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Ara Raoul Parseghian (born May 21, 1923 in Akron, Ohio) is a former collegiate football coach who 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 with 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. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: The Rubber Capital of the World Location within the state of Ohio Country United States State Ohio County Summit Founded 1825 Incorporated 1835 (village) - 1865 (city) Government  - Mayor Don Plusquellic (D) Area  - City  62. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... The University of Notre Dame IPA: is a Catholic[4] institution located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated section of St. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ...

Pre-Notre Dame

After serving in the Navy during World War II, Parseghian played halfback at Miami University and had a short pro career as an RB and DB with the Cleveland Browns during 1948-49 before an injury put an end to his playing days. With the Browns he had 44 carries for 166 yards, 3 receptions for 33 yards, scored two touchdowns, and intercepted one pass. , This article is about the university in Oxford, Ohio. ... Browns redirects here. ...

He launched his coaching career as a graduate assistant 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, when he was hired by Northwestern. He coached the Wildcats from 1956 to 1963, during which time his teams defeated Notre Dame four straight times. Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes (February 14, 1913 â€“ March 12, 1987) was a college football coach who is best remembered for his 28-year tenure at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, from 1951-1978. ... The Arch, the main entrance to Northwesterns Evanston campus Northwestern University is a private university seated in Evanston, Illinois, on a 240 acre (970,000 m²) campus along the shores of Lake Michigan. ...

At Notre Dame

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 Harper, Rockne (who later converted),and McKeever were also non-Catholic. 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. Stuart K. Holcomb was an American football and basketball coach best known for serving as head football coach for Miami University and Purdue University. ... Hugh Devore (November 25, 1910 - December 8, 1992) was a football player and coach whose close connection to the University of Notre Dame saw him serve in both capacities, while also seeing time as head coach at two other colleges as well as the National Football Leagues Philadelphia Eagles. ... 1927 Time cover featuring Rockne Knute (pronounced kah-noot) (noot is the anglicized nickname) Kenneth Rockne (March 4, 1888 – March 31, 1931) was an American football player and is regarded by many as the greatest coach in college football history. ...

Ara'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 also 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. Ara did away with all ornamentation on the players' uniforms, eliminating the shamrocks and shoulder stripes. He also switched the 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. During his tenure 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, being the Cottom Bowl on January 1, 1970, losing 21-17 to the eventual national champion Texas Longhorns. The Irish avenged that loss in the 1971 Cotton Bowl, defeating the Longhorns, 24-11. However, for all of his success at Notre Dame, Parseghian just couldn't seem to get through a season without a loss or tie and was labeled as being unable to win the big ones. 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 didn't 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.

Finally in 1973, Ara had his perfect season that had 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 lowly 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. Dan Devine (December 22, 1924 - May 9, 2002) was a football coach who served as head coach at three colleges and also served for four years as head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1971 to 1974. ...

Ara 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.

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.

His career record was 170-58-6: 39-6-1 at Miami of Ohio; 36-35-1 at Northwestern and 95-17-4 at Notre Dame. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2007 and was named an honorary Notre Dame alumnus in 1974. College Football Hall of Fame front. ...

Ara served as one of two honorary coaches along with Lou Holtz in Notre Dame's 2007 Spring Game. Holtz's Gold Team defeated Ara's Blue team, 10-6. This article is about the American football coach; for other people named Lou Holtz, see Lou Holtz (disambiguation). ...

He founded the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation which is seeking a cure for Niemann-Pick Type C disease (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.

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.

Personal life

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

Head coaching record

Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio, features 18 different varsity level sports teams for men and women, all of which are known as the Miami RedHawks. ... The Northwestern Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern University, a founding member of the Big Ten Conference, and the only private university member. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The USA Today Coaches Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I-A college football and Division I college basketball teams. ...

Quotes

• His name is pronounced "par," as in golf, "segh," as in Seagrams and "ian," as in the Japanese yen.

• "We'd fought hard to come back and tie it up. After all that, I didn't want to risk giving it to them cheap. You get reckless and it could cost them the game. I wasn't going to do a jackass thing like that at that point" ~ His reasoning for running out the clock against Michigan State to preserve a 10-10 tie.

• "That's a big break for us!" ~ as color analyst during the 1976 Notre Dame-Pittsburgh game

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