by Leprechaun Express & Steve Welsh
[archived Sports Illustrated article from 1966, contemporary with Notre Dame’s national championship-deciding game at Michigan State; to be fair, in a #1 vs. #2 match-up on the road, Notre Dame knew that, because it was harder for the visiting team, a tie would favor the visiting team in the polls; when an injury-riddled Notre Dame team that had lost its starting quarterback early on and, among other back-ups, was playing a back-up quarterback who was an insulin-dependent diabetic, nevertheless still had a tie in hand that would preserve their #1 ranking, in the closing moments, the head coach made a strategic judgment that it would be most prudent and most fair to the team to simply hang onto the tie and ranking in the closing moments; and it was not the last game of the year; Notre Dame went on to ratify their #1 ranking by blowing out a top-10 Southern Cal team in the L.A. Coliseum]
“Notre Dame will wear special uniforms honoring legendary player and coach Knute Rockne for the Nov. 18 game against Navy. The uniforms feature a vintage “ND” logo as well as modernized versions of the old-school helmets and brown leather high-top cleats worn in Rockne’s era. “The older style ND …”
“Among the 15 Notre Dame full-time football head coaches since Jesse Harper in 1913, Brian Kelly is only the fifth to reach his eighth season. The only four with longer tenures are the “Mount Rushmore” of the program: Knute Rockne’s 13 seasons (1918-30) prior to his premature death, and then the 11-year reigns of Frank Leahy (1941-43, 1946-53), Ara Parseghian (1964-74) and Lou Holtz (1986-96). …”
“Notre Dame football mourned the loss of one of their program greats … as they began fall camp. However, the team found a way to take the legendary coach out on the playing field with them in the upcoming season. The name ‘Ara’ will be placed on the front of each helmet, above the face-mask, in place of where it normally says ‘Irish’. …”
“Family, friends and fans will gather on Notre Dame’s Campus Sunday to remember the late Ara Parseghian.
The public is invited to both the Mass and memorial on the University of Notre Dame campus. You may also watch a livestream of the services by clicking here.
The legendary former Notre Dame football coach died Wednesday at his home in Granger at the age of 94. Parseghian led Notre Dame to two national titles in 1966 and 1973 before retiring at the age of 51. …”
Mass and Celebration of Life for Ara Parseghian, from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame