Biography
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Football legend, Ara Parseghian, 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.
Ara 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. Ara 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 Parseghian, 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 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 Parseghian 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 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.
During Ara Parseghian's tenure at Notre Dame, the 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. Unfortunately, Ara 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.
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.
Ara 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 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.
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.
Ara 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 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.
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