Former Notre Dame, Northwestern coach Ara Parseghian dies at age 94
Are Parseghian will always be remembered as one of the great college football coaches of all-time.
On early Wednesday morning, the legendary Notre Dame coach died at age 94.
Our entire program mourns the loss of one of the pillars of our University, Coach Ara Parseghian. pic.twitter.com/nXS3xyei05
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 2, 2017
While most of Parseghian’s legacy was achieved at Notre Dame (he posted a 94-17-4 record and won two national titles), he also was part of history in Evanston.
Parseghian coached at Northwestern from 1956-63, and accomplished feats that are still recognized today.
He led the Wildcats to a No. 1 ranking in mid-November of the 1962 season. Though the Wildcats lost the following two games, that team finished with the No. 16 spot in the final Coaches Poll. It took Northwestern 33 more years to earn another top-25 finish.
By the time Parseghian left for Notre Dame, he racked up a 36-35-1 record at Northwestern. Pat Fitzgerald is the only coach since then to post a winning record during his time in Evanston.
Parseghian was also part of many memorable moments in B1G history, most notably “the game of the century” in which the No. 1 Irish tied No. 2 Michigan State 10-10. Parseghian elected not to go for the win on the final offensive series, and allowed the game to end in a tie and preserve Notre Dame’s No. 1 ranking.
The Irish then were crowned the national champs after throttling USC a week later.
During his 11 years at Notre Dame, Parseghian posted a 29-7-1 record against B1G foes.