OT: RIP Ara Parseghian
Sad day for ND. I'm not trying to be funny, but he was one of the last vestiges of the golden domers golden days
I didn't know Parseghian was alive and I didn't know Gary Coleman was dead. Clearly haven't been paying attention to the important stuff.
and a class act. R.I.P. Coach.
and the Belichek browns just blow my mind. How in the hell does one school acquire THAT much coaching talent?
RIP. He had great innings.
One hell of a great coach, and a great man to boot. RIP
I guess Jerry Tarkanian is the best Armenian-American basketball coach that lived.
Well fuck. I didn't know Jerry Tarkanian was dead until just now.
in ND lore. I'm hoping Peter asks him why he played for a tie against MSU in 1966. Remerber .. THE Game of the Century (was it really ??? 10 - 10 tie)
Go Blue!
August 2nd, 2017 at 10:05 AM ^
you must mean remerber !!!
Go Blue!
RIP, Coach
August 2nd, 2017 at 10:00 AM ^
in college football. RIP Ara
August 2nd, 2017 at 10:06 AM ^
To Hell with.....nevermind. RIP Ara.
August 2nd, 2017 at 10:10 AM ^
W Ara. A GREAT coach. RIP
August 2nd, 2017 at 10:11 AM ^
A total class man and a great coach. You and your family are in my prayers. God Bless.
August 2nd, 2017 at 10:17 AM ^
I remember reading about Parseghian's tenure at Northwestern and how frustrated he became with their administration even despite taking them to "the top of the polls", as he said, in 1962 and stating that even that didn't seem to satisfy Northwestern. It was that passage that made me think of the moment at the beginning of "Lean On Me" where Joe Clark storms out of the high school saying they deserve exactly what they get, and thus a long slide into mediocrity. I kind of imagined Parseghian feeling that way about tNorthwestern.
I know Bo and Ara were very close, so it isn't wholly OT, but nonetheless a great coach is gone. RIP Coach Parseghian.
August 2nd, 2017 at 10:21 AM ^
He was a technology innovator but the Big & Fritz put a stop to his Spy In The Sky Parshigian shenanigans!
In this instance he was sort of in the Harbaugh role and the Big was being the SEC!
The rules against video and photos on the sidelines still, uh, rule, to this day! Amazing.
https://www.onefootdown.com/2017/5/12/15615536/notre-dame-football-ara-…/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8506839/Screen_Shot_2017_05_08_at_9.29.57_PM.png)
“Now comes another group to argue that the Big Ten is in decline, slipping toward eclipse,” wrote the Detroit Free Press’ Bob Pille in the paper’s Nov. 10, 1965 edition. “The Big Ten won’t buy. In this era of the automated, computerized, germ-free, plastic-wrapped man, the conference chooses to bumble along in an old-fashioned football manner.”
“Our concern is that these devices are making football more of a push button game by taking it away from the players,” an anonymous committee member told the AP. “They’re changing the whole philosophy of the game.”
"Even with this “mounting concern,” the Associated Press wrote, “Sources here were doubtful that if the rules committee takes action, it would be more than a recommendation to limit the use of electronic gear, rather than a rule prohibiting it.”
"The ink was barely dry on that report when the NCAA committee, headed by Michigan Wolverines athletic director Fritz Crisler, decided to ban the equipment because “of an underlying concern that if one or two teams use it, then others will do it too.”
Crisler said the main concern was economic, but I’ve got an alternate theory: The Big 10 just didn’t like that Ara Parseghian and Notre Dame were succeeding. (The ‘66 Irish were national champions.)"
“The committee wasn’t exactly thinking modern when they changed another rule,” wrote Parseghian of the ban in a national column that October."
August 2nd, 2017 at 10:27 AM ^
I don't remember Ara as a coach, but I did appreciate his TV appearances. I also know what a great coach he was. RIP, Coach. I kinda hope he was not totally aware of ND's recent performances on the field, especially with the purple faced people eater. But I do know the poor guy had to live through Gerry Faust...
August 2nd, 2017 at 10:30 AM ^
August 2nd, 2017 at 10:40 AM ^
Many years ago (1966), Ara "tied one for the Gipper" in the view of many:
http://grantland.com/features/notre-dame-michigan-st-play-tie-1966/
August 2nd, 2017 at 11:14 AM ^
But his QB was hurting and he knew - knew! - that the pollsters would vote him #1 anyway. What a crock of shit. Taking the figurative knee in that situation all but admits that you aren't good enough to win the game. So why reward that mind-set?
That said, I enjoyed his tv work.
August 2nd, 2017 at 11:40 AM ^
I'll never forgive him for running out the clock in the !966 MSU - Notre Dame game, a 10-10 tie.
This was the great showdown between No 1 &No. 2! The game of the century!
Notre Dame got the ball on their own 35 with about a minute to go in the game and he ran out the clock! He didn't even throw the ball.
He led Northwestern to a 6-3-1 record prior to getting the Notre Dame job. Nortre Dame had a real down period prior to his arrival. He instantly elevated their play back to Top Ten / National Championship calibre.
He is Notre Dame's BO! Rockne, Leahy, Parsegian! Yost, Crisler, BO!
He was also a classy guy and a good color commentator.
EDIT:
"Jasper" beat me to the punch. See his link about the MSU - ND game above.
Great college football coach, which made him the perfect college football color guy on Saturday afternoons, especially working alongside announcers like Keith Jackson, Al Michaels and Brent Musberger.
Had a lot of respect for Bo and for UofM football.
His daughter suffered MS. He devoted his later life to medical research, raised funds for research and awareness.
Ara was 4-0 versus ND when he was at Northwestern, and then 9-0 versus Northwestern while at ND. Trivia from the Stoney/ Jamie Samuelson show today
I'm glad Cooper didn't know that.
Hit the seam at the pearly gates, Ara!
whether it be on the gridiron or in the tv booth. One of the last of the truly great collegiate coaches from the Bo/Woody era. Our loss is heaven's gain. RIP, Ara
I am glad he got to enjoy a rich, full life after retirement. Too few get to. Godspeed Ara. You were a great one
August 2nd, 2017 at 10:40 PM ^
August 3rd, 2017 at 12:08 AM ^
Bo had his worst season ever in 1984, going 6-6. The following year in 1985, expectations were low for Michigan.
I remember reading pre-season magazines in the summer of 1985 and none of them had Michigan even ranked. Except one. It had a preview written by Ara that had Michigan ranked in the top 20.
"Never count out a Bo Schembechler coached team", wrote Ara as his justification for his surprise ranking of Michigan.
Of course, Michigan went on to finish AP #2 that year.
Ara had a lot of respect for Michigan and Bo.
ND was much more likeable back in those days.