CINCINNATI — Notre Dame has settled on Brian Kelly as the man who can restore its faded glory, just as he turned Cincinnati into a national title contender.
Just 10 days after Charlie Weis was fired, it’s up to Kelly to revive the fortunes of a team that just completed the worst decade of football in the history of the storied program with a 70-52 record and three losing seasons.
Kelly got a five-year deal from Notre Dame and will be introduced as coach in South Bend, Ind., this afternoon. He declined to comment in Cincinnati, where he informed his players of the move after their football banquet Thursday night. He won’t coach them in the Sugar Bowl.
The news didn’t play well with the Bearcats. The players were led into a meeting room, where Kelly told them he was leaving and thanked them for making his opportunity possible. One minute into the meeting, the door opened and receiver Mardy Gilyard walked out angry and alone, save his MVP trophy.
“He went for the money,” Gilyard said. “I’m fairly disgusted with the situation, that they let it last this long.”
Offensive coordinator Jeff Quinn will coach the Bearcats in their first Sugar Bowl game against Florida. Kelly, 47, was 34-6 in three seasons at Cincinnati.
Award winners
Annual college football awards presented Thursday night in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.:
Maxwell Award: Colt McCoy, Texas
Walter Camp: Colt McCoy, Texas
Davey O’Brien Award: Colt McCoy, Texas
Chuck Bednarik Award: Ndamukong Suh, Neb.
Outland Trophy: Ndamukong Suh, Neb.
Coach of the year: Brian Kelly, Cincinnati
Doak Walker Award: Toby Gerhart, Stanford
Jim Thorpe Award: Eric Berry, Tennessee
Biletnikoff Award: Golden Tate, Notre Dame
Lou Groza Award: Kai Forbath, UCLA
Ray Guy Award: Drew Butler, Georgia
Disney Spirit Award: Mark Herzlich, Boston College
