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Notre Dame football: The complicated legacy of George O’Leary

By Daniel Morrison

1 Jan 1999: Head Coach George O''Leary of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in action during the Toyota Gator Bowl Game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The Yellow Jackets defeated the Fighting Irish 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Erik Perel /Allsport
1 Jan 1999: Head Coach George O''Leary of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in action during the Toyota Gator Bowl Game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The Yellow Jackets defeated the Fighting Irish 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Erik Perel /Allsport /
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – OCTOBER 03: Head coach George O’Leary of the UCF Knights at Yulman Stadium on October 3, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – OCTOBER 03: Head coach George O’Leary of the UCF Knights at Yulman Stadium on October 3, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images) /

O’Leary gets another chance

Still, he’d have to take his punishment, only getting a second chance to coach due to an old connection working for the Vikings. Then, as O’Leary would say, “America is a forgiving nation,” he got another chance as a college football head coach. That opportunity would come at a school coming off a 3-9 season, sitting in the MAC, with absolutely nothing resembling FBS facilities.

It would come at a school that had only been at the FBS level since 1996 and had only had four winning seasons at that level. In 2004, UCF hired the man who had to resign in disgrace from Notre Dame.

Immediately, O’Leary went winless. However, he was immediately building the framework for a great football program that was lucky to be in a great location. In 2005, UCF opened an indoor practice facility, the first of its kind among FBS programs in the state of Florida.

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