I'm very appreciative of the opportunity to talk about my good friend Ara. But, first, I want to say what a beautiful ceremony that was with Father Jenkins and the priests. I thought Tom’s (Parseghian) eulogy after was absolutely fantastic. I wanted to applaud myself, but I was in church.
We're here to celebrate Ara, not to be sad. He provided so much love and happiness to so many people. I used to always say this, it's a question we should all ask ourselves: If we didn't show up who would miss us and why? If you didn't go home, would anybody miss you and why? If you didn't go to work, would anybody miss you?
I'm here to tell you that had Ara Parseghian not shown up, so many people would have missed him because of the insight, his love and his feeling and caring for people. He's really a tremendous individual.
A lot of people can be successful, but Ara was significant. Significance is when you help other people be successful. Of course that lasts many a lifetime.
Ladies and gentlemen, there's approximately 422,000 words in the English language. To me the most important word by far is a word "choice." Whatever happens to us in our life are because of choices we make.
One thing about Ara, he made great choices. He chose Katie. He chose the coaching profession. He chose to serve this country. He chose to graduate from college as well as get his master's degree. He also chose to give so unselfishly to so many causes.
As been cited here by so many people, yes, Coach's accomplishments are great, but what he has done for Niemann‑Pick C is tremendous. I spent a lot of time with Ara at fundraisers, et cetera. He was just a genuine, caring person.
And obviously Notre Dame made a great choice when they hired Ara Parseghian. There's a book, I believe it's titled "Quotable Notre Dame" that was done by Jim and Jill Langford.
I want to quote what Father Hesburgh said. "I would have to say that hiring Ara Parseghian was one of the smartest things we ever did at Notre Dame."
Was that ever so true. One of the smartest things Notre Dame has ever done. But Ara also made a good choice by coming here to the University of Notre Dame because I want to quote what Ara said. "I can honestly say that the Notre Dame years were the greatest period of my life and my family's life. Our loyalty to and respect for Notre Dame will always be a part of me."
He loved Notre Dame. I spent an awful lot of time with him. He was my golf partner in the summer all the time.
He was a great golfer. As was mentioned, he was a club champion. He told me very proudly, he said, "Lou at 78 years of age I thought I shot my age 78 times." I said, "Ara at 78 I shot my weight 78 times."
(Laughter).
But he also had a great sense of humor. You always talk about accomplishments. After we won the national championship, and I always sought advice from Ara. He never said you oughta do this or do that, but every time I asked my question, he answered it honestly.
And after we won the national championship, I said what change is there going to be? He said, "Number one, you're going to be the same person that you were your first year when you had a losing season. Don't think you're smart. Don't think you're special."
He said, "Everybody talked about the snow. My first year in November they're hollering, ‘Stop the snow, Ara, stop the snow.’” He walked over to Tom Pagna, his offensive coordinator, and he said, “Do you think I can?”
Ten years later, the same thing happened. They said, "Stop the snow, Ara, stop the snow." Ara said, "I walked over to Tom Pagna and I said, "Do you think I should?"
That's the difference in the mentality over the years. But was a great coach. And you know, they talk about the great wins. Everybody talks about the Sugar Bowl when 24‑23, two minutes and 12 seconds left to go and they have the ball third down and six on their own 5‑yard line.
Ara decides he's going to run a pass, decides to go a long count, hopefully it would draw them offsides. All of a sudden (Dave) Casper jumps offsides, got another penalty. And Ara stayed with the call.
It was one of the most brilliant calls ever and able to pick up 35 yards to Webber, and Notre Dame went on to win the game. Yeah, that's what they talk about.
But what I want to talk about is his first year here at Notre Dame, after five years of no‑winning seasons, a 2‑7 year in 1963, they go 9‑0. They go out and they play USC and lose to USC 20‑17, a bitter game. I want to quote what Ara said in the locker room.
He said, "Hold your tongue and lift your head up high in the face of defeat. Be a Notre Dame man. I've never been associated with a greater bunch of guys than you. No one will ever forget the achievement you made this year."
They came back--it was nine degrees out--the fans lined it from the airport to here. They walked into the old Fieldhouse. And all the students were in there chanting and hollering. For 20 minutes they screamed at the top of their heads and Ara felt he should say something.
He got up and he said, "I had hoped we would bring back the national championship." They started hollering: You did it. They started screaming harder and the band started playing. They played the alma mater.
And Ara says one of the most emotional times, and I get emotional even thinking about, what a tremendous person he is, what a great friend, but just an individual that didn't want to be any more important but he was always willing to help you in so many ways.
And we're here, and this is the last time I get a chance to talk about it. But I've been often thought about the word “dash," and I've cited this, said it in many speeches years over, but it really applies to Ara.
It says:
“I've seen the dash stare at me, the way many eyes could not know. I've seen death take a lot of other people and left me here below. I've heard many mothers' cries, but death refused to hear. And in my life I've seen a lot of faces filled with many, many tears.
“After death has come and gone, the tombstone sits for many to see. There's no more than a symbol of a person's memory. Under the tombstone's date of birth and the date that he passed, but thinking about the tombstone, the only important thing's is the dash. Yes, I say the name of the person but that I might forget, I read the date of birth and death but even that might not stick. But thinking about the person, I can't help to think about the dash, because that represents a person's life and that will always last.
So when you begin to charter your life, make sure you're on a positive path, because people may forget your birth and death but never forget your dash.”
They'll never forget Ara Parseghian. And Ara Parseghian will live for many, many generations. Why? Because of the people he affected. He affected me. And the players that I affected were affected because of Ara Parseghian.
I cannot say enough. Yes, we're sad. I lost a friend. I lost a mentor. I lost a fellow coach and I lost a golfing partner. But, ladies and gentlemen, I tend to focus on how fortunate and how blessed I was to be around such a positive influence in my life as Ara Parseghian.
Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts.
We're here to celebrate Ara, not to be sad. He provided so much love and happiness to so many people. I used to always say this, it's a question we should all ask ourselves: If we didn't show up who would miss us and why? If you didn't go home, would anybody miss you and why? If you didn't go to work, would anybody miss you?
I'm here to tell you that had Ara Parseghian not shown up, so many people would have missed him because of the insight, his love and his feeling and caring for people. He's really a tremendous individual.
A lot of people can be successful, but Ara was significant. Significance is when you help other people be successful. Of course that lasts many a lifetime.
Ladies and gentlemen, there's approximately 422,000 words in the English language. To me the most important word by far is a word "choice." Whatever happens to us in our life are because of choices we make.
One thing about Ara, he made great choices. He chose Katie. He chose the coaching profession. He chose to serve this country. He chose to graduate from college as well as get his master's degree. He also chose to give so unselfishly to so many causes.
As been cited here by so many people, yes, Coach's accomplishments are great, but what he has done for Niemann‑Pick C is tremendous. I spent a lot of time with Ara at fundraisers, et cetera. He was just a genuine, caring person.
And obviously Notre Dame made a great choice when they hired Ara Parseghian. There's a book, I believe it's titled "Quotable Notre Dame" that was done by Jim and Jill Langford.
I want to quote what Father Hesburgh said. "I would have to say that hiring Ara Parseghian was one of the smartest things we ever did at Notre Dame."
Was that ever so true. One of the smartest things Notre Dame has ever done. But Ara also made a good choice by coming here to the University of Notre Dame because I want to quote what Ara said. "I can honestly say that the Notre Dame years were the greatest period of my life and my family's life. Our loyalty to and respect for Notre Dame will always be a part of me."
He loved Notre Dame. I spent an awful lot of time with him. He was my golf partner in the summer all the time.
He was a great golfer. As was mentioned, he was a club champion. He told me very proudly, he said, "Lou at 78 years of age I thought I shot my age 78 times." I said, "Ara at 78 I shot my weight 78 times."
(Laughter).
But he also had a great sense of humor. You always talk about accomplishments. After we won the national championship, and I always sought advice from Ara. He never said you oughta do this or do that, but every time I asked my question, he answered it honestly.
And after we won the national championship, I said what change is there going to be? He said, "Number one, you're going to be the same person that you were your first year when you had a losing season. Don't think you're smart. Don't think you're special."
He said, "Everybody talked about the snow. My first year in November they're hollering, ‘Stop the snow, Ara, stop the snow.’” He walked over to Tom Pagna, his offensive coordinator, and he said, “Do you think I can?”
Ten years later, the same thing happened. They said, "Stop the snow, Ara, stop the snow." Ara said, "I walked over to Tom Pagna and I said, "Do you think I should?"
That's the difference in the mentality over the years. But was a great coach. And you know, they talk about the great wins. Everybody talks about the Sugar Bowl when 24‑23, two minutes and 12 seconds left to go and they have the ball third down and six on their own 5‑yard line.
Ara decides he's going to run a pass, decides to go a long count, hopefully it would draw them offsides. All of a sudden (Dave) Casper jumps offsides, got another penalty. And Ara stayed with the call.
It was one of the most brilliant calls ever and able to pick up 35 yards to Webber, and Notre Dame went on to win the game. Yeah, that's what they talk about.
But what I want to talk about is his first year here at Notre Dame, after five years of no‑winning seasons, a 2‑7 year in 1963, they go 9‑0. They go out and they play USC and lose to USC 20‑17, a bitter game. I want to quote what Ara said in the locker room.
He said, "Hold your tongue and lift your head up high in the face of defeat. Be a Notre Dame man. I've never been associated with a greater bunch of guys than you. No one will ever forget the achievement you made this year."
They came back--it was nine degrees out--the fans lined it from the airport to here. They walked into the old Fieldhouse. And all the students were in there chanting and hollering. For 20 minutes they screamed at the top of their heads and Ara felt he should say something.
He got up and he said, "I had hoped we would bring back the national championship." They started hollering: You did it. They started screaming harder and the band started playing. They played the alma mater.
And Ara says one of the most emotional times, and I get emotional even thinking about, what a tremendous person he is, what a great friend, but just an individual that didn't want to be any more important but he was always willing to help you in so many ways.
And we're here, and this is the last time I get a chance to talk about it. But I've been often thought about the word “dash," and I've cited this, said it in many speeches years over, but it really applies to Ara.
It says:
“I've seen the dash stare at me, the way many eyes could not know. I've seen death take a lot of other people and left me here below. I've heard many mothers' cries, but death refused to hear. And in my life I've seen a lot of faces filled with many, many tears.
“After death has come and gone, the tombstone sits for many to see. There's no more than a symbol of a person's memory. Under the tombstone's date of birth and the date that he passed, but thinking about the tombstone, the only important thing's is the dash. Yes, I say the name of the person but that I might forget, I read the date of birth and death but even that might not stick. But thinking about the person, I can't help to think about the dash, because that represents a person's life and that will always last.
So when you begin to charter your life, make sure you're on a positive path, because people may forget your birth and death but never forget your dash.”
They'll never forget Ara Parseghian. And Ara Parseghian will live for many, many generations. Why? Because of the people he affected. He affected me. And the players that I affected were affected because of Ara Parseghian.
I cannot say enough. Yes, we're sad. I lost a friend. I lost a mentor. I lost a fellow coach and I lost a golfing partner. But, ladies and gentlemen, I tend to focus on how fortunate and how blessed I was to be around such a positive influence in my life as Ara Parseghian.
Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts.
