Ara Parseghian Dies at Age 94

I was born in 1964 during the first season of Ara Parseghian's magnificent run at the helm of Notre Dame. The day after I was born the Irish dispatched Navy 40-0 to improve to 6-0. It was a glorious season as Parseghian had returned the Irish to its former glory. That season would end in a disappointing 20-17 loss to Southern Cal but the Era of Ara had begun with aplomb. Two years later they finished the job with a national championship. I was two and therefore have no memories of that season other than what I have read and researched. But after three seasons at Notre Dame, during which he won a national championship and nearly won another, Parseghian was king. He remained respected for his coaching acumen and his gentlemanly manner but that start established expectations that no coach could meet. My earliest memories are vaguely of stars like quarterback Joe Thiesmann and wide receiver Tom Gatewood and clearly of the pressure of a job where the faithful demanded more and more titles. Right about the time some foolish fans began to think that the game had passed him by, Ara won a second championship in 1973. To do so he had to travel to New Orleans to beat Bear Bryant's undefeated Crimson Tide. That epic New Year's Eve clash remains a favorite for me and any Notre Dame fan who watched it. Quarterback Tom Clements was one of my first sports heroes but it was Ara who was the one coach that I had hoped I would play for. He was at his pinnacle when he stepped down two years later citing medical reasons. The job in South Bend is a difficult one. He remained in town and stayed in the game by becoming a broadcaster. His real mission though was to raise awareness and money to help combat Niemann-Pick Type C disease, a rare disorder that claimed the lives of three of his grandchildren. Ara Parseghian died today at age 94. I regret not dropping off one of my books at his South Bend home. He was a college football figure who in his intelligence and grace established in me a life-long love not just for the game but for finding in it a higher purpose.