Charlie Weis addresses Notre Dame Club in Gettysburg

By DAN GRAYBILL
Evening Sun Sports Writer

Charlie Weis has a plan for the University of Notre Dame football team and, according to Weis, it is only two-thirds complete.

Weis wants to assemble individuals who are good people first, studious people second and good football players third.

The first two Weis has accomplished. The last is the one he and the Fighting Irish faithful are waiting for.

"You have to establish a plan and stick to it," Weis told a crowd of Notre Dame alumni and supporters Wednesday at The Pike Restaurant in Gettysburg. "We're on the right track in those aspects."

Something the Irish fans probably want to hear, coming off a disappointing 2007 campaign.

"I buy it," Notre Dame Club of Gettysburg president and alumnus Brendan Cushing-Daniels said about Weis' message. "I think were on the right track and I'm looking for a dramatically better performance on the field this year."

His plan has worked so far. Weis mentioned that he has had very little social problems to deal with in his three years as coach of Notre Dame.

"I could get hoodlums and thugs and win tomorrow," Weis said. "I won't do it that way."

The same goes with school. If he knows a recruit is not committed to putting in the rigorous academic work at Notre Dame, he will tell that person to try another school that may be less demanding academically.

With two-thirds of his plan in place and spring practice just finished, Weis sees a bright future for his squad.

"I am optimistic about the future,"

Weis said. "There isn't one aspect that I didn't think got better."

One aspect Weis didn't expect when he took the job four years ago was how many different roles he would have to play.

He has to be coach, dad, administrator and representative, including speaking to alumni groups such as the one in Gettysburg.

Weis does this because the NCAA passed a rule forbidding head coaches from going on the road and recruiting in the spring. So, to manage his time - something he is big on - Weis travels to alumni groups around the country to deliver his message for the future.

Wednesday's luncheon at Gettysburg attracted around 160 alumni and fans.

Gettysburg was one of the chosen groups because it won an award last year and Weis visits those groups who won awards the previous year.

The Notre Dame Club of Gettysburg won its group competition in supporting the mission of the alumni association and the mission of the university.

"We found out a year ago we were the outstanding club," Cushing-Daniels said. "We didn't find out that Weis was coming out here until a month or two ago, when the NCAA passed the recruiting rule. It was a couple weeks after that."

After a brief question-and-answer period with the audience, Weis was presented with a key to the borough of Gettysburg and was given a $1,000 check from the club for his charity, Hannah and Friends, that helps people with disabilities.

Notre Dame begins its football season on Sept 6. at home against San Diego State.  

http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_9038518

notre dame aint shit honestly....even if they had "thugs and hoodlums" they wont get to a bowl game with them weak ass schedules they consitantly have...yea they play few big names here and there but overall they could play PVU and TSU and Grambling and instead of teams like duke and rutgers who are plain garbage

Princeofthehood:

notre dame aint shit honestly....even if they had "thugs and hoodlums" they wont get to a bowl game with them weak ass schedules they consitantly have...yea they play few big names here and there but overall they could play PVU and TSU and Grambling and instead of teams like duke and rutgers who are plain garbage

Now I haven't watched a full season of Notre Dame football in a few years but they weren't known for havign "weak ass" schedules when I did. They actually had it harder than most.  And what's sad is Notre Dame used to get into bowl games they didn't really belong in - not the other way around - because of their history and probably the fact that people all over the country watched them.

to actually comment on the first post it sucks being a Notre Dame fan because the university administration really couldn't care less about football. they really do suspend players that don't make the grade. I was pissed when Julius Jones missed those games.

Princeofthehood:

notre dame aint shit honestly....even if they had "thugs and hoodlums" they wont get to a bowl game with them weak ass schedules they consitantly have...yea they play few big names here and there but overall they could play PVU and TSU and Grambling and instead of teams like duke and rutgers who are plain garbage

Ya you're a fucking idiot for this comment

Princeofthehood:

notre dame aint shit honestly....even if they had "thugs and hoodlums" they wont get to a bowl game with them weak ass schedules they consitantly have...yea they play few big names here and there but overall they could play PVU and TSU and Grambling and instead of teams like duke and rutgers who are plain garbage

 

Lets see they play the big 10's best teams, usc, which is always top 5, BC, and the services who are starting to get better.

Now the sec schedule is rough ill give you that, but the rest of the conferances have the good teams and horrible.

I dont care if he recruits thugs or choir boys. He had one of the top recruiting classes the last 2 years so he better start winning soon or get fired.

Notre Dame is so overrated, they play weak teams most of time, then play the Michigan's and the USC's they get exposed.

Twizza 77:

Notre Dame is so overrated, they play weak teams most of time, then play the Michigan's and the USC's they get exposed.

google "notre dame" and "strength of schedule" - searches like those will save you from making such comments.

Doesn't anyone find this a racist comment? I'm white and I think it's racist. If he were coaching some white sport, like tennis or golf, you can bet he wouldn't be making the thugs and hoodlums excuse. And it's hypocritical too. The Patriots had players with criminal records

traydeuce:

Doesn't anyone find this a racist comment? I'm white and I think it's racist. If he were coaching some white sport, like tennis or golf, you can bet he wouldn't be making the thugs and hoodlums excuse. And it's hypocritical too. The Patriots had players with criminal records

Amen white brother, and I'm black so I'm heavily offended. No thugs ... haah he was one step away from saying no ghetto people which is one step away from saying no "NIGGERS". It's 2008 and we still allowing this shit to be accepted? Mayne boycott this dude like Ron Imus, BLACK America.

( Imus might be back on the air but at least I don't gotta see his face on MSNBC no more )

Biz-Giv-Biz:

traydeuce:

Doesn't anyone find this a racist comment? I'm white and I think it's racist. If he were coaching some white sport, like tennis or golf, you can bet he wouldn't be making the thugs and hoodlums excuse. And it's hypocritical too. The Patriots had players with criminal records

Amen white brother, and I'm black so I'm heavily offended. No thugs ... haah he was one step away from saying no ghetto people which is one step away from saying no "NIGGERS". It's 2008 and we still allowing this shit to be accepted? Mayne boycott this dude like Ron Imus, BLACK America.

( Imus might be back on the air but at least I don't gotta see his face on MSNBC no more )

There may have been some racial undertone in his statement but he worded it right so he wont be called out on it. Think about it, he said hoodlums and thugs. If black people take offense to that, then thats blacks thinking of themselves as hoodlums and thugs. You dont see whites or hispanics being offended by that statement so if blacks get offended by it then blacks have a problem for think of ourselves as being hoodlums and thugs.

You're abosutely right, but i still think Notre Dame is a racist ass school. I wanna see these top New England colleges start going after these "black" qb's a little harder and have them starting on a Notre Dame or even a BC, but hey I'm only human in my thought process and assumptions most of the time.

Btw, what white guy do you think of when they say hoodlum or thug? Some white QB dat used to or still plays for the SD Chargers? I doubt even those two guys you would attach the words "thugs" or "hoodlums" too...

Biz-Giv-Biz:

You're abosutely right, but i still think Notre Dame is a racist ass school. I wanna see these top New England colleges start going after these "black" qb's a little harder and have them starting on a Notre Dame or even a BC, but hey I'm only human in my thought process and assumptions most of the time.

Btw, what white guy do you think of when they say hoodlum or thug? Some white QB dat used to or still plays for the SD Chargers? I doubt even those two guys you would attach the words "thugs" or "hoodlums" too...

I know he means blacks, what he's really sayin is he only wants the "Respectable Negroes" on his team. But the way he said he probobly wont face much of a backlash for it.

shit people, the guy obviously wants blacks on his team. if i read the shit without putting my racism goggles on i would think he doesn't want players that make the news and miss games. as i said earlier if you don't get good grades there you don't play and you don't get good grades if you're fucking around.  i'm sure he meant to be offensive to guys like that.

Charlie Weis is recruiting the shit out of 2 of our players here in Nap n shit they told him straight out if ur not in the BCS we aint coming up there point blank period..coming from Indiana its a dream to go up north n play at Notre Dame but shit when u got SEC Big East Big Ten n a few Big 12 schools recruiting heavy round here its like fuck Charlie..Obviously we see he knows his X's n O's but can u run a program of kids 18-22...??..So far he's failing not to mention he's had the #1 recruiting class the past 2yrs..!

IndPlsFlyBoi:

Charlie Weis is recruiting the shit out of 2 of our players here in Nap n shit they told him straight out if ur not in the BCS we aint coming up there point blank period..coming from Indiana its a dream to go up north n play at Notre Dame but shit when u got SEC Big East Big Ten n a few Big 12 schools recruiting heavy round here its like fuck Charlie..Obviously we see he knows his X's n O's but can u run a program of kids 18-22...??..So far he's failing not to mention he's had the #1 recruiting class the past 2yrs..!

U from Naptown my nig, thats whats good, I go to purdue and play football, really Notre Dame is good team, but Charlie Weis is better as coordinator than head coach,  when Notre Dame was good( 2yrs ago) they had all Ty recruits, they got talent, I belivee last year was an off year, they should be on point this year, I believe Clausen will show up this year.

i think u all are missing the point of the thread starter emphasizing getting hoodlums and thugs.....

he was basically trying to say that hoodlums and thugs may be great athletes (good enough to win)... but not good ppl or good students... so therefore he wont recruit them....

was the statement racists?.... maybe. most blacks/hispanics are labeled hoodlums and thugs.. so i guess u could replace those two words w/black or hispanic.. but one can say ur reaching...

was the statement judgemental?... most def. u cant judge all hoods or thugs as being bad ppl or not bad students...

why we gotta assume he's talking about black ppl when he says thugs and hoodlums, are we that degraded that when words come out like that we suddenly say "o he's definitely talking about black guys".  Lotta reaching I think

well he wont win with a bunch of punks... look at last season. the whole secondary was punks... gettin burned up and down the field.... they need to stop making excuses and just play ball...

there still going to win maybe 4 games there schedule is to tough unless they dumb it down there not going that far

for people that say there schedule is weak must not watch alot of football

I could care less about what this fat bastard says...Charlie Weis is and offensive guy and obviously a great recruiter but he is not a good head coach...The players that took him to the Fiesta Bowl his first year were recruited and groomed by the previous coach, Ty Willingham.  So basically what i am saying is he has not done anything on his own merit and should stop with the social commentary....the statement he made is a cop out because he hasnt won a game of any significance.

depends how you look at it, People should Read, $40 Million Dollar Slaves, The whole NCAA basketball and football season makes the money for these schools, thats why im for direct entry for the NBA Draft