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This morning the University of Kansas athletic department released a statement announcing the termination of Charlie Weis as the Jayhawks head football coach. Weis was informed this morning by Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger, who then informed the coaching staff. Jayhawk defensive coordinator Clint Bowen will finish the season in an interim capacity.
After a lengthy career as an offensive coordinator in the NFL, which included a large share of the credit for the development of Tom Brady, Weis was hired as Notre Dame's head coach in 2005. Although Weis did lead the Irish to BCS bowls in his first two seasons, Notre Dame collapsed to a 3-9 record -- the most losses ever in one year by a Notre Dame squad -- in his third season. Following a pair of 6-6 regular season campaigns, Weis was fired. He then spent one season each in Kansas City and Gainesville as offensive coordinator before Kansas offered him their vacant head coaching position in December 2011.
More on Weis: RCT
More on Weis: RCT
His tenure in Lawrence was a disaster, with the Jayhawks compiling a 6-22 record under his leadership and only 1-18 in Big 12 play. Of those six wins, only three were against FBS competition: wins last year over Louisiana Tech and West Virginia, and Central Michigan a week ago. Weis departs with a career record of only 41-49 in just over six seasons as a head coach.
Bowen, who was in charge of the Jayhawk defense during their surge to prominence under Mark Mangino, has served as the defensive coordinator at Kansas in two separate stints since 2006. He took a two-year break from program in 2010-11, during which he held the same positions at North Texas and Western Kentucky. Prior to that, he held other coaching and staff positions with the Jayhawks from 1998-2005, and has spent a total of 16 years within the Jayhawk program, including playing three years as a defensive back in the early '90s.
This was a move KU needed to make, and one can hope that the Jayhawks' next move will result in a hire which can at least build a respectable program; one Kansas State fans can at least grudgingly respect, and of which Kansas fans can be proud. A quality program in Lawrence only serves to help the conference and the state of Kansas, and a healthy rivalry -- one in which the outcome of games is at least in doubt -- is good for everyone. It's time for our rivals down the river to get their house in order now.