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A18   SPORTS
                 Thursday 3 augusT 2017
            Ara Parseghian                                                                                                      playing in bowl games.

                                                                                                                                Parseghian  was  so  be-
                                                                                                                                loved  by  students  that
               Continued from Page 17                                                                                           when  the  weather  turned
                                                                                                                                bad,  chants  of  “Ara,  stop
            “He  continued  to  demon-   hind  fellow  College  Foot-                                                           the rain!” or “Ara, stop the
            strate  that  leadership  by  ball  Hall  of  Famers  Knute                                                         snow”  cascaded  down
            raising  millions  of  research  Rockne  (.881)  and  Frank                                                         from  the  grandstands.  “As
            dollars  seeking  a  cure  for  Leahy  (.855).  At  Notre                                                           a  student,  I  enjoyed  the
            the  terrible  disease  that  Dame, they are considered                                                             thrill  of  being  on  campus
            took the lives of three of his  the “Holy Trinity” of coach-                                                        for Ara’s last three years as
            grandchildren.  Whenever  es. Only Rockne (105, 1918-                                                               head coach, including the
            we  asked  for  Ara’s  help  30)  and  Lou  Holtz  (100,                                                            1973  championship,  and
            at  Notre  Dame,  he  was  1986-96)  won  more  total                                                               saw firsthand the profound
            there.”                      games at Notre Dame than                                                               impact that he had on my
            Parseghian  took  over  at  Parseghian.  “When  you                                                                 classmates who played for
            Notre  Dame  in  1964  when  find  any  successful  coach                                                           him,” Notre Dame athletic
            the  Fighting  Irish  were  there’s always a portion of   In  this  Nov.  19,  1966,  file  photo,  Notre  Dame  coach  Ara   director  Jack  Swarbrick
            down.  They  hadn’t  had  the players who didn’t like     Parseghian  gestures  during  a  college  football  game  against   said in a statement. “When
            a  winning  season  in  five  him. From the top All-Amer-  Michigan State, in East Lansing, Mich.                   I returned many years later
            years and had gone 2-7 in  ican to the guy who never                                              Associated Press  as  athletics  director,  Ara
            1963.  He  quickly  restored  got to see the field, every-  how  he  would  get  down  He just lived it and we fol-  was  unfailingly  generous
            the  Golden  Dome’s  luster  body  loved  Ara,”  former  on his hands and knees to  lowed it.”                      with his time, and his coun-
            and led the Irish to national  Notre  Dame  quarterback  coach  the  quarterbacks  Parseghian  didn’t  just  re-    sel  proved  to  be  invalu-
            titles  in  1966  and  1973.  He  Terry  Hanratty  said.  “That’s  on how to properly take a  vive  Notre  Dame  football.   able.”
            abruptly  retired  after  the  a  really  great  human  be-  snap.                     He made Fighting Irish fans   After  stepping  down,  Par-
            1974  season,  saying  he  ing.” Parseghian started his  “That  great  desire  that  he  believe  in  the  program   seghian  went  into  televi-
            was  worn  out  and  ready  coaching  career  at  Miami  had  to  win  and  to  do  ev-  again.  He  began  his  ten-  sion  and  spent  more  than
            for  a  change.  Despite  of-  University,  his  alma  mater,  erything perfect did not in-  ure  in  South  Bend  with  an   a  decade  calling  games
            fers  from  other  colleges  and  then  spent  eight  sea-  clude anything that would  impromptu  pep  rally  that   on  ABC  and  CBS.  In  1994,
            and NFL teams he never re-   sons leading Northwestern.   embarrass  himself  or  the  drew 2,000 students to the   his family was hit with dev-
            turned to coaching.          Former  Northwestern  cap-   team  or  the  university,”  steps  of  a  residence  hall   astating news. Three of his
            His  .836  winning  percent-  tain and center Jay Robert-  Robertson said. “I don’t re-  and  eventually  persuaded   son  Mike’s  children  were
            age puts him third on Notre  son  recalled  Parseghian’s  member ever him preach-      Notre Dame to end its long-  found  to  have  Niemann-
            Dame’s  coaching  list  be-  attention  to  detail,  and  ing  to  us  about  anything.  standing  policy  against   Pick disease type C.q
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