Like Rockne, Rudy, Weis puts his name in Irish lore

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Charlie Weis doesn’t usually let anyone but himself call plays on offense. He made an exception for 10-year-old Montana Mazurkiewicz.

The Notre Dame football coach met last week with Montana, who had been told by doctors weeks earlier there was nothing more they could do to stop the spread of his inoperable brain tumor.

“He was a big Notre Dame fan in general, but football especially,” said his mother, Cathy Mazurkiewicz.

Weis showed up at the Mazurkiewicz home in Mishawaka, just east of South Bend, and talked with Montana about his tumor and about Weis’ 10-year-old daughter, Hannah, who has global development delay, a rare disorder similar to autism.

He told Montana of some pranks he played on Joe Montana – whom Montana was named after – while they were roommates at Notre Dame.

“I gave him a chance to hammer me on the Michigan State loss, which he did very well. He reminded me of my son,” said Weis, whose son, Charlie Jr., is 12 years old.

Weis said the meeting was touching.

“He told me about his love for Notre Dame football and how he just wanted to make it through this game this week,” Weis said. “He just wanted to be able to live through this game because he knew he wasn’t going to live very much longer.”

As Weis talked to the boy, Cathy Mazurkiewicz rubbed her son’s shoulder trying to ease his pain. Weis said he could tell the boy, who had just become paralyzed from the waist down a day earlier because of the tumor, was trying not to show he was in pain.

Before leaving, Weis gave Montana a football and signed it.

“He wrote, ‘Live for today for tomorrow is always another day,’ ” Mazurkiewicz said. “He told him: ‘You can’t worry about tomorrow. Just live today for everything it has and everything you can appreciate.’ “

Weis asked Montana if there was something he could do for him. He agreed to let Montana call the first play against Washington on Saturday. The boy called “pass right.”

Montana never got to see the play. He died Friday at his home.

Weis heard about the death and called Mazurkiewicz on Friday night to assure her he’d still call the play.

“He said, ‘This game is for Montana, and the play still stands,’ ” she said.

Weis said he told the team about the visit. He said it wasn’t a “Win one for the Gipper” speech. He doesn’t believe in using individuals as inspiration. He wanted the team to know people like Montana are out there.

“That they represent a lot of people that they don’t even realize they’re representing,” Weis said.

When the Irish started on their own 1-yard-line following a fumble recovery, Mazurkiewicz wasn’t sure Notre Dame would be able to throw a pass. Weis was concerned about that, too. So was quarterback Brady Quinn.

“He said what are we going to do?” Weis said. “I said we have no choice. We’re throwing it to the right.”

Weis called a play where most of the Irish went left, Quinn ran right and looked for tight end Anthony Fasano.

Mazurkiewicz, watching with her family, said, “I just closed my eyes. I thought, ‘There’s no way he’s going to be able to make that pass. Not from where they’re at. He’s going to get sacked and Washington’s going to get two points.’ ”

Fasano caught the pass and leapt over a defender for a 13-yard gain.

“It’s almost like Montana was willing him to beat that defender and take it to the house,” Weis said.

Mazurkiewicz was happy.

“It was an amazing play. Montana would have been very pleased. I was very pleased,” she said. “I was just so overwhelmed. I couldn’t watch much more.”

Weis called her again after the game, a 36-17 victory by the 13th-ranked Fighting Irish, and said he had a game ball signed by the team he wanted to bring to the family Sunday.

“He’s a very neat man. Very compassionate,” she said. “I just thanked him for using that play, no matter the circumstances.”