College football coach Ara Parseghian, who won national titles with Notre Dame, has died.
According to the university, Parseghian died early Wednesday morning at his home in Granger, Indiana. He was 94. The Hall of Fame coach and former TV analyst had recently had hip surgery.
"Notre Dame mourns the loss of a legendary football coach, a beloved member of the Notre Dame family and good man," says Notre Dame president Rev. John I. Jenkins in a statement posted on the Sports Illustrated website. "Among his many accomplishments, we will remember him above all as a teacher, leader and mentor who brought out the very best in his players, on and off the field."
Parseghian coached the Fighting Irish from 1964 to 1974, winning national championships in 1966 (despite an infamous 10-10 tie against Michigan State) and 1973.
Born in Akron, Ohio, Parseghian played college ball for Akron and Miami of Ohio, served in the U.S. Navy and coached high school football. He played in the NFL for one full season with the Cleveland Browns before an injury ended his playing career the following.
Turning to coaching, Parseghian succeeded Woody Hayes as coach at Miami of Ohio in 1950, winning two Mid-American Conference titles over five seasons. He then served for eight seasons as head coach of Northwestern, where future Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler had worked for him as an assistant.
He took over at Notre Dame in 1964 and compiled a 95-17-4 record over 11 seasons, including three bowl game wins and two national championships. He retired after the 1974 season and worked as a college football commentator for ABC and CBS.
In pop culture, Parseghian is well-remembered for a popular story in Notre Dame folklore. He placed a walk-on player named Rudy Ruettiger on the scout team, but retired before fulfilling a pledge to Ruettiger to allow him to dress for a game. This story is told in the feature film Rudy, starring Sean Astin.
Parseghian was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980.