Kansas Jayhawks fire coach Charlie Weis after loss to Texas

LAWRENCE, Kan., Sept. 29 (UPI) —

University of Kansas Jayhawks head coach Charlie Weis was fired after Saturday’s 23-0 loss to Texas in the third year of his five-year contract.

Athletic director Sheahon Zenger announced the change Sunday and appointed defensive coordinator Clint Bowen as interim coach.

"I normally do not favor changing coaches mid-season," Zenger said in a statement. "But I believe we have talented coaches and players in this program, and I think this decision gives our players the best chance to begin making progress right away."

During Weis’ tenure with the Jayhawks, the team had a 6-22 record with only one Big 12 victory against West Virginia last season.

"I miscalculated the impact of when I threw 29 guys off the team the first year I was there," Weis told reporters over the summer. "I walked in there; there were a lot of issues I felt had to be resolved and one of the ways to resolve them was to get rid of them."

He tried to replenish and bolster the roster by recruiting from junior colleges.

Bowen, the interim coach, played linebacker for the Jayhawks in the early 90s, has been an assistant coach since 1998, excepting 2010 and 2011 when he was defensive coordinator for Western Kentucky and North Texas before coming back to Kansas in 2012.