South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Ara Parseghian

Head Coach

— 1964 - 1974 —

Ara Parseghian Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Sean Flynn

1. Ara Parseghian Marker

Inscription. 95 wins, 17 losses, 4 ties
National Champions: 1966, 1973
"We have no breaking point!"

Erected 2007 by University of Notre Dame.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Sports. A significant historical date for this entry is January 1, 1971.

Location. 41° 41.845′ N, 86° 13.959′ W. Marker is in South Bend, Indiana, in St. Joseph County. Marker is on Moose Krause Circle, 0.4 miles north of Angela Boulevard, on the right when traveling west. The statue stands outside the Ara Parseghian Gate (Gate B) outside the southeast corner of Notre Dame Stadium. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2010 Moose Krause Circle, Notre Dame IN 46556, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Coach Frank Leahy (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lou Holtz (about 700 feet away); Dan Devine (about 700 feet away); Knute Rockne (approx. 0.2 miles away); University of Notre Dame Band (approx. 0.3 miles away); Endowed Professorships (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Endowed Professorships (approx. 0.3 miles away); Rev. Michael Dillon McCafferty, C.S.C. (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in South Bend.

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. The statue depicts Notre Dame players carrying Ara Parseghian off the field after the Fighting Irish's 1971 Cotton Bowl victory over Texas (January 1, 1971). It has moved around a few times since it was unveiled in 2007. It was originally placed near Gate D on the southwest side of Notre Dame Stadium, and then was moved to the southeast corner close to the walls of the stadium when the school dedicated Gate B to Parseghian. As of 2023, it is located in a small cultivated area about 100 feet from Gate B.

Regarding Ara Parseghian. Ara Parseghian's 11 seasons as head coach at Notre Dame are considered some of the famed football program's greatest. An Ohio native, Parseghian had played college ball at Akron and Miami of Ohio and was a professional for the Cleveland Browns before injuries ended his career. He spent five years as head coach at Miami, amassing a 39-6-1 record there, and then took the top job at Northwestern in 1956. There, he revitalized a moribund program, eventually going 36-35-1 over eight seasons.

In 1964, he was hired by Notre Dame to revitalize a program that, like Northwestern, had struggled in recent years. The first non-alum and the first non-Catholic to lead Notre Dame's football program since Knute Rockne some four decades earlier, Parseghian quickly turned around the program's fortunes. In his first

Ara Parseghian Statue image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Sean Flynn, December 16, 2023

2. Ara Parseghian Statue

season, the Fighting Irish finished 9-1 and finished the season ranked third. In 1966, the Irish won their first national championship since 1953, after finishing 9-0-1, the only blemish a 10-10 tie against second-ranked Michigan State in a game called the "Game of the Century." The Irish would win the championship again in 1973, after finishing with a perfect 11-0 record, capped by a thrilling 24-23 win over LSU in the Sugar Bowl. Parseghian retired after the 1974 season, saying he needed a break from coaching after 25 years.

Parseghian spent several years as a college football TV analyst after his coaching career was over. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980. He received an honorary degree from Notre Dame in 1997. He died in 2017 at age 94 and is buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery on the University of Notre Dame campus.

Photographed By Sean Flynn, December 18, 2023

3. Ara Parseghian Statue

At the Ara Parseghian Gate (Gate B) at Notre Dame Stadium

Credits. This page was last revised on December 21, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 18, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 50 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 18, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.