Charlie Weis' New Dame August 25, 2005 By Mark Mitchell Just mention Notre Dame football and most people think of legendary figures such as Knute Rockne, Ara Parseghian, Dan Devine, and Lou Holtz.  I can remember vividly from my earlier days, watching Devine, Holtz, and those few seldom mentioned years with Gerry Faust.  Regardless of coach, Notre Dame football was always on the map and one of those target games on every team's schedule.   Week in and week out, the water cooler question every Friday seemed to be, “Who does Notre Dame play tomorrow?”  Touchdown Jesus was an inescapable television icon.  It didn't matter if you loved the Irish or hated them (and there’s rarely ever anyone in the middle), whether you bled the Blue and Gold or you reveled in each and every loss, you paid attention when they played.   However, since the departure of Lou Holtz, Notre Dame football has been neither a big threat nor the must-see game of the week.  What once was much more than a blip on every opponent's radar screen has approached being seen as a yawner on the schedule, almost an automatic win for some of the Irish’s rivals.  Sure, they have pulled some major upsets in recent times, like last year’s surprise win over Michigan, but they are far from the powerhouse they once were.   To answer the question of how Notre Dame fell from its football grace, one must rewind to 1986.  Lou Holtz stepped in after a disastrous 30-26 career put forth by Gerry Faust, who failed in his bid to follow in Dan Devine's success.  It only took Lou two years to lead Gerry Faust's recruits to a winning record of 8-4 and a bowl game after a three year hiatus (even if they saw a Texas A&M thumping once they returned to post-season play).  In his third year, the Irish were 12-0 and national champions.  Throughout the rest of Holtz's career at Notre Dame, they never missed out on a bowl game bid.

Enter Bob Davie.  Could the young and energetic coach come in and replace a living legend?  Without getting into statistics, lets just say the result was no.  Bob Davie wasn't a bad coach, a bad recruiter maybe, but it really didn't matter.  Say what you want, his record spoke for itself.  35-25 doesn't help a coach last long in South Bend.

George O'Leary…  Well, in deference to the Notre Dame faithful, we won't say anything else about him.

Enter Tyrone Willingham.  A black coach, the first one in any sport, in South Bend?  It came as a surprise to many, myself included, but he came in and made an instant impression.  8 straight wins had the Irish faithful colorblind and on their feet with excitement.  With Davie’s somewhat lackluster recruits, Willingham managed a 10-3 record in his first season and it looked like Notre Dame was on the way up again.  We all know what they say though…what goes up, must come down.  After a 5-7 record in 2003, a 6-6 record in 2004 (with 3 straight losses to end the season), the bitter taste was back in the mouths of the Irish faithful and they didn't like the prospects of heading down another road to nowhere.

Scapegoat=Tyrone Willingham.

He became yet another casualty of an organization that refuses to give coaches the chance to succeed with their own recruits.  Even Lou Holtz had a losing record of 5-6 his first year with Faust's recruits on the field.  Conventional wisdom suggests that a coach should be given a chance to win with his own recruits by the 4th year.  Ty never got that chance.  Maybe the problem in South Bend is impatience, but then again, maybe it isn't.

Controversy exploded on the South Bend campus after Paul Hornung's comments about Notre Dame not being able to recruit the black athlete because of their high standards for academics.  Should Notre Dame have to compromise its long-standing tradition of excellence in academics in order to entice the better athletes?  No.  Should the thousands of young men ― black, white, Hispanic, catholic, protestant, Jewish or anyone ― who dream of playing football for the Irish someday give their dream because they can't make that grade?  No.

The Harvards and Yales aren’t expected to be powerhouse football teams, it is a sacrifice they make so that they can be expected to continue to graduate doctors, lawyers and Presidents.  On the other hand, the Florida schools, like Miami and the state universities, are notorious for being powerhouse football programs.  Their sacrifice, in order to achieve their goals in football, comes in the academic arena.  Notre Dame is fairly unique in that they seem to expect themselves to be a powerhouse football team while still maintaining the standard of academic excellence that they have set for themselves.  Yet, they wonder why their coaches aren't successful.

Thinking about that cake that you can have but you can't eat? 

Enter Charlie Weis.  The quandary is now his to take on and he is already being looked upon as the savior to Notre Dame football.  The 3-time Super Bowl Champion offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, and Notre Dame alumnus, now steps in with high expectations to return the Irish to glory.  The question is not only can he do it while maintaining the stringent academic standards of Notre Dame, but whether or not he can do it quickly enough to appease his alma mater. 

If Weis can lead the Irish to a 8-3 record, or even better, this year, the questions will still be there.  Will the wins be as a result of his exceptional coaching or will they be as a result of the talent that Willingham recruited but wasn't given the opportunity to polish and coach?  This is particularly true, given the fact that the team is returning 10 players that began last seasons as starters on offense (make it 11 if you consider that the 11th name is sophomore RB, Darius Walker).  It's a question that will never be answered regardless of whether or not it even gets posed.  If I had to answer, I'd lean toward the latter myself.  Patience is a virtue for a reason; they should remember that in South Bend.

Weis, however, is being given the chance to coach and he will be given the chance to recruit.  If he can find the blue-chip athlete that can make the academic grade to play, he shouldn't have a problem gaining their respect.  I know that if I were an 18 year-old kid and Weis dented my front door with his three Super Bowl rings, I'd be impressed enough to play for the Irish.  Even if he can't, Weis has proven that he can win with average talent in the NFL, so why not in the college ranks.  He helped Tom Brady and what seemed like a cast of misfits win game after game, including 3 Super Bowls.  Blue-chip athletes or scholar athletes, Charlie Weis has a knack for knowing how to win with what he has.

His past record and reputation has certainly earned Weis the fanfare that has come with his hiring at Notre Dame, but while everyone is applauding and doting over it, they need to have additional perspective.  An overnight turnaround is not imminent.  It’s going to take Weis some time to get his team in place…his own recruits.  Let’s just hope that the folks in South Bend give him a little more time to do it than they gave Willingham.

Coaching Notre Dame is one of the most glamorous coaching jobs in the country at any level.  There is a rich history filled with names that will never truly die.  Charlie Weis has some awfully big shoes to fill and, if history teaches us anything, not a lot of time to do it in.  It's a dream come true for him and possibly for the University as well.  Only time will tell in what regard Weis’ name will be held ― in the same breath as Rockne, Leahy, Parseghian, Devine and Holtz, or into oblivion with so many others before him.  Weis has his work cut out for him, but here's hoping he enjoys the cake.