Skip to main content

Kansas fires Weis 4 games into third season

By WTOP Staff

DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Charlie Weis arrived at Kansas full of bravado, promising dramatic changes within the long-suffering program. Players were dismissed, offenses and defenses were scrapped. Assistant coaches were hired, fired or simply reassigned.

In the end, the one thing that needed to change — on-field results — stayed the same.

Weis was fired four games into his third season on Sunday, one day after a 23-0 loss to Texas on homecoming left the brash coach with a 6-22 record in his second head coaching stint.

Weis, who earned a reputation as an offensive mastermind with the New England Patriots, was fired by Notre Dame in 2009 after five seasons at his alma mater.

“I normally do not favor changing coaches mid-season,” Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger said in a statement, “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.”

Defensive coordinator Clint Bowen will serve as interim coach of the Jayhawks, who are 2-2 on the season. They play at West Virginia on Saturday.

It was Zenger who fired Turner Gill after two moribund seasons, and who proclaimed upon the hiring of his replacement, “I set out to find the best and I found Charlie Weis.”

At the time, Weis had been two years removed from his debacle at Notre Dame. He served the first year as a Kansas City Chiefs assistant, helping the team return to the playoffs. But the following year, as offensive coordinator at Florida, Weis presided over a unit that had struggled to score.

That didn’t change once Weis arrived in Lawrence.

After dismissing a slew of players for various rules infractions, Weis rebuilt the roster around a number of Division I and junior college transfers. But each time he thought he had found an answer, especially at quarterback, everything seemed to backfire.

Quarterbacks Dayne Crist and Jake Heaps, two high-profile transfers, were benched for poor play in favor of less-heralded players. Wide receiver Justin McKay, once one of the nation’s top prospects, has struggled to produce over two seasons.

Throw in a series of devastating injuries, including season-enders to the Jayhawks’ top two running backs in fall camp, and the team was woefully overmatched.

Kansas struggled to beat lower-division Southeast Missouri State in its opener, and then was routed 41-3 by Duke. There were rumors then that Weis would be fired if the Jayhawks did not beat Central Michigan the following week, and it took an inspired defensive effort and two fourth-quarter touchdowns for them to eke out a 24-10 victory.

Ultimately, it bought Weis one more week.

“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.”

Kansas chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said she supported the decision.

“As we continue to elevate the national stature of the University of Kansas, our pursuit of excellence extends beyond our research and instructional missions,” she said. “Alumni, students, fans and supporters expect that Kansas football will match the other areas in which we excel.”

That hasn’t been the case for many years.

Kansas hasn’t had a winning record since 2008, the nest-to-last season under Mark Mangino — now an assistant at Big 12 rival Iowa State. The Jayhawks have only beaten four teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision in the past four seasons. And perhaps most important, the miserable play has resulted in vast stretches of empty seats at Memorial Stadium.

Those seats will need to be filled by Weis’s successor. Kansas is on the hook for the remainder of his five-year contract, which guaranteed him $2.5 million annually.

“The team was slugging it out,” Weis said following Saturday’s loss to the Longhorns, when asked about the waning support. “I think the only reason to not support a team is when a team throws in the towel, and I think our team has shown no evidence of that.”

The program hadn’t shown much evidence of progress, either, and it cost Weis his job.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote