Ara Parseghian

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Ara Raoul Parseghian (born May 21, 1923 in Akron, Ohio) is a former American collegiate football coach of Armenian descent. He served as head coach for three teams, most notably the University of Notre Dame team from 1964-1974. During his 11 seasons as head coach of the Fighting Irish (known popularly as "the Era of Ara"), he compiled a 95–17–4 record, for a .836 winning percentage, making him the most successful Notre Dame coach of the modern era.

Pre-Notre Dame

After serving in the Navy during World War II, Parseghian played halfback at Miami University. He was drafted in the 13th round of the 1947 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers but did not attempt to make the roster and later signed with the Cleveland Browns. He played RB and DB during 1948-49 before an injury ended his playing career. With the Browns he had 44 carries for 166 yards, 3 receptions for 33 yards, scored two touchdowns, and intercepted one pass.

Miami University

He launched his coaching career as freshman team coach under Woody Hayes at Miami University in 1950, then was elevated to head coach the following year when Hayes left to assume the head coaching job at Ohio State. Ara stayed at his alma mater through the 1955 season, compiling a 39-6-1 record, when he was hired by Northwestern.

Northwestern

Parseghian was the 20th head coach for the Northwestern University Wildcats located in Evanston, Illinois and he held that position for eight seasons, from 1956 until 1963. His career coaching record at Northwestern was 36–35–1. This ranks him third at Northwestern in total wins and ninth at Northwestern in winning percentage.^[1] It was during his tenure at Northwestern that the Wildcats renewed their series with Notre Dame after a decade-long hiatus. Ara's teams defeated the Irish four straight times.

At Notre Dame

Ara Parseghian Statue, dedicated September 22, 2007

Following a 5-4 season in 1963, a falling out with Northwestern athletic director Stu Holcomb prompted Ara to contact the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, vice president and chairman of the faculty board in control of athletics at Notre Dame. He asked if Hugh Devore was still an interim head coach and when Father Joyce affirmed that, Ara let it be known he was interested in the job. His interest was notable for two reasons: first, he was not a Notre Dame graduate, something that every head coach since Knute Rockne had been; and second, Parseghian was Presbyterian and not Roman Catholic. Neither was a prerequisite, especially since Jesse Harper, Rockne (who later converted), and Ed McKeever were also not Catholics. After an undisclosed initial disagreement, Parseghian was hired as Notre Dame's 22nd head coach, inheriting a team that had finished 2-7 in 1963 and taking it to within 1:33 of an undefeated season and a national championship in 1964.

Parseghian's superior organizational skills had a lot to do with this rapid turnaround as well as his ability to put the right players in the right positions. He discovered underutilized talent in quarterback John Huarte and end Jack Snow. These two players went on to set numerous school passing and receiving records and Huarte wound up as the 1964 Heisman Trophy winner, the first non-monogram winner ever to do so. He did away with all ornamentation on the players' uniforms, eliminating the shamrocks and shoulder stripes, and switched the team's home jerseys to navy blue. During his tenure, the Irish never wore green jerseys.

During the Era of Ara, the Irish won two national championships in 1966 and 1973, and the 1964 edition was also awarded the MacArthur Bowl. In 1969, the Notre Dame administration changed its policy that had forbidden the team from playing in bowl games. Parseghian led the team to its first bowl game since Rockne coached the team, the Cotton Bowl Classic on January 1, 1970, losing 21-17 to the eventual national champion Texas Longhorns. The Irish avenged that loss in the 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic, defeating the Longhorns, 24-11. Parseghian was also at times controversial. He was accused of playing for a tie against Michigan State in 1966 in one of the most memorable games in college football history. He defended his logic by maintaining that several key starters had been knocked out of action early in the game and that he did not want to spoil a courageous comeback from a 10-0 deficit by risking a turnover deep in his own territory late in the game that could hand the game over to the Spartans. When Parseghian's team beat USC 51-0 the following week, critics alleged that he ran up the score to impress poll voters who had split the number one ranking between ND and MSU following that tie. Subsequent to the USC rout, the final wire service polls did in fact vote the mythical national championship to Parseghian's team.

In 1973, Parseghian had the perfect season that had previously eluded him, topped off by a thrilling 24-23 win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. He considered retiring on top after that game, but later decided to stay on. The Irish would have most of their starters back in 1974 and were favored to repeat as national champions. Then six players were suspended for violating school rules and several other key players were injured. An upset loss to underdog Purdue all but derailed the team's hopes to repeat as national champions. All of this, combined with the ever-present pressure to win took its toll, and he privately decided after the eighth game to resign at the end of the season for the sake of his health. However, his resignation was not publicized until mid-December. Notre Dame's 13–11 win over Alabama in a rematch in the Orange Bowl enabled Parseghian to go out on a winning note. He was succeeded by Dan Devine.

Parseghian planned to take one year off from coaching and see if he still "felt the itch" to return afterwards. He ruled out taking a sabbatical leave from Notre Dame, feeling that it would be unfair to have an assistant run the program, only to have to step aside after one year. Since he regarded Notre Dame as the pinnacle of collegiate coaching jobs, he would only entertain offers from the pros. His last coaching appearance was with the College All-Stars against the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers on July 24, 1976 at Chicago's Soldier Field. The game was halted in the second half when a torrential thunderstorm broke out and play was never resumed. It was the last such game ever played.

It was during Parseghian's tenure at Notre Dame that the school's long-dormant football rivalry with Michigan was revived. Although the two schools are neighbors and despite the fact that Michigan had introduced the game of football to Notre Dame, they had not met on the gridiron since 1943. While athletic directors Moose Krause and Don Canham were credited for reaching an agreement to resume the series, Ara's close friendship with Wolverine head coach Bo Schembechler had a lot to do with it, too. (Parshegian and Schembechler were team-mates at Miami of Ohio and Schembechler served on Parshegian's staff during Ara's first year at Northwestern.) Parseghian never had a chance to coach against his former assistant at Northwestern, as he had already left Notre Dame by the time the two teams squared off in 1978.

Post Notre Dame

After leaving Notre Dame, Parseghian entered private business. He also served as a color analyst for ABC Sports from 1975 to 1981 and for CBS Sports from 1982 to 1988. Every so often, his deep feelings for Notre Dame would surface when he was covering games that involved the Irish.

Parseghian's career record was 170–58–6. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980, the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 1984, and the Cotton Bowl Classic Hall of Fame in 2007 and was named an honorary Notre Dame alumnus in 1974. He is also a member of the Miami University Athletic Hall of Fame.

He served as one of two honorary coaches along with Lou Holtz in Notre Dame's 2007 Spring Game. Holtz's Gold Team defeated Parseghian's Blue team, 10–6.

In 2007 Notre Dame unveiled a statue in his honor, which depicts players carrying him off the field in triumph following the 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic.

Personal life

Parseghian is married to the former Kathleen Davis. They are parents of three children.

He founded the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation which is seeking a cure for Niemann-Pick disease Type C (NP-C), a genetic, pediatric, neurodegenerative disorder responsible for the build-up of cholesterol in cells, resulting in eventual damage to the nervous system. Three of his grandchildren, Michael, Marcia, and Christa Parseghian, died from this disease. He is also active in the cause to find a cure for multiple sclerosis; his daughter, Karan, was diagnosed with the disease. He is portrayed by his late friend Jason Miller in the film Rudy.

Head coaching record

(*) Before the 1974 season, the final coaches poll, also known then as the UPI Poll, was released before the bowl games, so a team that lost its bowl game could still claim the UPI national championship. This was changed as a result of Alabama claiming the 1973 coaches' poll national championship despite losing to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. Final ranking taken prior to bowl games until 1968(AP) & 1974 (UPI)

References

Pagna, Tom, "Notre Dame's Era of Ara" (Diamond Communications, Inc., South Bend, IN, 1976) ISBN 0-912083-74-3

ESPN College Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Game (ESPN Books, New York, NY, 2005) ISBN 1-4013-3703-1

http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=PARSEARA01

External links

• Hickok Sports bio
• College Football Hall of Fame
• College Football Data Warehouse
• Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation
• http://www.attcottonbowl.com/news_room/releases.php?uid=171