Charlie Weis nixed as Kansas football head coach
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
DAN HARMSEN
Kansas football coach Charlie Weis was fired Sept. 28 following Kansas' 23-0 loss to Texas. Weis leaves the University with an overall 6-22 record and a 1-18 conference record.
@udk_dan
Following a stagnant game day for the Kansas football team, Sunday morning was a busy one. Coach Charlie Weis has been relieved of his duties, Kansas Athletic Director Sheahon Zenger said in a Kansas Athletics press release after a 23-0 loss to Texas on Saturday, Weis' 22nd loss in 28 attempts. The firing ends a five-year contract prematurely, just four games into Weis' third year.
"I normally do not favor changing coaches mid-season," Zenger said in the release. "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."
After dismissing 29 players for mostly academic or behavioral reasons, Weis' watch saw the highest GPA the football program has recorded during the fall since the school began keeping track in 1986: 2.83 in 2012 up from 2.46 in 2011. But the results weren't as promising outside of the classroom.
"I appreciate what coach Weis did with several facets of our football program," Zenger said. "But we have not made the on-the-field progress we believe we should. I believe new leadership gives our coaches and players the best chance to make a fresh start."
In 19 conference games, Weis' teams were outscored 719-267, which averages to 37.8- 14.1 per game.
Known best for his previous work with quarterbacks including Tom Brady and Brady Quinn, Weis struggled to find a reliable one at Kansas. In less than three seasons, Weis filed through four different starting quarterbacks: Dayne Crist, Michael Cummings, Jake Heaps and Montell Cozart. Under Weis' direction, the quarterback position completed just 47.6 percent of its passes for 5.4 yards per attempt, 21 touchdowns and 32 interceptions.
Defensive coordinator Clint Bowen has been announced the interim coach for Kansas (2-2). A Lawrence native, Bowen helped lead Kansas to a No. 27 national ranking as a defensive back, following its win against Brigham Young in the 1992 Aloha Bowl. Kansas finished the 1992 season 8-4, and in 1993, Bowen recorded the third-most tackles by a Jayhawk defensive back in school history, leading the team with 114.
For the 1995 Kansas grad, Bowen's coaching career began shortly after his playing career. He began his work as a defensive graduate assistant coach in 1996, and after a brief stint with Minnesota, Bowen returned to Kansas
in 1998. Bowen spent time coaching the tight ends, running backs and safeties until 2009.
His time at Kansas included three bowl victories, including the most successful season in Kansas football history, when the Jayhawks
finished 12-1 with a 24-21 BCS Orange Bowl victory against Virginia Tech in 2007-08. A codefensive coordinator, his defense allowed just 16 points per game that season.
Bowen rejoined the staff in 2012 as the special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach under Weis before moving over to linebackers, and ultimately being named the defensive coordinator in December 2013.
With a senior-laden roster — seven starters on offense and six starters on defense — this appeared to be Weis' best team at Kansas. But through four games, Kansas has
With a senior-laden roster —
averaged a Big 12-worst 15.3 points per game.
"But we have not made the on-the-field progress we believe we should. I believe new leadership gives our coaches and players the best chance to make a fresh start."
averaged a big 12-worst 15.3 points per game. For an offensive-minded Weis, the most strides on the field appeared to be made on the defensive side of the football.
SHEAHON ZENGER Kansas athletic director
In 2012, Weis assumea
assumed a team that had allowed 43.8 points per game. Through four games this season, Kansas has allowed 25.5 points per game.
Weis was hired Dec. 9,
2011, for a guaranteed
$2.5 million per year over
five years, with incentives
of $50,000 for five Big 12
conference wins a season,
along with $10,000 for
each additional Big 12
conference win. Had
Kansas made a bowl game, Weis would have pocketed $50,000.
Zenger's decision to terminate Weis' contract
without cause came with a stamp of approval from Chancellor Bernadette Grav-Little.
"As we continue to elevate the national stature of the University of Kansas, our pursuit of excellence extends beyond our research and instructional missions," Gray-Little said in the release. "KU alumni, students; fans and supporters expect that Kansas Football will match the other areas in which we excel as a university. After consulting with Dr. Zenger, I am in agreement that it is time for new leadership of our football program."
12|KANSAN.COM
Kansas next faces a tough road test against West Virginia on Saturday. Last fall, the Jayhawks snapped a 27-game conference losing streak to the Mountaineers at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence. This year, the Jayhawks will look to end a 28-game road losing streak.
— Edited by Casey Hutchins
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