Athletes - Charlie Weis

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	Athletes - Charlie Weis

Charlie Weis (March 30, 1956, in Trenton, New Jersey) is the current head coach of the University of Notre Dame football team.

Early career

After graduation from Middlesex (N.J.) High School, Weis earned his bachelor's degree in speech and drama from the University of Notre Dame in 1978. (He did not play football there.) While coaching at South Carolina, he earned his master's degree in education in 1989.

Weis began his coaching career in 1979 at Boonton High School in New Jersey, then spent the next five seasons at Morristown (N.J.) High School as a football assistant. In '85, he was hired by head coach Joe Morrison at the University of South Carolina, where he served four seasons on the Gamecock staff before returning to New Jersey as the head coach at Franklin Township High in '89. That year, he directed Franklin Township to the New Jersey state championship while also assisting in the New York Giants' pro personnel department.

Parcells' Disciple

In '90, he launched his professional coaching career with the Giants when he was named defensive assistant and assistant special teams coach under Giants head coach Bill Parcells. The Giants went on to win the Super Bowl that season, edging the Buffalo Bills, 20-19. After Ray Handley took over as head coach in 1991, Weis stayed on as the team's running backs coach for two seasons.

Weis then began a four-year stint with the New England Patriots, where he once again served under Parcells. During those four years, Weis served variously as tight ends' coach ('93-'94), running backs coach ('95), and receivers coach ('96). When Parcells left New England following the 1996 season, Weis once again followed his mentor to the New York Jets, where he was the team's offensive coordinator from 1997 to '99.

Patriots Offensive Coordinator

Following Parcells' announced retirement after the 1999 season, Weis returned to New England and was named the team's offensive coordinator under head coach Bill Belichick, a position he would hold from 2000 through 2004. During this stint, the Patriots won three Super Bowls (2001, 2003, 2004). Although the Patriots ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in total offense in all but one of his years as the team's offensive coordinator, he has been credited by many for helping develop Tom Brady into one of the better quarterbacks in the league.

Notre Dame Head Coach

On November 30, 2004, Notre Dame released its head football coach, Tyrone Willingham, following a poor performance review according to an agreed upon three year review clause in his contract. An immediate search for a replacement began, and Notre Dame set its sights on University of Utah head coach Urban Meyer, who was previously an assistant coach at Notre Dame and considered to be a "hot" commodity in the coaching ranks. However, Meyer had already decided on accepting the head coaching position at the University of Florida and Notre Dame was left to look elsewhere for a replacement. After overtures to Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden were unsuccessful, Notre Dame decided to focus its search "within the family" and Weis and Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator and former Notre Dame-star quarterback Tom Clements soon emerged as the leading candidates. The University ultimately decided to hire Weis. On December 12, 2004, Weis was named the 28th head football coach in Notre Dame history, agreeing to a six-year contract worth a reported $2 million-a-year.

Weis is the first Notre Dame graduate to hold the football head coaching position at his alma mater since Hugh Devore (a '34 graduate) served as interim coach in 1963 (the Irish finished 2-7 that year - Devore also coached the Irish to a 7-2-1 mark as interim coach in 1945) and the first to serve as the Irish football coach on a full-fledged basis since Joe Kuharich (a '38 Notre Dame graduate who coached at Notre Dame from 1959 through '62).

In his first season as the head coach of the Fighting Irish, Weis has been widely hailed for turning around the Notre Dame football program after several years of mediocrity. The team's play, particularly that of junior quarterback Brady Quinn, has improved markedly over the previous season, despite the fact that Weis has virtually the same player personnel as that of his predecessor. Weis has discovered other hidden talent in his existing roster. Notably, junior wide receiver Jeff Samardzija, previously a little-used reserve, is now Quinn's favorite target and a frequent game-breaker, and has set school records for most touchdown receptions in a season (15), most receiving yardage in a season, and most consecutive games with a touchdown reception (8). This improvement has led many commentators to predict that Notre Dame will once again become an elite college football program under Weis' stewardship, perhaps as soon as the 2006 season.

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Athletes - Charlie Weis

Early career

Parcells' Disciple

Patriots Offensive Coordinator

Notre Dame Head Coach

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