Charlie Weis Fired By Kansas, Clint Bowen Named Interim Coach

Charlie Weis had his second bite of the apple, and it turned out just as rotten as the first.

Weis was relieved of his head coaching position at Kansas Sunday after a dismal 23-0 drubbing to Texas on Homecoming weekend. Texas had released many players and were in a state of readjustment themselves. Unfortunately for Weis, Kansas was in a worse state of readjustment, according to CBS Sports.

Weis had the reputation of an offensive genius. Recently, however, other than his work with Tom Brady during his time at New England, his times at Notre Dame (though he did passably well with Brady Quinn), with the Kansas City Chiefs, University of Florida, and at Kansas have been lackluster.

Weis leaves Kansas after two-and-a-half seasons with a 6-22 record. Though Weis did take a seemingly difficult job, it’s not impossible. Before he left in 2009, Mark Mangino left with a six-year record of 50-48. Kansas is a difficult place to build a winner, but it can be done.

USA Today reports that when Weis was hired for the Kansas job by athletic director Sheahon Zenger after Zenger fired former coach Turner Gill for a coaching performance similar to Weis’. Weis had a 2-2 record, with the losses coming to Texas (23-0) and Duke (41-3). The two victories were at the hands of lower division Southwest Missouri State 34-28 and Central Michigan 24-10. Zenger decided he had seen enough.

“I normally do not favor changing coaches mid-season,” Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger said in a statement, “but I believe we have talented coaches and players in this program, and I think this decision gives our players the best chance to begin making progress right away.”

Now Zenger finds himself on the hot seat because of the way he brought in Weis. Zenger’s exact words upon Weis’ hiring: “I set out to find the best and I found Charlie Weis.”

Charlie Weis arrived at Kansas full of bravado, promising dramatic changes within the long-suffering program. Players were dismissed, offenses and defenses were scrapped. Assistant coaches were hired, fired, or simply reassigned.

In the end, the one thing that needed to change — on-field results — stayed the same.

So many changes, but minimal wins, and it cost Weis his job.

Under the terms of his contract, Kansas will owe Weis about $5.625 million, to be paid monthly thru December 31, 2016.

According the Notre Dame’s most recent tax return, Weis will be receiving payments from that school through December 2015.

He was paid nearly $2.1 million by Notre Dame during the 2012 calendar year, the most recent year for which figures are available.

Weis was paid the nearly $2.1 million by Notre Dame in 2010 and 2011. He received more than $6.6 million in pay and severance from the school in 2009.

Defensive coordinator Clint Bowen will serve as the interim head coach until the university decides what it will do next.

[Image courtesy of Mass Appeal News]