12 Conference losing streak with a 31–19 home victory overWest Virginiain November 2013. Weis was fired on September 28, 2014, four games into the season. School officials did not believe the Jayhawks had made enough strides on the field during Weis' tenure. According to ESPN, they were also concerned about declining attendance. Despite pleas from Weis, only 36,900 people came to what would be his final game in Lawrence, against Texas.[39]

Personal life

[edit]
Charlie Weis signs a football for a young fan at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

Weis and his wife, Maura, have two children,Charles Joseph "Charlie"and Hannah Margaret. Charlie Jr. is the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at theUniversity of Mississippi(Ole Miss). In 2003, Weis and his wife established theHannah & Friends Foundation,dedicated to children affected by developmental disorders and named after his daughter, who isautistic.In the spring of 2004, the inaugural Hannah & Friends Celebrity Golf Classic was held to benefit the foundation.

Weis toldYES Networkcommentators at theNew York YankeesandDetroit TigersMLBgame on Friday, July 17, 2009, that his favorite baseball team is the Yankees. He was there to celebrate the announcement of the Notre Dame and Army football game to be played at the newYankee Stadiumin November 2010.[40]

Weis was born inTrenton, New Jersey,and grew up inMiddlesex, New Jersey,where he graduated fromMiddlesex High School.[41]Weis was inducted to Middlesex High School Athletics Hall of Fame- Class of 2024 on May 4, 2024. Weis played High School Football as the Center for the class of 1976. He has one older sister and three younger brothers, one of whom attendedWest Point.Charlie had another brother named Pete.

Health issues

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In 2002, Weis underwentgastric bypasssurgery, after which he lost 90 lb (41 kg; 6.4 st) from his top weight of 350 lb (160 kg; 25 st).[42][43]When asked why he underwent surgery, Weis stated he was afraid he would "drop dead" fromobesity.[44]Because of complications from the surgery, Weis spent two weeks in a coma and nearly died. Weis was so close to death that he reportedly received the Catholic last rites.[45]Weis later sued the doctors who performed the surgery for malpractice and lost. A major reason cited for the jury's decision is that Weis ignored doctors' advice and pushed to have the operation done quickly, rather than going through a recommended six-week preoperative program.[46]

During a game againstMichiganon September 13, 2008, Notre Dame defensive end John Ryan accidentally collided with Weis on the sideline. Weis sustained tears to hisanterior cruciate ligamentandmedial collateral ligament,for which he underwent surgery.[47]

Head coaching record

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Notre Dame Fighting Irish(NCAA Division I-A/FBS independent)(2005–2009)
2005 Notre Dame 9–3 LFiesta† 11 9
2006 Notre Dame 10–3 LSugar† 20 17
2007 Notre Dame 3–9
2008 Notre Dame 7–6 WHawaii
2009 Notre Dame 6–6
Notre Dame: 35–27
Kansas Jayhawks(Big 12 Conference)(2012–2014)
2012 Kansas 1–11 0–9 10th
2013 Kansas 3–9 1–8 10th
2014 Kansas 2–2[n 1] 0–1[n 1] [n 1]
Kansas: 6–22 1–18
Total: 41–49

Works

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  • Weis, Charlie & Carucci, Vic (2006),No Excuses: One Man's Incredible Rise Through the NFL to Head Coach of Notre Dame,New York: HarperLargePrint,ISBN0-06-123307-2

Notes

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  1. ^abcWeis was fired after the first four games of the 2014 season.Clint Bowenwas appointed interim head coach for the final eight games of the season. Kansas finished the year with an overall record of 3–9 and a mark of 1–8 in conference play, placing ninth in theBig 12 Conference.

References

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  1. ^"Charlie Weis Bio:: Notre Dame Football:: UND.COM:: The Official Site of Notre Dame Athletics".Archived fromthe originalon December 28, 2008.RetrievedNovember 8,2007.
  2. ^abHeather VanHoegarden,CHARLIE WEIS: Family and footballArchivedAugust 20, 2010, at theWayback Machine,Irish Insider,April 22, 2005, Accessed November 29, 2012.
  3. ^Borges, Ron (September 1, 2000)."Coming to terms with the system".The Boston Globe.RetrievedOctober 6,2009.
  4. ^"Statement From Director Of Athletics Kevin White".UND.cstv.com.November 30, 2004. Archived fromthe originalon November 14, 2007.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  5. ^"Florida Notre Dame talked to both coach".ESPN. December 4, 2004.RetrievedAugust 25,2009.
  6. ^"Weis to be introduced as Irish coach Monday".ESPN. December 13, 2004.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  7. ^"Mythbusters: Charlie Weis' job is on the line – SI.com – SI On Campus".CNN. September 11, 2008.RetrievedApril 28,2010.
  8. ^"Football's Record-Setting 2005 Season".UND.com. January 10, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon July 16, 2012.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  9. ^Moran, Malcolm (October 15, 2005)."Samardzija sparks Irish resurgence".USA Today.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  10. ^"Smith, Ginn lift speedy Ohio State to another Fiesta title".ESPN. January 2, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon May 8, 2006.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  11. ^"2005 NCAA Football Rankings – Final (Dec. 12) (Coaches Poll)".ESPN.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  12. ^"2005 NCAA Football Rankings – Final (Dec. 12) (AP Poll)".ESPN.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  13. ^"Charlie Weis Earns FWAA's Eddie Robinson Coach Of The Year Award".UND.com. January 1, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon July 24, 2012.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  14. ^"Notre Dame extends Weis through 2015".ESPN. October 30, 2005.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  15. ^"Irish Fall In Sugar Bowl".UND.com. January 4, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon September 10, 2007.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  16. ^"2006 NCAA Football Rankings – Final (Dec. 17) (Coaches Poll)".ESPN.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  17. ^"2006 NCAA Football Rankings – Final (Dec. 17) (AP Poll)".ESPN.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  18. ^"Notre Dame Game by Game Result".cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived fromthe originalon January 11, 2008.RetrievedMarch 17,2008.
  19. ^"2007 Team Ranking".Rivals.com.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  20. ^Friend, Tom (April 21, 2006)."Third in prized Clausen clan to verbally commit to Irish".ESPN.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  21. ^"Notre Dame takes advantage of UCLA walk-on QB to win first game".ESPN. October 6, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon July 14, 2012.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  22. ^"Irish avoid first winless season at home in 74 years".ESPN. November 17, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon October 9, 2012.RetrievedNovember 19,2007.
  23. ^"Notre Dame's NCAA-record 43-game win streak over Navy ends".ESPN. November 3, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon November 5, 2007.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  24. ^"NCAA Division I-A Team Leaders: 2007 (Rushing Offense)".ESPN.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  25. ^"NCAA Division I-A Team Leaders: 2007 (Total Yards)".ESPN.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  26. ^"NCAA Division I-A Team Leaders: 2007 (Scoring)".ESPN.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  27. ^"Michigan has Hart, much more in rout of winless Notre Dame".ESPN. September 15, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon July 15, 2012.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  28. ^"Sanchez's four touchdowns lead Trojans' rout of Irish".ESPN. October 20, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon October 22, 2007.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  29. ^"Charlie Weis Press Conference Transcript (Oct. 30)".UND.com. October 30, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon November 3, 2007.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  30. ^"Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings".Scout.com.RetrievedNovember 13,2007.
  31. ^"Notre Dame keeps Weis, though season 'fell short'".und.cstv.com. December 3, 2008.RetrievedDecember 3,2008.
  32. ^abc"Clausen sets ND records with 401 yards passing, 5 TDs in romp".ESPN. December 24, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon December 26, 2008.RetrievedDecember 24,2008.
  33. ^"Notre Dame AD Buyout Money not a concern".Chicago Tribune.November 15, 2009.RetrievedNovember 21,2009.
  34. ^"Notre Dame Fighting Irish coach Charlie Weis fired",ESPN,December 1, 2009
  35. ^Mortensen, Chris (December 31, 2010)."Florida Gators want Charlie Weis to be offensive coordinator, sources say".ESPN.
  36. ^"Kansas City Chiefs".NFL.com.
  37. ^"KU to Introduce Charlie Weis as Football Coach - KANSAS OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE".Archived fromthe originalon January 7, 2012.Retrieved2011-12-08.
  38. ^Wiedeman, Reeves.What's the matter with Kansas (football)?Grantland/ESPN,2013-09-11.
  39. ^Trotter, Jake(September 28, 2014)."Kansas fires Charlie Weis".ESPN.com.RetrievedSeptember 28,2014.
  40. ^Notre Dame/Army to play at Yankee Stadium in 2010[permanent dead link],Yahoo! Sports,July 17, 2009
  41. ^"Charlie Hustle".Archived from the original on May 15, 2006.RetrievedMay 15,2006.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link),copy of article fromNew York Post,January 23, 2005. Accessed January 31, 2013. "Weis' approach to coaching began on Princeton Drive in Middlesex."
  42. ^"Weis' malpractice suit over 2002 surgery goes to court",CBSSports.com,February 13, 2007
  43. ^"Notre Dame's Weis heading back to court for malpractice suit",ESPN,July 9, 2007
  44. ^"Weis testimony: Afraid I'd 'drop dead' from obesity",Chicago Sun-Times,February 15, 2007, archived fromthe originalon July 6, 2008.
  45. ^Hohler, Bob (January 24, 2007),"Weis can't bypass publicity",Boston Globe
  46. ^"Jury finds against Charlie Weis in malpractice lawsuit",USA Today,July 24, 2007
  47. ^"Weis to undergo knee surgery after sideline hit",ESPN,September 13, 2008
[edit]
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