Orlando, Fla. ? George O’Leary gets tired of talking about his past — the falsified resume, the disgrace of resigning two years ago from a coveted job at Notre Dame.

So, on the first day as the incoming head football coach at Central Florida, O’Leary wanted to talk only about the future. But the past crept into the conversation.

“My past is very well documented,” O’Leary said at a news conference Monday, trying to head off the inevitable questions. “I can’t do anything about setbacks except move on, and that’s basically what I intend to do with this job. My past is my past.”

O’Leary chose to come to Central Florida because he saw the opportunity to take a program to the national level, and the school believes he deserves a second chance.

“I see the University of Central Florida as a sleeping giant,” O’Leary said.

O’Leary was forced to resign at Notre Dame two years ago because he had lied on his resume about having earned a master’s degree and receiving three letters playing football at New Hampshire. He held the job less than a week.

“I made a terrible, terrible mistake as a youngster, and I paid a dear price for it,” O’Leary said. “I’m truly sorry for that.”

University of Central Florida President John Hitt thought O’Leary deserved another chance.

O’Leary had been defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings for the past two seasons and said he would finish the season with Minnesota (8-5), which is in first place in the NFC North.

Central Florida signed him to a five-year contract with a base salary of $200,000 per year, according to UCF athletic director Steve Orsini, who was the senior associate athletic director at Georgia Tech’s during O’Leary’s tenure. But two published reports said O’Leary’s contract could be worth as much as $700,000 annually.