At Notre Dame, Brian Kelly Begins 'Dream' Job

The University of Notre Dame introduced its 29th football coach, with Brian Kelly jumping from undefeated and Sugar Bowl-bound Cincinnati to a Fighting Irish team that never lived up to expectations under Charlie Weis. “It’s no longer a dream, it’s a reality,” said the 48-year-old Kelly, who was 34-6 in three seasons at Cincinnati, and earlier in his career won two Division II championships at Grand Valley State.

“They want to win. They want to win,” Kelly said of a team that loses its starting quarterback and top receiver to the NFL draft. “They’re like any football program that I’ve ever been around.” And, after a holiday break, he added, it’ll be time to go to work. “I told them when they get back, you better be ready to go, because we’re going to hit the ground running.”
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