No Excuses

No Excuses
Charlie Weis and Vic Carucci
Harper Entertainment
ISBN: 0-06-120672-6
Non-Fiction, Autobiography
Reviewed by Walt McElligott

No Excuses is an extraordinary glimpse into one of the finest minds in the modern-day game of professional and collegiate football.

As the subtitle states, No Excuses is the story of Charlie Weis's "Incredible Rise Through the NFL to Head Football Coach of Notre Dame University. I learned the type of man Charlie Weis is before I read page one of No Excuses. His dedication was not to those who meant so much to him on the football field. Rather, Charlie Weis dedicated this book to the one who taught him many things; his "guiding angel" special needs daughter, Hannah. To Hannah and all others afflicted with developmental disorders, Weis have established, "Hannah and Friends". This nonprofit foundation is designed to improve the quality of life for people with special needs.

The other joys of Weis's life are his wife, Maura, and the second of their two beautiful children, his "best buddy", Charlie.
However, there is little doubt, from whom Coach Weis learned what goes on between chalk lines in the fall. His mentors consist of the most prominent names in the modern game of football, including NFL Head Coaches Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick.

Looking back to 1990, No Excuses tell how Parcells hired Weis as an assistant on the New York Giants staff. Weis considers this a "life-defining break" that opened doors for a simple sports loving guy from New Jersey. The New York Giants' Championship in Weis's first year became a "dream fulfilled." Originally, Weis had wanted to be the next
Marv Albert until he caught the coaching bug, which put him in a position to learn from footballs finest.

Weis and Parcells remained a team as they moved on to the New England Patriots and then to the New York Jets. Weis flourished under Parcells' pressure and demanding standards. Weis soon became the Jets' offensive coordinator.

Parcells then stepped down as coach of the Jets. At that point, Weis moved on to be with his colleague, friend, and the newly named Patriots' Head Coach Bill Belichick. Any NFL fan knows what followed. The Belichick and Weis team assembled a dynasty that proceeded to win three Super Bowls in four years. During those years, Weis' offensive genius helped the Pats' confound the best of pro football defenses. Weis coached Pro
Bowlers, and future Hall of Fame stars like Tom Brady, Ben Coates, and Curtis Martin.

A telephone call to Belichick in December of 2004 led to Weis receiving the opportunity of a lifetime. Notre Dame University asked permission to speak to Weis and offer him the chance to join legends like Rockne, Leahy, Parseghian, Devine, and Holtz as the next head football coach of the Golden Domer's. No man could refuse a job with his own Alma Mater, especially if that school was Notre Dame.

Before Weis could accept the challenge offered by his new job, he faced a near deadly off the field challenge. What Weis expected to be an ordinary gastric bypass surgery to help him lose weight, became a horrifying experience, during which he nearly bled to death. He fell into a coma, and actually received the last rites of the Catholic Church.

The manner in which Weis fought back would become an inspiration to his players. Even after almost losing his life, the demanding work ethic Weis developed in pro football carried over to Notre Dame.
When the initial media hoopla of his hiring ended, Weis recognized that Notre Dame Football was in urgent need of change. He his rare vision for the game was harnessed to this historic program. Weis is now creating his own legacy at Notre Dame.