Ara Parseghian Ara Raoul Parseghian ( born May 21 , 1923 ) is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent . He served as the head football coach at Miami University ( 1951 – 1955 ) , Northwestern University ( 1956 – 1963 ) , and the University of Notre Dame ( 1964 – 1974 ) , compiling a career college football record of 170 – 58 – 6 . During his 11 seasons as head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish , known popularly as " the Era of Ara , " Parseghian tallied a mark of 95 – 17 – 4 record for a . 836 winning percentage . His teams of 1966 and 1973 won national titles . Parseghian was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1980 . Playing career . After serving in the United States Navy during World War II , Parseghian played halfback at Miami University . He was drafted in the 13th round of the 1947 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers , but did not attempt to make the roster and later signed with the Cleveland Browns . He played running back and defensive back during 1948 and 1949 before an injury ended his playing career . With the Browns he had 44 carries for 166 yards , three receptions for 33 yards , scored two touchdowns , and intercepted one pass . Coaching career . Miami University . Parseghian launched his coaching career as freshman team coach under Woody Hayes at Miami University in 1950 , then was elevated to head coach the following year when Hayes left to assume the head coaching job at Ohio State University . Parseghian stayed at his alma mater through the 1955 season , compiling a 39 – 6 – 1 record , when he was hired by Northwestern University . Northwestern . Parseghian was the 20th head coach for the Northwestern Wildcats football team and he held that position for eight seasons , from 1956 until 1963 . His career coaching record at Northwestern was 36 – 35 – 1 . This ranks him third at Northwestern in total wins and ninth at Northwestern in winning percentage . During his tenure at Northwestern , the Wildcats renewed their series with Notre Dame after a decade - long hiatus . Parseghian ' s teams defeated the Irish four straight times . Notre Dame . Following a 5 – 4 season in 1963 , a falling out with Northwestern athletic director Stu Holcomb prompted Parseghian to contact Father Edmund P . Joyce , vice president and chairman of the faculty board in control of athletics at the University of Notre Dame . Parseghian inquired about Hugh Devore ' s status as interim head football coach and when Father Joyce affirmed that the University was searching for a new coach , he expressed his interest in the job . Parseghian ' s candidacy for the head coaching job at Notre Dame was notable for two reasons . First , he was not a Notre Dame graduate , as every head coach since Knute Rockne had been . Second , Parseghian was Presbyterian and not Roman Catholic , although Rockne ( who converted in 1923 ) , Jesse Harper and Edward McKeever were not Catholics either . After an undisclosed initial disagreement , Parseghian was hired as Notre Dame ' s 22nd head coach , inheriting a team that had finished 2 – 7 in 1963 and taking it to within 1 : 33 of an undefeated season and a national championship in 1964 . Parseghian discovered talent in quarterback John Huarte and end Jack Snow . The tandem set numerous school passing and receiving records and Huarte won the Heisman Trophy in 1964 . Parseghian did away with all ornamentation on his players ' uniforms , eliminating the shamrocks and shoulder stripes , and switched the team ' s home jerseys to navy blue . During his tenure , the Irish never wore green jerseys . During the Era of Ara , the Irish won two national championships in 1966 and 1973 , and the 1964 team was also awarded the MacArthur Trophy . In 1969 , the Notre Dame administration changed its policy that had forbidden the team from playing in bowl game s . Parseghian led the team to its first bowl game since Rockne coached the team , the 1970 Cotton Bowl Classic , losing 21 – 17 to the eventual national champion Texas Longhorns . The Irish avenged that loss in the 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic , defeating the Longhorns , 24 – 11 . Parseghian ' s tenure also included a number of controversial episodes . He was accused of playing for a tie against Michigan State in 1966 in one of the most noted games in college football history . Parseghian defended his strategy by maintaining that several key starters had been knocked out of action early in the game and that he did not want to spoil a courageous comeback from a 10 – 0 deficit by risking a turnover deep in his own territory late in the game that could hand the game to the Spartans . When Parseghian ' s team beat USC 51 – 0 the following week , critics alleged that he ran up the score , even though two of Notre Dame ' s touchdowns were the result of interception returns , to impress poll voters who had split the number one ranking between Notre Dame and Michigan State following the tie . Subsequent to the USC rout , the final wire service polls did in fact vote the national championship to Parseghian ' s team . In 1973 , Parseghian had the perfect season that had previously eluded him , topped off by a 24 – 23 win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl . He considered retiring after that game , but later decided to stay on . The Irish were set to return most of their starters back in 1974 and were favored to repeat as national champions . Then six players were suspended for violating school rules and several other key players were injured . An upset loss to underdog Purdue all but derailed the team ' s hopes to repeat as national champions . All of this , combined with the ever - present pressure to win took its toll , and he privately decided after the eighth game to resign at the end of the season for the sake of his health . However , his resignation was not publicized until mid - December . With Notre Dame ' s 13 – 11 win in a rematch against Alabama in the Orange Bowl , Parseghian retired on a winning note . He was succeeded by Dan Devine . Parseghian planned to take one year off from coaching and see if he still " felt the itch " to return afterwards . He ruled out taking a sabbatical leave from Notre Dame , feeling that it would be unfair to have an assistant run the program , only to have to step aside after one year . Since he regarded Notre Dame as the pinnacle of collegiate coaching jobs , he would only entertain offers from the pros . His last coaching appearance was with the College All - Stars against the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers on July 24 , 1976 at Chicago ' s Soldier Field . The game was halted in the second half when a torrential thunderstorm broke out and play was never resumed . It was the last such game ever played . During Parseghian ' s tenure at Notre Dame , the school ' s long - dormant football rivalry with Michigan was revived . Although the two schools are located within 200 miles of one another , and despite the fact that players from Michigan had introduced the game of football to students at Notre Dame in 1887 , they had not met on the gridiron since 1943 . While athletic directors Moose Krause and Don Canham were credited for reaching an agreement to resume the series , Parseghian ' s friendship with Wolverine head coach Bo Schembechler figured as well . Parshegian and Schembechler were teammates at Miami University and Schembechler served on Parshegian ' s staff at Northwestern in 1956 and 1957 . Parseghian never coached against Schembechler since Michigan and Notre Dame did not meet on the field again until 1978 . Later life . After leaving Notre Dame , Parseghian entered private business . He also served as a color analyst for ABC Sports from 1975 to 1981 and for CBS Sports from 1982 to 1988 . Parseghian ' s career record was 170 – 58 – 6 . He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980 , the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 1984 , and the Cotton Bowl Classic Hall of Fame in 2007 and was named an honorary Notre Dame alumnus in 1974 . He is also a member of the Miami University Athletic Hall of Fame . He served as one of two honorary coaches along with Lou Holtz in Notre Dame ' s 2007 Spring Game . Holtz ' s Gold Team defeated Parseghian ' s Blue team , 10 – 6 . In 2007 Notre Dame unveiled a statue in his honor , which depicts players carrying him off the field in triumph following the 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic . In 2011 , Miami University also unveiled a statue in his honor to add to the RedHawks ' Cradle of Coaches statues . It shows him wearing a Notre Dame sweater as he kneels and looks ahead to the field . Personal life . Parseghian is married to the former Kathleen Davis . They are the parents of three children . Parseghian , along with his son and daughter - in - law , Mike and Cindy Parseghian , founded the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation which is seeking a cure for Niemann - Pick disease Type C ( NP - C ) , a genetic , pediatric , neurodegenerative disorder responsible for the build - up of cholesterol in cells , resulting in eventual damage to the nervous system . Three of his grandchildren , Michael , Marcia , and Christa Parseghian , died from this disease . He is also active in the cause to find a cure for multiple sclerosis ; his daughter , Karan , was diagnosed with the disease . He is portrayed by his late friend Jason Miller in the film " Rudy " . Head coaching record . < nowiki > * < / nowiki >