Weis masters motivational art of 'button-pushing'

Kansas University quarterback Dayne Crist, left, listens to KU coach Charlie Weis during spring drills on Tuesday, March 27, 2012, at the practice fields south of Memorial Stadium.

One of the eye-opening bits of information that came from a recent sit-down with Kansas University football coach Charlie Weis was the fact that the man keeps a mattress and blankets in his office so he can grab some quick sleep before getting back to work without having to go home for the night.

That box of bedding was not put there for show, nor does it go unused. Weis is famous for working while others are asleep and is dedicated to putting countless hours into coaching.

Part of his intense work ethic came from his blue-collar, New Jersey upbringing. Many of the people Weis grew up around had this same mentality in their jobs, and that sense of pride rubbed off on him at an early age. But one of the most recent men who inspired Weis to become such a hard worker was Bill Parcells, the legendary NFL coach whom Weis credits for shaping him into the coach he is today.

“Parcells was the ultimate button-pusher,” Weis said. “He’d find what button made everyone achieve a higher level and he’d keep on pressing that button.”

Most days, Weis had a front row seat to watch Parcells push, prod and manipulate his players into digging deeper. Every once in a while, and with some regularity, Parcells picked the buttons that belonged to his coaching staff.

Weis remembers well the first time Parcells fired his way.

“With me, it was questioning my work ethic,” Weis said. “I always worked as hard or harder than anyone, but it would be 11 o’clock at night, we’d be at Hofstra (University for training camp), I’d be the only one left in the building, everyone else is gone and he’d walk by as I’d be getting my coat on to go ahead and leave and he’d say, ‘Another early night, huh?’ And then he’d walk out, knowing that I’d take my coat off (and say), ‘OK, there’s something else I could be doing.’ He knew what button to push and he’d press it and he’d press it and he’d press it. And he did it with everyone. He was the best. Always will be.”

As the years went by, Weis not only got used to Parcells’ signature style — even evolving to be able to predict when it was coming — but also began to incorporate the art into his own coaching playbook.

The list of players whose buttons Weis has pushed is long and still growing, but one in particular holds special significance for Kansas fans.

Sometime in early 2008, when a highly-touted high school quarterback out of California named Dayne Crist made one final trip to Notre Dame, Weis did his finest work.

“The day he came in to visit,” Weis recalled, “he was about ready to commit to LSU, and I said, ‘What? Are you afraid of competing against (Notre Dame starter Jimmy) Clausen?’ Well, then he committed three days later to us. Because that wasn’t him. I pressed the right button with that one.”

If not for that move, Crist probably would have gone to LSU, and, therefore, probably would not be the starting quarterback at KU today.

That’s just one example of the dozens of strategies that Weis swiped from Parcells. But it seems to be the one he’s most proud of, and, even though he’s only been around his new team for seven months, Weis already has started pushing buttons in Lawrence.

“We’ve settled in on a lot of them,” he said. “But the thing is you’re gonna have to learn the new ones. Recruiting them and actually having them here are two different things, now. Obviously, the ones you knew already are easy. (Notre Dame transfers, Mike) Ragone and Anthony McDonald coming here, they’re easy. Because I’ll say things to them a lot colder than I will most other people. If they screw up, it’s bad. I mean really bad. As bad as you’ve ever heard it. Just think of the worst you’ve ever heard and go a lot worse than that.”

Weis says this with not so much as a hint of a smile. It’s fact. Business. His way of doing things. And, just as his mentor did with the whole button-pushing thing, Weis takes great pride in his ability to reach his players this way.

“I can safely say there isn’t a player that I can’t break down within 60 seconds,” Weis said.

On this team?

“On any team,” he said.

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fearthephog512 10 months, 1 week ago

Nice story, Matt. I just hope Weis is pushing the right combination of buttons to generate some wins this year. In any case, it should be a fun season to watch. Rock Chalk!

Bangkok_Jayhawk 10 months, 1 week ago

It's OK now because Gill was too soft. When Mangino was run out of town, everyone wanted a nice guy to replace this wretched Mangino who was poking players in the chest and calling them names... We got 2 years of Gill. Now that he is gone, everyone is ready for a football coach again.

Nice people rarely make good football coaches. Even when they do, I assume it is because they turn the nice switch off at work.

april28 10 months, 1 week ago

Mangino was on his way out. His methods were tired, he couldn't recruit and, if not for having one of the greatest QB's in the history of the school, he would have been fired earlier. He rode Reesing's coat tails and, when Reesing left, everybody could see that the program was on a steep decline.

Last time I saw, Weis hadn't been kicked out of a high school football game for being a jerk. Mangino should have been fired the night that happened.

IlBastardo 10 months, 1 week ago

On the contrary, it was Reesing that rode Mangino's coattails because no one else would have him, if you'll recall.

KGphoto 10 months, 1 week ago

If Reesing was riding a coattail is was Ed Warriner's, and Mangino never won 8 or more games without Reesing.

With Reesing: 25-13 Without Reesing: 25-35.

IlBastardo 10 months, 1 week ago

The fact is, it takes time to build a program up from zero as Mangino had to do at KU, and the team was on a steady climb before the arrival of Reesing. Sure, he contributed to our success, but he also had the benefit of playing after Mangino had stopped a good deal of the bleeding. Being a relatively small guy, that was the best he could've hoped for.

KGphoto 10 months ago

Did I stutter?

With Reesing: 25-13, 66% --- Without Reesing: 25-35, 41%

And That doesn't count the 7 straight losses at the end, that seemed to be a direct result of Mangino's method boiling over.

KGphoto 10 months ago

Mangino climbed to "middling" status in year two, and stayed there for the next 4 seasons. Reesing took the team over the top. And if he was such a genius in finding Reesing, why did he take so long to put him in?

number1jayhawker 10 months, 1 week ago

Fail. KSU and Duke offered Todd also.

IlBastardo 10 months, 1 week ago

So the number1jayhawker is going to classify those as better offers? Fail, dislike, dude, etc.

april28 10 months, 1 week ago

If Kerry hadn't been hurt, Mangino wouldn't have even had the common sense to start Reesing. Facts hurt. Mangino was a good bowl coach....other than that a below-average record at KU.

IlBastardo 10 months, 1 week ago

How do you equal the total bowl appearances for the history of the program and equal the highest ranking in the history of the program without having an above-average record for KU football? Furthermore, how do you become the one coach ever to win all the coach of the year awards and the assistant coach of the year award as a below-average coach? Facts obviously hurt for you, as you feel compelled to bring up Mangino's conduct outside o hisf work, and pepper your posts with "would"s and "should"s.

april28 10 months, 1 week ago

What was his overall record at KU? How about his conference record? How about his conference record on the road? Yes, the facts are clear....below average in almost every meaningful category. I will give him credit for standing up to Texas, sort of.

hawk316 10 months, 1 week ago

Actually, IIBastardo, according to an article on Reesing in Kansan.com, "Kansas State was one of the first colleges to recruit him — along with Northwestern, Duke, TCU and Purdue — and it wasn’t until he was on his way to visit Manhattan when Kansas contacted him."

Still, your point has some validity. Mangino did give him a shot, but I think April makes, perhaps, an even stronger point. Reesing's magnificent play greatly contributed to Mangino's success.

“

AtlJaybird 10 months, 1 week ago

I guess I missed the paragraph that says Weis makes his players Bear-Crawl across 200-degree turf if they miss a weigh-in.

http://deadspin.com/5418408/mark-mangino-mistreats-his-players-in-cruel-exotic-ways

Not "exactly" the same thing.

hawk316 10 months, 1 week ago

atljaybird, you're exactly right. If we can believe what we've read, Coach Weis can certainly be demanding with his players, but Mangino appeared to cross the line into abusive behavior.

Kleave 10 months, 1 week ago

I'll repeat what I said a few years back. I played college football, and bear crawls on hot turf are nothing out of the ordinary for football coaches. And I didn't play for Mangino or at Kansas. There's nothing cruel or exotic about it, and anyone who says it is has never played football.

ckjayhawk 10 months, 1 week ago

There is a difference between trying to find out what motivates each player (one of the hallmarks of a good coach) and setting out to humiliate your players (which is what I think it became with Mangino).

pleiker 10 months, 1 week ago

If Weis loses complete control of his team and they revolt again him, he will be fired too.

KUHawkhead 10 months, 1 week ago

No. If Sheahon Zenger decides he is bigger than the school and program and finds reasons to get rid of Weis via a witchhunt publicity campaign that tailspins the program to seven straight losses....Weis will be fired.

Fortunately, Zenger is a Jayhawk through and through and understands the history of our fine institution and respects it too much to make it about him and not the program.

RCJHKU!

KGphoto 10 months ago

Are you really blaming a witch hunt for 7 straight losses? That goes against logic. The players play the game. If they liked Mangino, wouldn't they have played harder to make sure he WASN'T fired?

Please explain how negative coach publicity would make them want to quit.

741hawk 10 months, 1 week ago

Please note: Mangino did not lose control (and the team was playing well) UNTIL Lew held a totally inappropriate players-only meeting (that means without the coach), thus undercutting and destroying the authority of his own coach. It was unavoidably downhill from there.

KFoz 10 months, 1 week ago

Maybe it has been so long that I can't remember; what was Mangino's record at KU and, more specifically, his Big 12 record?

AtlJaybird 10 months, 1 week ago

Overall, his record was 50-48. In the Big-12, his record was 23-41. Here is the breakdown by year:

Yr	Overall	Conf
2002	2-10	0-8
2003	6-7	3-5
2004	4-7	2-6
2005	7-5	3-5
2006	6-6	3-5
2007	12-1	7-1
2008	8-5	4-4
2009	5-7	1-7

Kirk 10 months ago

Word.

jhox 10 months, 1 week ago

I find it amazing how polarizing the Mangino issue is with the Jayhawk faithful. I'm very thankful to him for giving me a trip to the Orange Bowl, and for the most part I believe he did a very good job here. I'm by and large a Mangino fan.

That being said, let's be honest, those players' complaints would not have gotten him fired if the wheels hadn't fallen off the program his last season. That 1 conference win is what did him in, not the complaints of a few players. The player treatment issue was just a conventient excuse to get rid of a guy who had quit recruiting. I don't know if he was confident a higher profile program was going to offer him a job or what, but he and his staff quit finding those undervalued players like Reesing, Talib and Meyer.

Also, can you imagine how crippled he would have been as a recruiter had he stayed, after the player treatment concerns became public? What kid would want to play for someone with that reputation? What parent would want their kid to play for someone who makes someone bear crawl on hot turf until their hands are blistered?

We can blame Lew for picking the wrong guy to replace him, but to this day I believe Lew had no choice pulling the trigger to get rid of Mangino. It simply had to be done. While I felt a bit sorry for Mangino, and part of me believes he deserved better, this is a performance based business. One and seven in the conference didn't cut it, and his chances of being a good recruiter were crippled by the player mistreatment publicity. It is as simple as that. Fans seem to be in one corner or the other on the topic of Mangino, and it wasn't as black and white as most people seem to think.

NebraskaJayhawk 10 months, 1 week ago

I'm not pointing fingers, but it would have made a huge difference had the media supported him instead of the players.

tical523 10 months, 1 week ago

Exactly, dead on.

Jayhawks1997 10 months, 1 week ago

I'm just glad Arist Wright isn't on this team to complain.

BoulderHawk 10 months, 1 week ago

OMG. I hope he isn't mean to them. ;)