SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- George O'Leary was introduced as the new coach at Notre Dame on Sunday and promised to lead the storied football program back to among the nation's best.

	George O'Leary, a two-time ACC coach of the year, plans to return Notre Dame to glory.

O'Leary, who led Georgia Tech to five straight bowl games, replaced Bob Davie, who was fired a week ago. The Irish lost six or more games three times under Davie, whose 35-25 record gave him the third-worst winning percentage in Irish history.

The oldest person ever hired as Notre Dame coach, the 55-year-old O'Leary was 52-33 in seven seasons at Georgia Tech. He was introduced to a cheering crowd of several hundred people in the Joyce Center one week after Davie was fired in the same building.

O'Leary told the crowd he considered the job of Notre Dame coach one of two best in sports, with the other being manager of the New York Yankees.

"Obviously my job is twofold, to graduate our athletes and to win a lot of football games," O'Leary said. "I'm coming to Notre Dame to win games and win a lot of them. That's what it is all about."

The Irish, who haven't posted a Top 10 finish since 1993 or a national championship since 1988, hope that O'Leary can get Notre Dame quickly back among college football's elite programs.

Notre Dame President Edward Malloy said he was enthusiastic about the selection of O'Leary after meeting with him on Saturday in Atlanta.

Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White said O'Leary met the standards he set in the search for a new coach -- a proven winner who could return the Irish to national championship caliber.

"He knows what championship football is about," White said.

Hundreds of T-Shirts reading "By George, It's O'Leary" were handed out to fans as the school's pep band played the school's fight song.

White left South Bend last Monday to look for a coach and didn't talk with reporters until introducing O'Leary on Sunday.

There was a lot of speculation about who would be the next Irish coach, but O'Leary's name was not prominently mentioned.

The popular choice around South Bend was Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden, but he pulled his name out of consideration on Thursday. The agent for Stanford coach Tyrone Willingham said the Notre Dame had asked Stanford for permission to talk to Willingham. Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said Friday that he met with White but was not interested.

Others who said during the past week they were not interested included Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and Steve Mariucci of the San Francisco 49ers.

On Sunday morning, O'Leary summoned his coaches and players at Georgia Tech to a meeting at the school's athletic building and told them of his decision.

"Anyone who's a college coach, their goal is to become the Notre Dame coach," quarterback George Godsey said. "This job is something a lot of people covet."

"I know it was difficult for him," said linebacker Greg Gathers. "He's put so much work into this program. He's done a good job here. It was hard for him to tell us, but we wish him all the luck in the world."

Georgia Tech will play Stanford on Dec. 27 in the inaugural Seattle Bowl. Assistant head coach Mac McWhorter will serve as interim head coach for the bowl game but is not considered a candidate to get the job on a permanent basis.

O'Leary's original contract at Georgia Tech had a "Notre Dame clause," which allowed him to go to the Irish without a buyout. That part was removed last year when he signed a new six-year, rollover contract worth nearly $1.1 million annually.

Notre Dame would be responsible for a $1.5 million buyout.

O'Leary was the ACC coach of the year in 1998 and 2000. He received the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year Award in 2000.

With most of their starters back, the Yellow Jackets began this season ranked No. 10 but fell far short of expectations losing to Maryland and Clemson in overtime, and to Virginia on a last-minute trick play touchdown. The Yellow Jackets closed the season with losses to Georgia and Florida State.

O'Leary was the Georgia Tech defensive coordinator under Bobby Ross and left Atlanta in 1991 when Ross became coach of the San Diego Chargers. He coached the Chargers defensive line in 1992-93.

He came back to Tech as defensive coordinator in 1994 and became interim coach when Bill Lewis was fired with three games left in the season.

After going 11-11 in his first two full seasons, O'Leary guided the Yellow Jackets to one of the most successful programs in school history. They earned five straight bowl invitations for the first time since the 1950s and beat rival Georgia three years in a row, a feat unparalleled since the early 1960s.

O'Leary is a gruff, no-nonsense coach who survived a couple of minor controversies at Georgia Tech.

In 1999, he was penalized by the NCAA for making an improper loan to running back C.J. Williams. O'Leary was barred from Tech's final scrimmage and had to coach one game from the press box level.

Last year, offensive lineman Dustin Vaitekunas left the team after claiming that O'Leary ordered him to stand alone against four teammates running at full speed as punishment for missing blocks.

O'Leary called it a breakdown in communication and said he would never do anything to harm one of his players.

O'Leary began his coaching career at high schools in New York before moving to Syracuse as defensive line coach in 1980. He remained there until moving to Tech in 1987.

Though O'Leary's roots were on the defensive side, his Georgia Tech teams were known for their high-scoring offense. The Yellow Jackets averaged 33.1 points this year.

Conversely, the defense was usually Tech's weak spot. It gave up 31 or more points in four games this season -- losing three of them.

When his program gained in prominence, O'Leary pushed for the expansion of Bobby Dodd Stadium. Just a couple of weeks ago, work began on an increase from 41,000 to 55,000 seats.