On November 30, 2004, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame football program was dealt a shocking blow when Athletic Director Kevin White fired head coach Tyrone Willingham. The move set a precedent, as it was the first time in school history that a head football coach had been fired before fulfilling the tenure of his contract.  Willingham who had just finished the third-year of a five-year deal had been under scrutiny for not returning the once proud program back to its historic stature.

What started out as a promising career for the former coach, quickly dissipated after an amazing 10-3 start his first year at the school.  In that amazing first season, Willingham, became the first coach in the schools history to win 10 games in his first season, going 10-2 in the regular season, and 10-3 overall with a loss to N.C. State in the Gator Bowl.

After that glorious first year for Willingham, things went downhill as the coach posted a losing record of 11-12 his final two seasons, which ultimately led to his ousting. White cited a lack of progress in the program.  Many felt the firing was unjust and it was further proof that Notre Dame, was no longer, Notre Dame.

With the George O’Leary debacle still fresh in the minds of the Fighting Irish faithful, many cringed at what White’s search may turn up.  Everyone’s minds were put at ease when in December, former New England Patriots offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis was introduced as the 28^th coach in the schools history.

Weis brings not only four Super Bowl rings with him to South Bend, but 15 years of coaching experience in the NFL as well.  Aside from his time with arguably the best coach in the National Football League today in Bill Belichick, Weis has also served under Bill Parcells, whom he won a Super Bowl with after the 1990 season while with the New York Giants 

The list of NFL players that Weis has worked with reads like a Pro Bowl who’s who. 

While with Parcells and the New York Jets, the 1978 Notre Dame grad worked with the likes of, Keyshawn Johnson, Curtis Martin, and Vinny Testaverde.  And while with the Patriots, Weis worked with quarterbacks, Drew Bledsoe, and Tom Brady, as well as running back, Cory Dillon.

With his reputation as an offensive guru well known, Weis looks to restore the Notre Dame offense to its once proud and powerful state. At his disposal are some of the top skilled players in the nation, like sophomore tailback Darius Walker, and junior quarterback Brady Quinn.

Walker set high expectations last season as he broke a Notre Dame freshman rushing record with, 786 yards.  His seven touchdowns - while not a record - were however the second most by an Irish freshman. Only Autry Denson’s eight back in 1995 had more.  His breakout game came against the #7 Michigan Wolverines when he had 31 carries for 115-yards and two touchdowns.

Notre Dame is depending heavily on the Lawrenceville, GA native to be the feature back in 2005 and the coaching staff feels that the experience the back gained in 2004 will benefit him greatly.  Along with Walker, Weis and Co. are looking for big things from junior quarterback, Brady Quinn. 

In 2004, Quinn set passing marks for a sophomore in passing yards, with 2,586 and touchdowns with 17.  Quinn will no doubt benefit from the teachings of Weis and new quarterbacks coach, Peter Vaas.  And with the creativity of Weis, the sky is the limit for the bright young quarterback.

As for the rest of the depth chart, nothing is set in stone just yet.

"I am not getting into depth charts. We are mixing and matching different people between the first and second team and second and third team,” the first year coach said in a press release. “I think a lot of time when you play inexperienced guys with inexperienced guys and experienced guys with experienced guys during reps, there are communication problems. I thought today our goal was to mix and match some people so we always had younger guys playing with older guys to help the communication on the field."

And communication is something that is paramount to Weis in all aspects of football.

"It isn't about the first team, it is about knowing what you are doing. Communication is a key element offensively, defensively and on special teams,” Weis said. “When communication becomes the toughest is when you're at home as a defensive player. Hopefully, it is very loud when the opponent is on offense. You have to learn how to communicate defensively without being able to hear. I actually practice one day a week when we use sound. When we are at home, we will practice it when the defense is up, not when the offense is up. Everyone always talks about going on the road and practicing with the noise on offense but not a lot of people talk about the defense at home."

Not only does Weis have the Irish faithful excited about the current edition of Notre Dame football, but the next generation of Irish gridiron stars as well. With signing day just a few weeks away, Notre Dame has already received 12 verbal agreements from prep athletes, with four of those being ranked among the Nations top 100.

On Monday, Raeshon McNeil of Davie County High School in Mocksville, North Carolina became the latest in an impressive list.  The 6'1" cornerback fills a big whole in the Irish secondary.  As a junior, McNeil recorded 60-tackles and five interceptions.  He has also been clocked in the neighborhood of 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash.  McNeil has stated that he is an aggressive physical type of player that excels in the open field.

Among the other more notable commitments are, Morgan Park’s (Chicago, IL) Demetrius Jones.  Jones, a 6'3" 205-pound quarterback has all of the intangibles to become one of the best quarterbacks in recent memory.  As a junior, he passed for 2,300 yards, threw 21 touchdowns, and had only three interceptions.  The athletic Jones also added 1,100 yards rushing with a remarkable 17 touchdowns.  Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming ranks him 33rd overall. 

Anticipation is high in South Bend as the Irish are set to kickoff a new era against rival, Pittsburgh on September 3.  Fans are no doubt ready for a return to the college footballs elite and restore the tradition to their proud campus.