Projo Pats Blog

By CHRIS HINE
The New York Times

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- When Notre Dame wins -- and especially when the Irish lose -- Maura Weis hears about it. With each loss comes a barrage of negativity that Weis, the wife of coach Charlie Weis, cannot help hearing. She hears that he is arrogant. She hears that he is a lousy coach. And she hears that she should probably get ready to move.

That comes with the territory of having a husband at the helm of a football program that inspires as much passion and devotion as Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish finished 3-9 in 2007 and 7-6 in 2008, two seasons that did not sit well with the demanding fan base after consecutive Bowl Championship Series appearances in Weis' first two years. The prevailing thought is that Weis' fifth season is a referendum.
No. 25 Notre Dame (4-1) has a big test on Saturday against No. 6 Southern California (4-1). But Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick dismissed the notion that Weis will be fired if the Irish do not perform at a high level this season.

Speculation was rampant that Weis would be fired after last season, but Maura Weis said her family knew he would return. She and their son, Charlie Jr., said nothing while the character and competence of Weis were the topics du jour in South Bend until Dec. 3, when Swarbrick announced that he would be back.

"It was a big disappointment for me and my son to see our fan base actually kind of rooting against their head coach and the team," Maura Weis said of that time.

When Charlie Weis, a Notre Dame alumnus, replaced Tyrone Willingham, he took over a program that some thought could no longer recruit well in today's football landscape, given the university's high academic standards. Weis defied that perception by bringing in highly rated classes in 2006 and 2007. But as a product of its youth, that highly rated talent did not automatically bring in more victories.

"Some things need to be built again," Maura Weis said. "And so I think that the fans really, truly don't understand that. So for me, that's kind of where we were coming from. It was more of a thing like: `Well, what kind of fans do we really have here? Are they rooting for us or against us?"'

Charlie Weis knew the mentality of the Notre Dame football fan when he accepted the job. As a student, Weis, who declined to comment for this article, once called the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, then the university president, to complain about the football team.

"People can write anything they want and sign anybody's name," Lou Holtz, a former Notre Dame coach, said. "But as far as winning, expectations and things like that, I don't believe it's changed, and I don't believe it'll change 20 years from now or 30 years from now. I just think that's the Notre Dame way."

Life for the Weis family changed little during that time. Maura Weis said her husband never changed his demeanor at home. He was the same father he always was to Charlie Jr., 16, who still wants to become a football coach despite the virulent nature of the business, and Hannah, 14, who has battled developmental disorders. The Weises recognized, too, that being fired is a part of the business of coaching. And the family discussed the possibility of leaving South Bend.

"When you're around a long time in this business, you learn you have to deal with the negatives," Charlie Weis said in April. "You just have to have a plan in case they end up happening. Did I expect to be here? Yes. Did I expect that I was leaving? No."

When Weis came to Notre Dame, he boasted that his teams would have a schematic advantage every time they took the field. Since his first news conference, he was labeled as arrogant and it stuck. Maura Weis said that adjective does not fit her husband, who devotes much of his time off the field to the couple's charity, Hannah & Friends.

This year, before Notre Dame's opener against Nevada, a billboard appeared close to campus that read, "Best wishes to Charlie Weis in the 5th year of his college coaching internship." It was later revealed that Tom Reynolds, a former Notre Dame player, had paid for the billboard.

"That, I have to say, that bugged me," Maura Weis said. "And I don't let a lot of things bother me, but how about if I wrote something about his wife on a billboard? I can certainly afford to buy one up. Would he sue me? That's someone's character that you're talking about. I mean, is that what a grown-up man has to do with his time and money?"

Even in going about her day-to-day routine, Maura Weis deals with the naysayers. After Notre Dame lost to Michigan on Sept. 12, she was in a local drugstore buying medicine for Charlie Jr. when a man approached her.

"So this guy sits down next to me and goes, `Hi, Mrs. Weis,"' she said. "I said, `Hi, how are you?' He said, `I'd be better if they had won on Saturday.' So I said, `I'd be better if you didn't talk about football right now.' Really loud. Because I can be equally obnoxious." She laughed.

Ultimately, it is not the fans but the administration that decides whether Weis stays or goes. Swarbrick said he expected Notre Dame to at least be in contention for a BCS bowl every year.

Some fans will not be satisfied until Notre Dame wins its first national title since 1988. This year, the Irish have lived on the edge in victories over Michigan State, Washington and Purdue, all decided either in the closing minutes or in overtime. Those close victories have kept the hounds in South Bend at bay.

The Weises know one place they can go to get away from the stress of football. A few times each month, Hannah & Friends has dances for local children with developmental disorders. At these dances, one can find Charlie and Maura watching Hannah and the other young people enjoy themselves. The children will high-five Weis and chat with him. No one bothers him or his wife about wins or losses. There is no talk of leaving town.

Everyone is there just to have a good time.

"He's a good person; he's never been caught doing anything," Maura Weis said. "A lot of them are caught doing stuff, and they kind of get away with things. And here's my husband building up the program the way it's supposed to be built. So, let's let the man coach."

 Tags  Charlie Weis Notre Dame

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