Ara Parseghian
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Ara Parseghian (born May 21, 1923) 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.
Parseghian graduated from Miami University (Ohio) and had a short professional football career with the Cleveland Browns from 1947-1949. In 1950, he returned to Miami to coach under Woody Hayes, then was elevated to head coach when Hayes left at the end of the season to accept the top job at The Ohio State University. Coaching at Miami for five years from 1951-1955, Parseghian then left for Northwestern University, handling the head coaching duties for eight years from 1956-1963.
In 1964 he was named head coach at Notre Dame, and quickly turned the program around, improving their record from 2-7 the previous year to a record of 9-1. Over the next decade, he won two National Championships (1966 and 1973), as well as three bowl games. Parseghian retired after the 1974 season with a career coaching record of 170-58-4: 39-6-1 at Miami, 36-35-1 at Northwestern, and 95-17-4 at Notre Dame. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
Ara Parseghian is currently the National Spokesman for the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping find a cure for Niemann-Pick disease.
In the 1993 film Rudy, Ara is portrayed by actor Jason Miller.
| Preceded by: Woody Hayes |
Miami University Head Football Coaches 1951–1955 |
Succeeded by: John Pont |
| Preceded by: Lou Saban |
Northwestern University Head Football Coach 1956-1963 |
Succeeded by: Alex Agase |
| Preceded by: Hugh Devore |
University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach 1964–1974 |
Succeeded by: Dan Devine |
| Miami Redskins/RedHawks Head Football Coaches |
|---|
| Fauver • Merrill • McIntyre • Branch • Hazzard • McPherson • Smith • Parmallee • Foster • Iddings • Sweetland • Donnelly • Roberts • Little • Rider • Little • Ewing • Pittser • Wilton • Holcomb • Gillman • Blackburn • Hayes • Parseghian • Pont • Schembechler • Mallory • Crum • Reed • Rose • Walker • Hoeppner• Montgomery |
| Northwestern Wildcats Head Football Coaches |
|---|
| Ames • Noyes • Ewing • Culver • Van Doozer • Bannard • Hollister • McCornack • Johnson • Horr • Hammett • Grady • Murphy • Bachman • McDevitt • Thistlethwaite • Hanley • Waldorf • Voigts • Saban • Parseghian • Agase • Pont • Venturi • Green • Peay • Barnett • Walker • Fitzgerald |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish Head Football Coaches |
|---|
| Harper • Rockne • Anderson • Layden • Leahy • McKeever • Brennan • Devore • Kuharich • Parseghian • Devine • Faust • Holtz • Davie • O'Leary • Willingham • Weis |
Categories: 1923 births | Living people | Armenian-Americans | Cleveland Browns players | Northwestern Wildcats football coaches | Miami RedHawks football coaches | Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coaches | People from Akron, Ohio | The NFL on CBS | Miami University alumni | Miami RedHawks football players | American football running backs | College Football Hall of Fame
