Category Archives: Sports
Notre Dame’s Ara Parseghian: Football Coach, Philanthropist, Founder
By Grant Pakhtigian
FLArmenians Sports Contributor
Earlier this month, the annual College Bowl Championship Series (BCS) title game was held at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium and featured top seated Notre Dame versus Alabama. The Crimson Tide rolled over the Fighting Irish 42-14, handing them their first and only loss of the season, while celebrating their third national title in four years. While reflecting on the game and Notre Dame’s historic season, I was inspired to revisit the life of former Notre Dame University head football coach Ara Raoul Parseghian.
Prior to joining Notre Dame, Parseghian was the head coach to Miami, Ohio where he once played from 1946-1947 as Running Back and Defensive Back. He also played for the professional football team the Cleveland Browns from 1948-1949.
In 1950 he first began as an assistant coach and later, head coach for the Miami of Ohio college football team. From 1951-1955 he served as head coach at Miami and began and ended a career for which few are as accomplished and consistent.
To put into perspective what Coach Ara did, a 170-58-6 overall record, or equal to an .836 winning percentage, one must have both feet on the ground with a good dose of confidence and many other skills which are to many to name. A football coach is part teacher, part father, must be modest, a great communicator and has excellent leadership skills.
From 1956-1963, Coach Ara served as head coach for the Northwestern University football team. Some say that Coach Ara had the most impact at Notre Dame University where he coached the Fighting Irish. While at Notre Dame, from 1964-1974, Parseghian was responsible for winning two national championships, in 1966 and 1973 respectively.
He was named “Coach of the Year” twice in 1964, once in 1966 and in 1980 – named for the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award. In 1980 he was also named to the College Football Hall of Fame. Coach Ara wouldn’t shy away from naming his great predecessors.
While at Miami University, his coach was the great Woody Hayes, and an interesting fact to point to was that while coaching at Northwestern, Parseghian defeated the Fighting Irish on four separate occasions.
Upon being hired in 1963 as the 22nd head football coach at Notre Dame, he inherited a team with a 2-7 record, and with young men who were down on their luck as a unit. No sooner did you turnaround; the next year Parseghian brought Notre Dame a National Championship.
In 1964, a player from Parseghian’s second year tenure named John Huarte won the Heisman Trophy. The Heisman is the most significant and important accolade a college football player can receive in his career. The tandem of Huarte and Jack Snow were prolific as passer and receiver for Coach Ara.
After coaching, Parseghian went into the world of business. A family man, Parseghian has three children, wife Kathleen, and works for two foundations. He founded a charity, which serves to eradicate Niemann-Pick disease and also works for the foundation to cure Multiple Sclerosis.
A couple of months back, Parseghian joined former Notre Dame Coaches Lou Holtz and Brian Kelly on the set of ESPN College game day. At 89 years of age, Parseghian is a testament to health and wellness and will always be revered as an iconic Armenian-American sports figure.
Armenian Medalists at the 2012 London Olympic Games
By Grant Pakhtigian
FLArmenians Sports Contributor
August 10, 2012
As we are tuned into the Summer Games for this Fortnight in London 2012, our hopes for Armenia’s medalists run deep and wide. We are as wide as the Diaspora and deep as Armenia’s locals, it’s towns, villages and fertile soil in sporting history.
With our hopes for a showing like never before, twenty-five Armenian Olympians, with a slight caveat of not getting to be seen on TV at this year’s Opening Ceremonies, take their place and put their best foot forward every four years in this hallmark 30th Olympiad.
With the character and principals of fairness and truth, the games hold a distinct character led by International Olympic committee chief Jacques Rogge. On this 15th day of competition, we have some blips on the radar of medals from this little independent state.
Female Olympian Hripsime Khurshudyan was the first Armenian medalist in these games, and the first female athlete from Armenia to ever medal in any sport. In Weightlifting’s +75kg (super-heavy weight), she struck Bronze for her efforts.
She was soon followed by Arsen Julfalakyan in Greco-Roman Wrestling. He took the Silver medal by facing his last opponent Roman Vlasov of Russia in the +74 kg category. Meanwhile in the wrestling circle Arthur Aleksanyan took Bronze in the +96kg Greco-Roman category.
Mikayel Koloyan, who competed in the pool for the 100-meter freestyle, took away a mark of 53.82 and finished with a ranking of 8. Along with fellow swimmers, 18-year-old Anahit Barseghyan finished just out of the medal race, landing in 4th in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 1:08:19.
The U.S. won Gold in Water Polo under Armenian-American Team USA Head Coach Adam Krikorian, with his fearless assistants not far behind. The final jump in the pool for all those on deck after victory were awash in their congratulatory baptismal dip in the pool. Adam Krikorian is the Women’s Water Polo Head Coach at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
While another Armenian-American, Arthur Akopyan, personal coach for U.S. gymnast McKayla Maroney, watched his pupil win Silver in the individual Vault competition.
Several Armenian athletes have yet to finish their events. They include 26-year-old Arman Yeremyan in Tae Kwon Do, and 27-year-old Mihran Jaburyan in +55kg Freestyle Wrestling. Armenia has garnered a total of three medals thus far.
The medal count represents two Bronze, one for Weightlifting, one for Wrestling, and one Silver for free style Wrestling.
Armen Nazaryan who competes in Judo scored a win moving through the draw but was stopped by fellow challenger Pawel Zagrodnik of Poland.
Kristine Harutyunyan, 21, competes in the Javelin throw. Her first mark was 47.65 feet, and she is from Gyumri. Olympian Tigran Martirosyan, also from Gyumri is 24 years old and competes in the +77 kg Weightlifting discipline.
Andranik Hagopian of Etchmiadzin competes as a middleweight boxer and won his round of 32 versus Terrell Gausha of the United States. Vardan Pahlevanyan won his qualifying event in men’s long jump.
For 2012, most Armenian competitors are just becoming young adults and we look forward in the coming years to more brilliant performances based from talented, supported, creative and youthful hopefuls.
Grant Pakhtigian is a sports writer for print and online sports publications. He received his Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting from St. Thomas University in Miami and resides in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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