Charlie Weis: Big Man On Campus

(CBS)  If one school defines college football in America, it's Notre Dame. It has the largest fan base in the country, and a pedigree that includes Rockne, the Four Horsemen, and some of the greatest coaches and players in history. But as correspondent Steve Kroft reports, 18 years have passed since its last national championship, and in 2004, after two miserable seasons, it turned to Charle Weis, an alumnus who never played football, to restore the glory. Any new coach at Notre Dame, automatically becomes a national figure. The only thing separating immortality from ignominy is winning. And the former offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots is off to a great start.

At 6'1" and 300 pounds, Weis has become the biggest man on campus, with a girth exceeded only by his oversized personality, which seems out of place at a school run by the Holy Cross Fathers.

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Listen to Weis on the field and you'll hear expletives left and right. "Hey Brian, get the (expletive) off the field. You get off the field. You stay off the field," he yells.

"I consider myself brutally honest," Weis tells Kroft. "Whatever you have to do to get your point across, I make sure that I get my point across."

"I mean when I am not happy I make sure everyone around me feels the pressure," he explains.

Whoever it was that came up with the seven holy virtues obviously never coached football and certainly never spent a Saturday afternoon in Notre Dame Stadium.

So if Charlie Weis comes up a little bit short on self control, patience and humility, he's forgiven by the faithful – the fans.

In less than two years he has won 16 games and lost four, restoring credibility to the Notre Dame fight song and returning the team to the top ten. But it required a few adjustments.

"I mean you get some, you know, some obnoxious sarcastic guy from New Jersey coming in. And so it was quite a culture shock for the players," Weis says.

Asked how he changed the climate, Weis says, "I had to spend a good portion of time, you know, breaking 'em down before you could build 'em back up."

"How did you break 'em down? What do you mean break 'em down?" Kroft asks.

"I was unbearable," Weis replies. "And I was not a very, very nice guy."

What Weis saw was complacency: about winning, about going to class, and about living up to their potential. And no one was spared, not even all American quarterback Brady Quinn, who has blossomed under Weis and is one of this year's favorites to win the Heisman trophy.

Weis has called himself a jerk. When Kroft asks Quinn whether the coach is a jerk, Quinn says, "He could be a jerk – you know, I wouldn't say it to his face, but he could definitely be a jerk."

"What was his language like?" Kroft asks.

"I guess from what I understand it's New Jersey language, so I don't think that's necessarily something you could put on the air," he says.

And Weis has a special look that he gives to his players. "Yeah, I don't necessarily get as I think scared as other guys do, but he definitely can give a pretty devastating look," Quinn acknowledges.

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[devintacy]

viva la notre dame and charlie weis

[ndfantp]

NDalum2002 you apparently havent' been to campus lately. There are more spanish speaking students than ever before. The majority of students are still white, but the minority population is increasing. Notre Dame meets 100% of financial need for its students, that means that even if you come from the poorest of poor neighborhoods, and you are from a single parent family that can barely provide for itself, than Notre Dame will help you financially if you are intelligent enough to gain admission.

[ndfanhbgpa]

What a great piece done by 60 Minutes on Charlie Weis and the tremendous work he has done with ND's football program. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Being on ND's campus on game day is like no other . . . everyone working there is so nice to ALL the fans attending. The campus is overflowing with great traditions, i.e., the team walk to the stadium, the pep rally, the grotto, the IRISH band, etc.
It is refreshing to see how Charlie and his family have learned to deal with the obstacles in their lif. Kudos to he and his family for starting the Hannah and Friends Foundation. God bless them.
Why are OSU fans so upset with this? They have more than their share of the spotlight every week with being rated #1 in every poll (playing Bowling Green, Minneso??; and they knock ND for playing the service academies who happen to have some of the best rushing offenses in the country). "Troy" is all lined up to win his Heisman and is advised each week by the ESPN analysts to "pick out his suit" for the ceremony. What more do OSU fans want, or are they that jealous of all that ND stands for?
GOOD LUCK Charlie, BRADY and all of the IRISH on the rest of your season! Luv ND!

[ndalum2002]

ndfantp, No S*#t! Of course it's clear what you were trying to convey. Domers1999 was just pointing out your ignorant stereotyped analogy. And, I don't know what planet you are on, but Notre Dame does NOT have a lot of minorities. When I was there, some of the football players told me that some of their buddies that went to play elsewhere were turned off by the lack of diversity in the student population. And, if the players were to name one complaint with Notre Dame, it would be the lack of diversity. Today, I think Charlie is reason enough to come play for Notre Dame.

[joeyrsween]

Kroft, your interview questions reveal that you don't know ozone from the endzone. Are you from Arkansas or Bull Head Lake? Have you even played a touch football game, even in grammar school? Next time 60 Min asks you to do a football interview, why not politely decline?

[bluegoldrn]

to MOM1231 I agree with you Ty has nothing to do with this .. People use his 3 years as an excuse to bash ND .... Nobody cares ... I wonder if the OSU fans have any idea that their current athletic director is a GRADUATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME... I can't understand their need to even comment on this story.let it go .

[mon1231]

TO D12ENGERS. Do u know what ur talking about first of all Weis is in his second season so hes not a knew head coach second of all Notre Dame Did play Michigan and we do play USC last time i checked there both in the top 10.

[mon1231]

First of all what dose Tyrone Willingham have to do with this story. If you really want to get to in to it lets see Florida hired Ron Zook the same year Notre Dame hired Tyrone Willingham and they both lasted 3 years. SO let me ask u the same question again what does Tyrone Willingham have to do with this story. Second of all Willingham was going to leave Notre Dame for Wasington anyway he was hired a week later. SO AGAIN WHAT DOES TYRONE WILLINGHAM HAVE TO DO WITH THIS STORY NOTHING HE WENT 9-3 5-7 AND 6-6 WHAT A GREAT RECORD BOB DAVIE ALEAST WENT TO A BCS BOWL GAME. Last but not least who cares about the way he talks on the sidelines and some of the words he use. A lot of coaches around the country do the same so what.

[saposto1]

Thanks for the great piece on ND!

Colorful language or not, this ND alum is ecstatic to have Charlie Weis as a coach. Notre Dame is about faith, intellectual fulfillment, and football - none of which has to come at the expense of the others. I think I am not alone in the feeling that Charlie Weis understands this and is about to add a new, exciting chapter to the long history of Notre Dame football.

GO IRISH!!

[pilney35]

Of all the college football program fan bases to write in only OSU fans found objection with the Weis piece enough to get on line. If they are such a superior program then why all the vitriol? Why would they care?

Excellence is more than a game or two against ND during down cycles.

Examples of no class OSU fan comments I've personally heard have been, "Break his F..king arm" when playing against ND in 1996.

I've never wished harm on an opposing team's players and that was my first introduction to OSU fandom. Then I heard of the riots in Columbus like the one after this year's Texas game. Assault charges too.



It's more of an inferiority complex. Being a "flash in the pan" program under Tressel is not going to put them in elite status. They'd have to have about 3 more Tressel careers to rival ND in titles.

I think it's having to deal with losing the original "Game of the Century" in 1935 and stewing about it for 60 years.

That breeds a lot of resentment.