The University of Kansas football program has reached Rock Chalk Bottom.
But no one should feel sorry for departed University of Kansas football coach Charlie Weis.
Off the field, Weis is a good humanitarian who has helped others.
Weis and his wife, Maura, established the Hannah & Friends Foundation, dedicated to children affected by developmental disorders and named after their autistic daughter.
On the field, Weis compiled a 41-49 record in his college coaching tenure, for which he’s going to be paid a reported $64 million.
Weis is getting paid millions of dollars to NOT to coach Notre Dame and NOT to coach Kansas. He signed an unprecedented 10-year contract at Notre Dame after the Irish won 19 games in his first two years.
When University of Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger hired Weis in 2012, he proudly declared, “I set out to find the best and I found Charlie Weis.”
Weis’ best was a 6-22 record in two-plus seasons at Kansas. In the midst of apathy and fans who leave at halftime and never come back, Zenger had no choice. West Virginia was Weis’ only Big 12 victory.
It was a misguided hiring by Zenger, who believed in the myth of Charlie Weis. That came on the heels of Lew Perkins hiring KU coach Turner Gill, whose two-year tenure ended in a 5-19 record.
Zenger could not imagine that the Kansas football program is barely marginally better after three years of Weis’ leadership.
Weis owns three Super Bowls rings, courtesy of New England quarterback Tom Brady. But it’s clear the Patriots’ success had way more to do with Bill Belichick’s head coaching and Brady’s ability than Weis’ performance as offensive coordinator.
The track record clearly indicates that Weis simply doesn’t possess the magic or recruiting ability to be a successful head college coach. His last three seasons finished 16-21 at Notre Dame, which features top 10 talent.
Weis believed is his own bravado. He dismissed more than two dozen players and talked negatively about his own players, probably his worst mistake.
Weis’ teams often played tough, determined football. But he never enjoyed the advantage of a quarterback who could perform the skills required.
He promised a lot but delivered very little, particularly with developing quarterbacks at Kansas into better players. Current quarterback Montell Cozart has fared little better.
Weis was never a good fit for Kansas, which requires an energetic football coach who can build a competitive program.

Jim Misunas