Ara: The Life and Legacy of a Notre Dame Legend captures the personality, courage, and character of a great man who faced adversity on and off the field.
Through his unprecedented access to Ara Parseghian’s personal files, author Mark O. Hubbard explores the coach’s innovative philosophy, organization, strategy, tactics, and motivational techniques with details to satisfy even the most knowledgeable football aficionado.
Hubbard chronicles Ara’s childhood and Catholic upbringing, his success as a football player, and the development of his coaching credentials at Miami of Ohio and Northwestern before delving into his sensational career at the University of Notre Dame.
From the moment Ara arrived on campus, the student body and the players were electrified, and Ara’s first season concluded with a dramatic reversal of the Fighting Irish’s fortunes as they competed for the national title. The Hall of Famer remains one of the most successful football coaches in Notre Dame history, amassing a career record of 95-17-4 and leading the Fighting Irish to undisputed national championships in 1966 and 1973.
After retiring from coaching, Ara became a successful businessman and television commentator, but his finest hours were spent in humanitarian causes, raising millions of dollars for medical research after members of his family were stricken with multiple sclerosis and Niemann-Pick Type C.
Peppered with historical context and humor, this lively biography of a Notre Dame legend will delight all sports fans, providing a chance to revisit college football’s golden age.
Table of Content
Foreword by Rocky Bleier
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
First Quarter (1923–1943)
1. Roots
2. Kathleen
3. Conwell Findley
4. The Player
Second Quarter (1944–1963)
5. Oxford
6. Football Is a Coaches’ Game
7. Northwestern
8. Ted, Ned, and Moose
Third Quarter (1964–1974)
9. First Things
10. Winning Mindset
11. Sidelines
12. Strategy
13. The Playbook
14. Games That Mattered, 1964–1966
15. Fans and Nuts
16. Home and Away
17. Tug of War
18. No Joke
19. Games That Mattered, 1967–1974
Fourth Quarter (1975–2017)
20. Decision Time
21. Second Half
22. About an Eight
23. At the Podium
24. Hall of Fame
25. Bittersweet
26. Dear Coach
27. The Look and the Voice
28. Report Card
29. Last Respects
Epilogue
About the author
Rocky Bleier is a former Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back and four time Super Bowl champion.
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