Search is over: Irish hire Weis

Charlie Weis was hired Sunday night to coach football at Notre Dame, the school the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator graduated from and where this season’s 6-5 record led to the firing of Tyrone Willingham.

Weis agreed to a six-year deal that will pay him a reported $2 million per year. His hiring ended an embarrassing two-week search by the Fighting Irish to find a coach for perhaps the most storied program in the nation.

The 48-year-old Weis arrived at the school Sunday night just hours after the Patriots beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Foxboro, Mass. Within an hour, he was off to meet with players.

“Here’s what we have to do. I believe there is a proper protocol, and right now, the most important thing is that I go talk to the players,” Weis said. “So, tomorrow is our time for the press conference … Let’s do it tomorrow.”

The players met with Weis for about 30 minutes and seemed excited about their new coach.

“It’s nice to have a little bit of closure and know we have a coach and know what kind of system we’re going to have next year,” offensive guard Bob Morton said. “It’s a good night for Notre Dame.”

Morton said Weis told the players he’ll be around as much as possible, but would be staying with the Patriots through the playoffs.

“He’s a great man. He’s a no-nonsense kind of guy, like they say he is,” senior offensive guard Dan Stevenson said. “It seems like he’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Weis will attempt to restore Notre Dame to the powerhouse program it was when he attended the university as an undergraduate while Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine coached the Fighting Irish. Weis, who never played for Notre Dame, graduated in 1978.

The door for him to return to Notre Dame opened after Willingham, who had a 21-15 record over three seasons, was fired on Nov. 30. Utah coach Urban Meyer, considered by many a lock to replace Willingham, instead accepted the job at Florida.

Weis has been the Patriots’ offensive coordinator for the last five seasons, including two Super Bowl championships.

He has occasionally been considered for NFL head coaching jobs. But an NFL rule prohibits assistants from being hired while their teams are in the playoffs, and the Patriots’ long playoff runs have hindered his attempt at a promotion.

Stanford hires Pitt’s Harris

Pittsburgh’s Walt Harris was hired as Stanford’s new football coach, giving the Cardinal the offensive-minded leader they sought to replace Buddy Teevens.

Stanford spokesman Gary Migdol said Harris accepted the job Sunday, and the school planned an official announcement for today.

Harris, 58, reportedly was meeting with his team Sunday and is expected to coach the 19th-ranked Panthers in the Fiesta Bowl against Utah on Jan. 1.

Sam Houston coach retires

A day after losing in the Division I-AA playoffs to Montana, longtime Sam Houston State coach Ron Randleman announced that he would retire after a school-record 11 wins this season and a Southland Conference championship.

Randleman, with an overall head coaching record of 219-166-6, has led the Bearkats for 23 years.