It’s fairly self-explanatory to say that three coaches spent time on the Notre Dame sideline last decade while only one was at the controls this past decade.
In the case of Bob Davie to Tyrone Willingham to Charlie Weis compared to ten straight seasons of Brian Kelly, it’s easy to see the stability of Kelly’s work.
What also shouldn’t be overlooked is just how embarrassing the George O’Leary fiasco was in late-2001. It wasn’t just a bad run for Notre Dame under Bob Davie that had them looking up at the college football world but the brutal PR from the O’Leary debacle led to Willingham and a program appearing headed for complete disaster by the end of 2004.
Weis was hired and managed a couple of surprisingly solid seasons before the bottom did finally come out in 2007 with a 3-9 record. He’d go 13-12 over the next two seasons before his firing would eventually lead to the hiring of Kelly whose decade we will recap and put into comparison throughout.
Bowl Appearances the Norm: