The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Coaches 2023
Ara Parseghian
- Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Coaches 2023
- Embed from Getty Images
- Sport(s): Football
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Statistics:
2 NCAA National Championships (1966 & 1973)
2 MAC Championships (1954 & 1955)
170-58-6 NCAA Football Record
3-2 Bowl Record -
Ara Parseghian played collegiately at Miami of Ohio, and after a brief pro career with the Cleveland Browns, he was back at Miami as an assistant coach. Parseghian quickly became the head coach, and his squad won the Mid-American Conference in 1954 and 1955. This success landed him a job at Northwestern, a school he stayed at for eight years. Parseghian barely had a winning record with the Wildcats, but he did well considering the resources he had. He inquired about the opening at Notre Dame, and to the surprise of many, he got the job.
Parseghian arrived in 1964 with no fanfare, and he was the first Notre Dame head coach since Knute Rockne, who was not an alumnus or a catholic. Notre Dame was a school in transition, and it was a huge opportunity to prove his merit as an elite head coach.
Considered one of the most empathetic coaches in college football, the Notre Dame players responded in kind. The Fighting Irish won the National Championship in 1966, their first since 1949. Parseghian's teams were ranked in the top ten at the end of the season in his first seven seasons, and though they slipped in 1971 and 1972 (still winning eight games), Notre Dame went undefeated in 1973, winning the Sugar Bowl and the second National Championship under Parseghian. He had one more year with Notre Dame, where his squad won the Orange Bowl.
Parseghian brought Notre Dame back to prominence, and they had a 95-17-4 record while he was their head coach.
We are proud to nominate Ara Parseghian for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.
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