Thank You, Charlie Weis: A Notre Dame Fan Shows His Appreciation

I want to take this time to personally thank Charlie Weis for all he did at Notre Dame.

There has been a lot of talk about Weis’ failures at Notre Dame. In this article, I want to talk about his accomplishments.

Although it is time to move on, Weis did a lot for the University that fans should appreciate.

I think the first thing Weis did that was impressive was take a previously mediocre quarterback in Brady Quinn and help him become the best quarterback in South Bend since Joe Montana.

Under Weis’ guidance, Quinn became an absolute leader and the face of Notre Dame. He also won the Maxwell Award and was a Heisman finalist. Not to mention, he went on to set 36 passing records in Weis’ system.

At the same time, Weis took a seldom-used receiver in Jeff Samardzija and turned him into one of the premier receivers in college football. Prior to Weis’ arrival, Samardzija was primarily a baseball star.

Weis was able to lead this group to back-to-back BCS appearances in the Fiesta Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. Since the BCS began, Notre Dame has only been in it three times, and two of those appearances came under Weis. That Sugar Bowl appearance was also the first since 1992. In fact, since 1996 Notre Dame has only been in one other major bowl game.

Then when Quinn, Samardzija, and company left, fans were wondering how would they be replaced. Then came Jimmy Clausen, Golden Tate, Michael Floyd, and Armando Allen. There is no doubt that this unit became one of the most dynamic in school history. Although the wins didn’t come with them, the memories of all the great plays will never be forgotten.

My biggest memory of this group will always be the Hawaii Bowl. It was great to see Notre Dame come out here and play in Aloha Stadium. I never thought I would be able to see it when I first moved to Hawaii a decade ago. It truly was special to be able to be there when Notre Dame was able to break the bowl losing streak.

While haters may discredit the win because it wasn’t a major bowl, it was a victory in a bowl game that hadn’t happened in 15 years. Also let me ask, are the Gator, Independence, or Insight.com bowls considered major? Yet Notre Dame lost those games as well. It was under Weis where the streak stopped.

Weis has also started some new traditions at Notre Dame that I hope the new coach keeps. I love the idea of playing one game a year on a neutral field to give exposure to the program outside of South Bend.

I also hope the tradition of gathering after a home game with the band and singing the Alma Mater continues.

Weis also did a really good job of recruiting. The new coach will be blessed with that even with the likely departures of Clausen and Tate.

If there is one thing I would like to say to Weis, it is this.

“Please don’t take this personally, and don’t think we don’t appreciate all you did at Notre Dame. The reality is what it is. That reality is that it is time for Notre Dame to go in a different direction. This will be good for you to as you can now return to the NFL, and we know you will have options. I know there is talk that you could end up back in New England and work once again with Tom Brady.

“Personally though, I hope you take a less desirable path and go to Cleveland. The reason of course is that our Brady needs you more. Tom Brady has already had a Hall of Fame career, and you were a big part of it. Going back proves nothing.

“Brady Quinn, on the other hand, really needs you. His current offensive coordinator Brian Daboll looks clueless. I know you can turn his career around.

“At the end of the day, though, I know you owe nothing to Quinn. You took his college career to new heights, and he will always be grateful. You do have to make the best decision for you.

“Thank you, Charlie Weis, for all you did at Notre Dame. Good luck with your future endeavors, and you will be missed.”

This article is also posted on http://fightingirishgameday.com/