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Weis doesn't break a Sweat at Trinity
The process took a toll on his life, interrupting supper, study time and, of course, his free time. He was polite and friendly with them all. After all, these people were offering a free education because of his prolific football talent.
Thursday afternoon, Sweat brought the process to an end by choosing Ohio State. The soon-to-be senior at Trinity High School disappointed a lot of other recruiters, especially those at Notre Dame, which finished second in this battle.
But it actually was worse for Charlie Weis, the Fighting Irish's popular head coach. He and one of his assistant coaches made a trip to Washington to convince Sweat that playing in the shadow of the Golden Dome was no less an honor than, say, dotting the i in Ohio State that the band forms on the field before kickoff.
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A few weeks ago, Weis and one of his assistants arrived at the front door of Trinity High School at a most inopportune time.
According to Trinity football coach Ed Dalton, the Notre Dame party arrived at the same time an administrator's meeting was taking place in another part of the school.
The hallway outside Dalton's office, where Weis and his assistant were standing, would have been barren except that a fight between two students had broken out. That type of activity tends to draw a crowd.
Weis and his assistant moved toward the two combatants but were stopped in the hallway by a Trinity staffer, who demanded to know why they were not wearing visitor badges.
After identifying themselves, Weis and his partner were allowed through and immediately walked up to the two battling students.
"(Weiss) said, 'You want a piece of me?'" Dalton recalled.
The two fighters stopped to size up Weis, a hulk of a man whose arms are large enough to rip a phone book in half. The fight was called because of common sense.
Then Weis turned to Dalton and asked, "What do I get for that?"
Dalton replied, "If you stay until 11 a.m., you can do lunch duty."
Weis politely declined and moved along to the next high school.
This episode shows that athletes aren't the only individuals who have to go through a lot during the recruiting circus. The up-close-and-personal approach required of college head coaches can have pitfalls.
Refereeing a testosterone-fueled boxing match is just one of them. Should Weis ever tire of coaching one of the most high-profile football programs in the country, he can be comforted in knowing a job awaits in Trinity's cafeteria.
Assistant sports editor Joe Tuscano can be reached at jtuscano@observer-reporter.com
