The Paper Trail

Notre Dame Fires Charlie Weis

December 1, 2009 RSS Feed Print

Rumors started swirling in November that Charlie Weis's days as Notre Dame's football coach were numbered. On Monday, those rumors were confirmed.

Notre Dame fired Charlie Weis, who had led the Irish to a 35-27 record during his five-year tenure, the Observer reports. Weis inked a 10-year contract extension midway through his first season at Notre Dame in 2005. The extension came after Notre Dame started 5-2. The firing came after Notre Dame's second consecutive six-loss season. In Weis's past three seasons, Notre Dame was 16-21.

"It is critical to this program and to its place in this university and college football that we compete at the highest level, that we compete for national championships," Notre Dame Athletics Director Jack Swarbrick said at a press conference Monday.

An opening for head football coach at Notre Dame always sparks national interest. The South Bend, Ind., school has a loyal alumni and fan base, and its next head coach will enter the program under plenty of pressure to win—and win big.

"I will say that it is important to us to look first and foremost at people who have demonstrated an ability to build and sustain a Division I college football program," Swarbrick said.

Tags:
college athletics,
University of Notre Dame,
colleges

Reader Comments Read all comments (9)

Add Your Thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

A stuff college school to coach and win consistently at which is expected year after year. Charlie is a good coach who has always worked hard and had the respect of his players and peers. A number of this years games were so close but in a game of inches and a tradition like Norte Dame there's no room for "what if's" or losses.

J. Durante of CA 10:51PM December 04, 2009

Charlie Weis deserved a better fate than now is his--hired to win at a school where winning BIG isn't in the cards. The deck is stacked from the start with the hardest schedule, year after year, in all of college football AND academic expectations that eliminate recruiting many exceptional athletes. No soft games and no room for marginal student athletes equals failure on the field.

Don't feel too sorry for Charlie, though. He leaves with many years remaining on his contract and the knowledge that many schools will want him to head up their football programs. He's a nice guy who won't finish last under those curcumstances.

Go, Charlie!

Ron W. Smith of UT 9:30PM December 02, 2009

It seemed so much longer. I was thinking at least 7 years.

Kar of TX 2:54PM December 02, 2009

The Paper Trail

Nobody knows a college better than its student newspaper. And nobody knows campus newspapers better than this blog. We sift through thousands of student newspaper headlines every day to bring you the latest, most important, or just plain weirdest news from campuses across the country. Heard bigger news or a crazier story? Send tips to papertrail@usnews.com.

AMERICA'S BEST COLLEGES

Editor's Picks

Colleges »
Would the Student Loan Forgiveness Act Help You?
Grad Schools »
Ask 3 Critical Questions at MBA Fairs
Education »
About the Rankings Methodologies
STEM Rankings »
U.S. News Ranks Best High Schools for STEM
Slideshow »
Top 10 Public High Schools for STEM