SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Charlie Weis doesn't usually let anyone else call plays on offense. He made an exception for 10-year-old Montana Mazurkiewicz.

 

The Notre Dame coach met last week with Montana, who had been told by doctors weeks earlier that there was nothing more they could do to stop the spread of his inoperable brain tumor.

 

"He was a big Notre Dame fan in general, but football especially," said his mother, Cathy Mazurkiewicz.

 

Weis showed up at the Mazurkiewicz home in Mishawaka, just east of South Bend, and talked with Montana about his tumor and about Weis' 10-year-old daughter, Hannah, who has global development delay, a rare disorder similar to autism.

 

He told Montana about some pranks he played on Joe Montana -- whom Montana was named after -- while they were roommates at Notre Dame.

 

"I gave him a chance to hammer me on the Michigan State loss, which he did very well. He reminded me of my son," said Weis, whose son, Charlie Jr., is 12 years old.

 

Weis said the meeting was touching.

 

"He told me about his love for Notre Dame football and how he just wanted to make it through this game this week," Weis said. "He just wanted to be able to live through this game because he knew he wasn't going to live very much longer."

 

As Weis talked to the boy, Cathy Mazurkiewicz rubbed her son's shoulder trying to ease his pain. Weis said he could tell the boy was trying not to show he was in pain.

 

His mother told Montana, who had just become paralyzed from the waist down a day earlier because of the tumor, to toss her a football Weis had given him. Montana tried to throw the football, put could barely lift it. So Weis climbed into the reclining chair with him and helped him complete the pass to his mother.

 

Before leaving, Weis signed the football.

 

"He wrote, 'Live for today for tomorrow is always another day,"' Mazurkiewicz said.

 

"He told him: 'You can't worry about tomorrow. Just live today for everything it has and everything you can appreciate,'" she said. "He said: 'If you're (in pain) today you might not necessarily be in pain tomorrow, or it might be worse. But there's always another day.'"

 

Weis asked Montana if there was something he could do for him. He agreed to let Montana call the first play against Washington on Saturday. He called "pass right."

 

Montana never got to see the play. He died Friday at his home.

 

Weis heard about the death and called Mazurkiewicz on Friday night to assure her he would still call Montana's play.

 

"He said, 'This game is for Montana, and the play still stands,'" she said.

 

Weis said he told the team about the visit. He said it wasn't a "Win one for the Gipper" speech, because he doesn't believe in using individuals as inspiration. He just wanted the team to know people like Montana are out there.

 

"That they represent a lot of people that they don't even realize they're representing," Weis said.

 

When the Irish started on their own 1-yard-line following a fumble recovery, Mazurkiewicz wasn't sure Notre Dame would be able to throw a pass. Weis was concerned about that, too. So was quarterback Brady Quinn.

 

"He said 'What are we going to do?'" Weis said. "I said 'We have no choice. We're throwing it to the right.'"

 

Weis called a play where most of the Irish went left, Quinn ran right and looked for tight end Anthony Fasano on the right.

 

Mazurkiewicz watched with her family.

 

"I just closed my eyes. I thought, 'There's no way he's going to be able to make that pass. Not from where they're at. He's going to get sacked and Washington's going to get two points,'" she said.

 

Fasano caught the pass and leapt over a defender for a 13-yard gain.

 

"It's almost like Montana was willing him to beat that defender and take it to the house," Weis said.

 

Mazurkiewicz was happy.

 

"It was an amazing play. Montana would have been very pleased. I was very pleased," she said. "I was just so overwhelmed. I couldn't watch much more."

 

Weis called her again after the game, a 36-17 victory by the 13th-ranked Fighting Irish, and said he had a game ball signed by the team that he wanted to bring to the family on Sunday.

 

"He's a very neat man. Very compassionate," she said. "I just thanked him for using that play, no matter the circumstances."

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2172623

Weis is a good man

 

Great story

I saw this on Sportscenter this morning in the airport.

 

I like how he stuck to his guns despite him being backed up in his endzone...and the play worked for 12 or 13 yards. Awesome.

Charlie Weiss is the man, I know some people will say yea right but i was so happy when Meyers turned down Notre Dame and charlie Weiss took the job cause i know he would do a better job...This man always does the right thing on and off the field....Major props Charlie...Go Irish

Got chills reading this.

 

Weis is my new favorite coach in any sport.

that really is a kickass story

 

got some chills reading that

Really touching, and admirable that he kept his word no matter the circumstance.

yeah i read this story last night and it almost brought me to tears. as i always say charlie might not have been the 1st choice but he is the best choice for this team and proves here that he is an amazing person and a great coach and is kinda like a role model i just love the way he coaches a game and i love his personality and how he just deals with things on and off the field.

this is a great story.

I heard about it this morning on "Live with Regis and Kelly" ( :plain )

 

I have such a soft spot for stuff like this. When Regis told the whole story and then came out with "...though the boy died Friday morning and never got to witness it" just made me want to cry. A great story though, just like the Griffey Jr. one. That was when he promised the widow of a 9/11 fireman to hit a homer next game for her husband since he was such a big fan, sure enough he did and then pointed to her in the crowd. That was pretty cool.

Charlie Weiss is the man, I know some people will say yea right but i was so happy when Meyers turned down Notre Dame and charlie Weiss took the job cause i know he would do a better job...This man always does the right thing on and off the field....Major props Charlie...Go Irish

 

 

Notre Dame will not be even close to UF in the next couple years.

 

And it's "Meyer" not "Meyers"

 

Good story though.

Charlie Weiss is the man, I know some people will say yea right but i was so happy when Meyers turned down Notre Dame and charlie Weiss took the job cause i know he would do a better job...This man always does the right thing on and off the field....Major props Charlie...Go Irish

 

 

Notre Dame will not be even close to UF in the next couple years.

 

And it's "Meyer" not "Meyers"

 

Good story though.

 

we will see...

Charlie Weiss is the man, I know some people will say yea right but i was so happy when Meyers turned down Notre Dame and charlie Weiss took the job cause i know he would do a better job...This man always does the right thing on and off the field....Major props Charlie...Go Irish

 

 

Notre Dame will not be even close to UF in the next couple years.

 

And it's "Meyer" not "Meyers"

 

Good story though.

 

we will see...

 

Ummm....yes, we will.

yup we will...im not saying anything...im just saying...we will see in a couple of years.