Charlie Weis: Difference between revisions
MrCalifornia (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
'''Charlie Weis''' is the current head coach of the [[University of Notre Dame]] football team. |
'''Charlie Weis''' ([[March 30]], [[1956]], in [[Trenton, N.J.]]) is the current head coach of the [[University of Notre Dame]] football team. |
||
| ⚫ | |||
Charlie Weis, a [[1978]] [[University of Notre Dame]] graduate and owner of three [[Super Bowl]] champion rings as products of a stellar 15-season career as a [[National Football League]] assistant, has been named the 28th head football coach of the Fighting Irish. |
|||
| ⚫ | 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|New York Giants']] pro personnel department. |
||
A widely-respected disciple of professional coaching standouts [[Bill Parcells]] and [[Bill Belichick]], Weis currently is the highly-regarded offensive coordinator of the [[New England Patriots]] (under Patriot head coach Belichick). He has played an integral role in New England's victories in two of the last three Super Bowls. |
|||
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 |
||
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), runnings back 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. |
|||
Now in his 26th season overall in coaching, Weis is in the midst of his ninth season with the Patriots and his fifth as the team's offensive coordinator. In those previous 14 NFL seasons, his coaching contributions have helped produce those three Super Bowl championships (New York Giants following 1990 season, Patriots following '01 and '03 seasons), four conference titles and five division titles. Weis has been a winner everywhere he has coached - and he has received widespread notice as one of the most creative and innovative offensive coordinators in football. |
|||
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 thru 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. |
|||
All along the way, Weis has displayed the ability to develop successful offensive players. He helped advance the careers of [[New York Jets|New York Jets']] running back [[Curtis Martin]], Jets' wide receiver [[Keyshawn Johnson]], Patriots' tight end Ben Coates and, most recently, Patriots' two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback [[Tom Brady]]. Under Weis' tutelage, the former sixth-round draft choice has become one of the NFL's premier signalcallers in just three seasons as a starter. Including the playoffs, Brady has compiled a 52-13 record as a starting quarterback since stepping in early in 2001, when Weis also was serving as the New England quarterbacks coach. |
|||
On [[November 30]], [[2004]], Notre Dame fired its head football coach, [[Tyrone Willingham]], after three seasons of disappointing play. 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 assitant coach at Notre Dame and considered to be a "hot" commodity in the coaching ranks. However, Meyer ultimately decided to take the head coaching position at the [[University of Florida]] instead 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 [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] 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. |
|||
In addition to his offensive coordinator responsibilities, Weis also mentored the quarterbacks in 2001 and 2002. In '01, Drew Bledsoe started the first two games of the season before being sidelined with a serious chest injury. By the third week of the season, Weis was preparing Brady for his first NFL start and, over the course of the season, Brady blossomed into a Pro Bowl performer and earned the MVP award in [[Super Bowl XXXVI]]. Brady only continued to improve, leading the NFL with 28 touchdown passes in 2002, then turning in another Super Bowl MVP performance in '03. |
|||
| ⚫ | 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). |
||
Charlie Weis walks into the Joyce Center late Sunday night after being named head football coach at Notre Dame. |
|||
In recent seasons, Weis' offense has permitted youthful Patriot offensive stars such as Brady, [[Deion Branch]], [[David Givens]] and [[Kevin Faulk]] to flourish. His offense also has allowed New England veterans such as Troy Brown, Christian Fauria and David Patten to enjoy resurgences in their careers. Brown established a New England record with 101 receptions in 2001, earning his initial Pro Bowl invitation in his ninth NFL season. Fauria led the Patriots with seven TDs in 2002 (his eighth pro campaign), while Patten's 61 catches in '02 were the most of his seven-year career. |
|||
Weis also made great use of contributions from a pair of 2002 draft picks to help the team to its second Super Bowl championship in 2003. Branch led the team with 57 receptions in his second pro season, while fellow second-year player Givens paced New England with six receiving TDs. In the postseason, Givens added a pair of scores, while Branch's 10 catches in [[Super Bowl XXXVIII]] tied for the third-most in Super Bowl history. Givens, who played for the Irish in 1998-2001, currently leads the '04 Patriots in receptions with 58 for 783 yards and 10 TDs. |
|||
The 2004 Patriots currently own a franchise-record string of 18 consecutive homefield victories (regular-season and postseason combined) over three seasons, the longest current streak in the NFL. Meanwhile, Patriot running back Cory Dillon already has rushed for 1,309 yards and 10 TDs (ranking fourth in the league last week and including seven 100-yard games). New England enjoyed a 21-game unbeaten streak, including the final 15 games in 2003 (including three in the playoffs) and the first six in '04 and now has won 27 of its last 28 games overall. |
|||
Weis started his professional coaching career with the New York Giants in 1990. After assisting in the Giants pro personnel department while also coaching high school football in '89, Weis a year later was named defensive assistant and assistant special teams coach (under eighth-year Giants head coach Parcells). In his first season on the Giants coaching staff, the Giants claimed the Super Bowl title with a 16-3 overall record. In 1991, Ray Handley took over as coach of the Giants and named Weis his running backs coach. After two seasons on Handley's staff, Weis began a four-year stint in New England - all four of those seasons under Parcells. |
|||
In Weis' first tenure with the Patriots from 1993-96, he assisted in the development of some of New England's all-time best individual season performances from Coates, Martin and Terry Glenn, respectively. During his first four seasons in New England, he coached three different positions. In 1993 and '94, he served as the Patriots' tight ends coach and, in his second season at the position, Coates set an NFL record for receptions by a tight end with 96 and earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl. In '95, Weis coached the Patriots' running backs and was credited with developing Martin, a third-round '95 draft pick, into one of the premier running backs in the NFL. That year, Martin won league rookie-of-the-year honors and set franchise rushing records with 1,487 yards and 14 TDs. In '96, Weis coached the New England receivers, with Glenn leading the team and setting an NFL rookie reception record with 90 catches for 1,132 yards and six TDs. |
|||
From 1997 to '99 (with Parcells as head coach and Belichick as assistant head coach), Weis called offensive plays for the New York Jets. In his first season, the Jets improved from 1-15 in 1996 to 9-7 in '97. The eight-game improvement ranked as the best in franchise history. In '98, Weis was named the offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach. By season's end, his offense ranked among the greatest in franchise history and led the Jets to their first division title. The team scored 416 points, second-highest total in franchise history (after 419 points in '68) and averaged 357.2 yards per game. It marked the second-best total-offense season average in Jets history (368.5 yards per game in '85). Both of Weis' starting receivers, Johnson (1,131) and Chrebet (1,083), eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving plateau for the first time in their careers. It marked the first time since '86 that two Jets receivers reached that milestone in the same season. |
|||
In '99, Weis' offense produced the NFL's second-leading rusher and the AFC's fourth-ranked receiver. Martin rushed for 1,464 yards, falling only 90 yards shy of the rushing title (won by Indianapolis' Edgerrin James). Johnson led the Jets and established career highs with 89 receptions for 1,170 yards, earning his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod. |
|||
| ⚫ | Weis |
||
| ⚫ | |||
In 2003, Weis and his wife Maura established the Hannah & Friends Foundation, dedicated to children affected by developmental disorders. In the spring of '04, the first annual Hannah & Friends Celebrity Golf Classic was held to benefit the foundation. |
In 2003, Weis and his wife Maura established the Hannah & Friends Foundation, dedicated to children affected by developmental disorders. In the spring of '04, the first annual Hannah & Friends Celebrity Golf Classic was held to benefit the foundation. |
||
Revision as of 21:01, 1 May 2005
Charlie Weis (March 30, 1956, in Trenton, N.J.) is the current head coach of the University of Notre Dame football team.
After graduation from Middlesex (N.J.) High School, Weis earned his bachelor's degree in speech and drama from Notre Dame in 1978. 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.
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), runnings back 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.
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 thru 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.
On November 30, 2004, Notre Dame fired its head football coach, Tyrone Willingham, after three seasons of disappointing play. 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 assitant coach at Notre Dame and considered to be a "hot" commodity in the coaching ranks. However, Meyer ultimately decided to take the head coaching position at the University of Florida instead 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 Pittsburgh Steelers 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 2003, Weis and his wife Maura established the Hannah & Friends Foundation, dedicated to children affected by developmental disorders. In the spring of '04, the first annual Hannah & Friends Celebrity Golf Classic was held to benefit the foundation.
Charlie and Maura have two children, Charles Joseph and Hannah Margaret.