Coaching Staff
When Willingham was fired all of his assistant coaches left, leaving Weis to rebuild a coaching staff. He sought to find experienced coaches that would be able to make the team competitive. When the new assistants were announced in January they were billed as having 25 seasons of collegiate head coaching, 50 seasons as coordinators, 12 seasons as NFL assistant coaches, and 42 bowl victories. Before the season, however, assistant offensive head and quarterbacks coach David Cutcliffe after undergoing heart surgery and being on medical leave, decided to resign, saying he felt his absence unfair to the players and coaches. In early June, Peter Vaas was named as Cutcliffe's replacement. Vaas was a former six year NFL Europa head coach, an eight year collegiate head coach, and had 17 years of assistant coaching experience, including two years at Notre Dame under Lou Holtz.
On October 29, only half-way through the season, Weis, who originally signed a six year contract with the Irish, was offered an extension on his contract. The new 10-year deal was worth $30 to $40 million, and made him the highest paid coach in college football. The extension was seen as controversial, as Weis' record was 5-2 at the time while Willingham started his first season with an 8-0 record.
| Name | Position | Alma Mater (Year) |
|---|---|---|
| Charlie Weis | Head Coach | Notre Dame (1978) |
| Michael Haywood | Offensive Coordinator Running Backs |
Notre Dame (1986) |
| Rob Ianello | Recruiting Coordinator Receivers |
Catholic (1987) |
| John Latina | Assistant Head Coach (Offense) Offensive Line |
Virginia Tech (1981) |
| Bill Lewis | Assistant Head Coach (Defense) Defensive Backs |
East Stroudsburg (1963) |
| Rick Minter* | Defensive Coordinator | Henderson State (1977) |
| Jerome "Jappy" Oliver | Defensive Line | Purdue (1978) |
| Bernie Parmalee | Tight Ends Special Teams |
Ball State (1990) |
| Brian Polian | Assistant Defensvie Backs Special Teams |
John Carroll (1997) |
| Peter Vaas | Quarterbacks | Holy Cross (1974) |
*Minter was previously on the Notre Dame coaching staff under coach Lou Holtz, but this is his first under Weis.
Read more about this topic: 2005 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Team
Famous quotes containing the word staff:
“When the reviews are bad I tell my staff that they can join me as I cry all the way to the bank.”
—Wladziu Valentino Liberace (1919–1987)