Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Mourns Death of Ara Parseghian
8/2/2017 9:52:00 AM | Football, General
EVANSTON, Ill. — Ara Parseghian, a titan of collegiate athletics and an eight-year head coach of Northwestern's football team, passed away early Wednesday morning. He was 94.
"The entire Northwestern community is saddened by the passing of Coach Ara Parseghian," said Jim Phillips, Northwestern Vice President for Athletics & Recreation. "I was privileged to get to know Coach Parseghian well during my time at Notre Dame, the impact he had on young men during his 25 years coaching at Miami, Northwestern and Notre Dame can not be overstated. Our love and thoughts are with his wife, Katie, and their family during this trying time."
After going 6-0 to open the 1962 slate, his Wildcats were ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Poll. Parseghian's .507 career winning percentage was the best of any Northwestern head football coach from 1947 to 2005.
Parseghian was able to transplant his own high degree of drive and competitive spirit into his players and turned Northwestern into a power within the Big Ten Conference.
"The college football family lost a legend today," said Pat Fitzgerald, Dan & Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach. "Coach was a giant in our community not only because of what his teams accomplished on the field, but what his players accomplished off it. His impact will be felt for years to come because of the impression he made on so many, including me. Wildcats everywhere are thinking about Katie and the entire Parseghian family on this heartbreaking day."
Parseghian took the helm at Northwestern in 1956 and inherited a team that went winless the year prior. He revitalized the Wildcat football program in a similar manner to his tenure at Miami (Ohio), where he led his teams to a 39-6-1 record over six seasons.
He took over Northwestern's gridiron destinies at only 32 years of age. In his first season, NU turned into an aggressive team that compiled a 4-4-1 mark and a 6th place finish in the Big Ten.
The following year, plagued by injuries and heavy graduation losses, the Wildcats experienced a winless season. Northwestern, however, did not lose confidence in its young coach, who said after the 1957 season, "We'll get the job done; in fact, I think we'll surprise a few teams in 1958."
Parseghian was prophetic. The Wildcats won their first four games, climaxing the comeback surge with a whopping 55-24 victory over Michigan. After a 26-20 setback by Iowa, Northwestern stunned the football world by beating defending champion Ohio State, 21-0, the only loss suffered by the Buckeyes during the season.
The next year, Northwestern went 5-4, the best mark of an NU squad in seven years. The 'Cats also set a new school scoring record of 199 points, bettering the old mark of 189 points set in 1943.
His teams continued to improve. By 1959, the Wildcats went 6-3, the best record of a Northwestern team in a decade. The 1960 squad finished again on the winning side of the ledger with a 5-4 record and a tie for fifth place in the closely bunched Big Ten race.
The streak of three-straight winning seasons from 1958 to 1960 marked the first time Northwestern completed the feat since 1929 to 1931.
After a 4-5 season in 1961, Northwestern mounted its best season under Parseghian in 1962. Led by sophomore quarterback Tom Myers and star receiver Paul Flatley, the Wildcats surged to the top of the AP Poll and finished with a 7-2 mark.
Parseghian finished his tenure at Northwestern with yet another winning record, as the Wildcats went 5-4 in 1963. Five of his eight teams finished with marks above .500.
While at Northwestern, Parseghian's teams consistently found a way to defeat Notre Dame, the school that he found great success at after NU. His squads went four-for-four over the Fighting Irish in 1959 to 1962, marking the first time in the traditional rivalry that the Wildcats had won more than two games in a row against Notre Dame.
He is a native of Akron, Ohio, and enlisted in the Navy after graduating from high school. While there, he played football under Coach Paul Brown at Great Lakes.
Following his discharge, he entered Miami where he competed in football, basketball, and baseball. He won All-Ohio halfback honors and received All-America mention in 1947 when Miami played in the Sun Bowl.
After his graduation, Parseghian played with the Cleveland Browns but an injury brought a quick end to his professional playing career. He launched his coaching career when he returned to Miami as an assistant to Woody Hayes in 1950 and moved into the head coaching position when Hayes went to Ohio State the following year.
After Northwestern, Parseghian spent 11 years as the head coach at Notre Dame, where he revitalized the Fighting Irish football program following much the same pattern as Miami and Northwestern.
Notre Dame had not posted a winning record in the five years preceding Parseghian's hire, and the Fighting Irish nearly captured a national championship in his first season. His teams would proceed to a win a pair of national championships, with the first coming in 1966.
His Notre Dame teams would never suffer a losing season, and he finished with a record of 95-17-4 while at South Bend. He has the third-most wins of any coach in Notre Dame history, trailing only Knute Rockne and Lou Holtz.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
"The entire Northwestern community is saddened by the passing of Coach Ara Parseghian," said Jim Phillips, Northwestern Vice President for Athletics & Recreation. "I was privileged to get to know Coach Parseghian well during my time at Notre Dame, the impact he had on young men during his 25 years coaching at Miami, Northwestern and Notre Dame can not be overstated. Our love and thoughts are with his wife, Katie, and their family during this trying time."
After going 6-0 to open the 1962 slate, his Wildcats were ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Poll. Parseghian's .507 career winning percentage was the best of any Northwestern head football coach from 1947 to 2005.
Parseghian was able to transplant his own high degree of drive and competitive spirit into his players and turned Northwestern into a power within the Big Ten Conference.
"The college football family lost a legend today," said Pat Fitzgerald, Dan & Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach. "Coach was a giant in our community not only because of what his teams accomplished on the field, but what his players accomplished off it. His impact will be felt for years to come because of the impression he made on so many, including me. Wildcats everywhere are thinking about Katie and the entire Parseghian family on this heartbreaking day."
Parseghian took the helm at Northwestern in 1956 and inherited a team that went winless the year prior. He revitalized the Wildcat football program in a similar manner to his tenure at Miami (Ohio), where he led his teams to a 39-6-1 record over six seasons.
He took over Northwestern's gridiron destinies at only 32 years of age. In his first season, NU turned into an aggressive team that compiled a 4-4-1 mark and a 6th place finish in the Big Ten.
The following year, plagued by injuries and heavy graduation losses, the Wildcats experienced a winless season. Northwestern, however, did not lose confidence in its young coach, who said after the 1957 season, "We'll get the job done; in fact, I think we'll surprise a few teams in 1958."
Parseghian was prophetic. The Wildcats won their first four games, climaxing the comeback surge with a whopping 55-24 victory over Michigan. After a 26-20 setback by Iowa, Northwestern stunned the football world by beating defending champion Ohio State, 21-0, the only loss suffered by the Buckeyes during the season.
The next year, Northwestern went 5-4, the best mark of an NU squad in seven years. The 'Cats also set a new school scoring record of 199 points, bettering the old mark of 189 points set in 1943.
His teams continued to improve. By 1959, the Wildcats went 6-3, the best record of a Northwestern team in a decade. The 1960 squad finished again on the winning side of the ledger with a 5-4 record and a tie for fifth place in the closely bunched Big Ten race.
The streak of three-straight winning seasons from 1958 to 1960 marked the first time Northwestern completed the feat since 1929 to 1931.
After a 4-5 season in 1961, Northwestern mounted its best season under Parseghian in 1962. Led by sophomore quarterback Tom Myers and star receiver Paul Flatley, the Wildcats surged to the top of the AP Poll and finished with a 7-2 mark.
DYK? The late Ara Parseghian led @NUFBFamily to No. 1 in 1962.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) August 2, 2017
Relive excellent footage of the historic year here. https://t.co/bPdVXX2Wxm
Parseghian finished his tenure at Northwestern with yet another winning record, as the Wildcats went 5-4 in 1963. Five of his eight teams finished with marks above .500.
While at Northwestern, Parseghian's teams consistently found a way to defeat Notre Dame, the school that he found great success at after NU. His squads went four-for-four over the Fighting Irish in 1959 to 1962, marking the first time in the traditional rivalry that the Wildcats had won more than two games in a row against Notre Dame.
He is a native of Akron, Ohio, and enlisted in the Navy after graduating from high school. While there, he played football under Coach Paul Brown at Great Lakes.
Following his discharge, he entered Miami where he competed in football, basketball, and baseball. He won All-Ohio halfback honors and received All-America mention in 1947 when Miami played in the Sun Bowl.
After his graduation, Parseghian played with the Cleveland Browns but an injury brought a quick end to his professional playing career. He launched his coaching career when he returned to Miami as an assistant to Woody Hayes in 1950 and moved into the head coaching position when Hayes went to Ohio State the following year.
After Northwestern, Parseghian spent 11 years as the head coach at Notre Dame, where he revitalized the Fighting Irish football program following much the same pattern as Miami and Northwestern.
Notre Dame had not posted a winning record in the five years preceding Parseghian's hire, and the Fighting Irish nearly captured a national championship in his first season. His teams would proceed to a win a pair of national championships, with the first coming in 1966.
His Notre Dame teams would never suffer a losing season, and he finished with a record of 95-17-4 while at South Bend. He has the third-most wins of any coach in Notre Dame history, trailing only Knute Rockne and Lou Holtz.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
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