Can we discuss Charlie Weis?
Let me start by saying I'm a die-hard Notre Dame fan.
For those not familiar with the situation, Charlie Weis has been Notre Dame's football coach for the past five seasons and was fired today. I just don't know. I mean, this is the third coach in a row they've fired. I'd love for Notre Dame to win a national championship again, but at some point it seems like the school will have to realize they're just not that type of team anymore. Plus, who on earth will want to become the coach for a team where the past three coaches have been fired? And why did they give Weis a 10-year contract after his first year if they weren't positive they'd want him for all 10 years? Plus, I just feel bad for the guy. He's an alum and has done a lot of great things for the school and the South Bend community. Clearly, the team didn't do so well with him as coach, but how do they know the next person will be any better?
Okay, rambling over. Here's the email I just received from Notre Dame if anyone's interested:
Thanks for all you do for Notre Dame. Below is a press release regarding coach Charlie Weis. Please note a press conference is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET tonight and can be viewed live at www.und.com.
For Notre Dame,
Chuck Lennon ?61, ?62 M.A.
Executive Director, University of Notre Dame Alumni Association
Associate Vice President, University Relations
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November 30, 2009
Weis will not be retained as Notre Dame football coach
University of Notre Dame head football coach Charlie Weis will not be retained, University director of athletics Jack Swarbrick announced today.
?We have great expectations for our football program, and we have not been able to meet those expectations,? Swarbrick said. ?As an alumnus, Charlie understands those goals and expectations better than most, and he?s as disappointed as anyone that we have not achieved the desired results.?
Swarbrick recommended the dismissal Sunday night to Notre Dame?s president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
?We have established an evaluation process for all of our athletic programs that, in the end, results in a recommendation from Jack to me,? Father Jenkins said. ?I accepted Jack?s decision and look forward to working with him on selecting a new head football coach who is the very best choice possible for the University and especially for our student-athletes.
?I am most appreciative to Coach Weis for his service to Notre Dame and our community. He and his family have my prayers and best wishes.?
Weis spent five seasons as Irish head coach from 2005-09, with his teams achieving consecutive records of 9-3 (Fiesta Bowl appearance) in ?05, 10-3 (Sugar Bowl appearance), 3-9, 7-6 (Hawai?i Bowl victory) and 6-6 in ?09 ? for an overall 35-27 mark (.564).
Swarbrick announced that Rob Ianello, the Irish assistant head coach/offense, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, will assume responsibility for football operations until a new coach is hired. Ianello has spent the past five seasons on the Notre Dame staff and previously was part of football staffs at Wisconsin (1990-93, 2003-04), Arizona (1994-2002) and Alabama (1987-89).
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Re: Can we discuss Charlie Weis?
The only Weis-related discussing I want to do is to moan and whine over the possibility that BK will be stolen from us.
But aside from that...
Being a massive sports-fan and an avid reader of sports columns and blogs, I think this was their only move. They couldn't keep a coach with that bad of a record and still have fan/contributor support. Look what happens when the bungles go on their losing streaks - the entire city turns against them.
Unfortunately I think there just isn't room for error when you're in the national spotlight. Look at the NFL coaching change made midway through the season. It happens all the time in baseball, too. You have to answer to the fans at some point, and usually that's done by making a statement and firing the person who is seen as most responsible.
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Notre Dame alums need to realize that their school has too high of academic standards to be able to compete for the national championship. Many schools of the same academic caliber compete in I-AA.
I don't think that BK will leave UC. He's got a good thing going here and it's a better chance to win the national title.
This - exactly!
1. BK will most probably leave UC. Being the coach at Notre Dame has always been one of (if not the) most prestigious coaching positions in all of college football.
2. Without fan support, a team has nothing. If you lose your fan base, you lose money. Revenue from athletics-related fan support is huge and , therefore, means that fans are big stakeholders. Unfortunately, that means if fans are calling for someone's head (especially college fans - even moreso if said fans are also charitable alumni), they usually get what they want.
Yeah, I basically agree with both of you. I definitely expected him to get fired and know the alumni are quick to threaten withholding donations if the team doesn't do well, but I think those alumni expectations need to be reexamined.
ETA: I agree with all 3 of you.
You must have posted while I was writing.
Well, I'm a Michigan fan, so I don't have any love for ND, but I can totally sympathize on the sucky coach thing.
I'd hate for Brian Kelly to leave UC, though. Ugh.
My only input here...
My mom works in alumni relations (with Chuck Lennon, from the email above) basically processing alumni gifts and donations. Between having Obama speak at graduation and Weis having a tough season, their alumni base is ticked off, and when that happens, donations go down, which is the last thing ND wants. They literally get hate calls and hate mail every single day, and most of the time it has to do with either Obama speaking (STILL-- talk about beating a dead horse) or with Weis' record these past few years. I think they had to do it or risk losing a lot of alumni support because it was clear that things weren't getting better.
On the flip side, I mean, come on...third coach in a row they've fired. You'd think after the last two they would have been more hesitant to offer him such a huge and long contract...
ditto - everything Rose said!
No, she started in 2006. She loves it there, though, and we love visiting because I think the cafe downstairs in Grace Hall, de Grasta, is the best place to eat on campus
.
You know, Grace Hall was probably 50 yards from my dorm and I never once ate there. I guess I was missing out!