Grip on Sports: Ara Parseghian’s passing brings back memories of his Notre Dame tenure
A GRIP ON SPORTS • You ever see “Rudy?” Of course you have. Remember the guy who was Notre Dame’s head coach when Rudy walked on the South Bend campus? That was Ara Parseghian, the best football coach the Irish have had since Ike was president. He died today. But he’s worth remembering. Read on.
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• Believe it or not, I can remember when “The Era of Ara” began at Notre Dame. It was the fall of 1964, a simpler time.
Roy Orbison was singing about a pretty woman. Mary Poppins was flying around movie theaters. And a young Catholic school kid fell in love with Notre Dame football.
Yes, I rooted for the Irish that fall. I was 8 years old. I was a frontrunner. The nuns were all talking about the kid from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, John Huarte, the senior who the new coach had made quarterback. Or the receiver from St. Anthony’s High in Long Beach, Jack Snow, who no one could catch from behind.
The Irish, also-rans for years and winners of just two games in ‘63, were beating everyone in Parseghian’s first season in South Bend. By November, they were ranked No. 1 in the nation. So I got on board. Who was I, an 8-year-old kid, to fight with God’s chosen representatives at St. Rita’s School? (That would come later, in high school.)
With me on board the Notre Dame train, the Irish rolled over everyone. They were 9-0 heading into their final game of the season, facing an up-and-down USC team in the Coliseum the end of November. (By the way, I told you it was a simpler time. The season didn’t begin until the end of September and finished by Thanksgiving. Then came the bowls.)
The Trojans were 6-3 and weren’t even sure they would go to the Rose Bowl, having tied Oregon State for the conference title.
But facing Notre Dame was always a bowl-like atmosphere, whether it was in South Bend or Los Angeles. More than 83,000 folks piled into the 1932 Olympic venue to watch the Irish try to clinch their first national title since 1949.
And one little boy sat in front of his TV set 23 miles away in Sierra Madre, praying – literally – for his new favorite team.
Parseghian’s team built a 17-0 lead and the kid was ecstatic. Little did he know Mike Garrett and the Trojans were poised to make a comeback for the ages.
USC scored out of halftime. And again to start the fourth quarter. The kid’s “Our Fathers” and “Hail Marys” were coming quickly now.
The Trojans got the ball back with a couple minutes left. The little boy’s knees were starting to hurt from the kneeling on the TV room’s concrete floor.
Craig Fertig led USC on one final drive. The Irish defense bent. There was less the minute left. Down 17-13, Fertig dropped back from the 15-yard line and threw for the end zone.
Some guy named Rod Sherman appeared as if from nowhere. The Trojan receiver caught the ball. He held on as he fell to the turf. The kid in Sierra Madre crashed to the floor. Both may have been crying, one with joy, the other in the pain of having a dream crushed.
Seconds later the game, and Notre Dame’s national title hopes, were over. So was the kid’s calm.
He rushed to his room in the back of the house, tears rolling down.
In his bed, he cursed the almighty, blaming the man upstairs for how bad he felt. If he could pray that hard for something, and God ignored him, what good was He anyway?
That was the last time the kid ever rooted for Notre Dame. From then on, he hated the Irish. And had a bit of a chip on his shoulder about God, the Catholic version anyway.
Elementary and high school flew by. College beckoned. After 12 years of a Catholic education, the kid picked a secular college to attend.
His freshman year at UC Irvine, one of his baseball teammates told him about the Athletes in Action bible study hosted by an assistant athletic director. The kid, who had started attending an evangelical church in high school (leading to some heated theological discussions with his friendly local priest), decided to attend.
He walked into the bible study, where a red-headed man was sitting up front. The man got up, walked toward the kid and shook his hand.
“Hi, I’m Rod Sherman. Welcome.”
God really has a sense of humor, doesn’t he?
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WSU: Maybe the Cougars’ 2017 season will be something akin to Notre Dame’s 1964 one. If it is, we will look back to today as the beginning of it all. Or maybe we will remember today as the era of Theo, as Theo Lawson began his coverage of Washington State in today’s newspaper. His first exposure? A Mike Leach press conference, with your typical Leachisms. Theo also has an advance of today’s first practice as well as a basketball piece. That’s three stories to start a tenure, eclipsing the record of two held by Christian Caple, set in 2012. (Just kidding, of course. I must hold that record.) … Stefanie Loh also has a WSU story in the Times. And she has this feature on a handful of Cougar football players who share a Pullman house. It’s well worth taking the time to read. … Around the Pac-12, Washington is coming off a national title game appearance. Is it a surprise the incoming freshmen are probably really good? … The Ducks were in the national title game not all that long ago. Now there is a new coach and whole bunch of new players, all of which must excel for Oregon to regain the heights. … Oregon State has a new quarterback, though he’s an old guy around these parts. … Utah has to excel in November if it wants to be taken seriously. And stay healthy. … The Utes defensive back end has to be good as well. … Quarterback Keller Chryst is back at Stanford’s practice. … Last year was a tough one for UCLA. This one has to be better. … Arizona State is deep into practice. … The Arizona quarterbacks have grown up together.
EWU: The Eagles begin the Aaron Best era on Thursday and Jim Allen has you covered with this advance.
Idaho: The Vandals opened practice last night in Moscow and Theo was there too. He has this story on the first day of the season. … We linked a story above but it bears mentioning again. Jake Luton, who couldn’t start at UI, will start at quarterback for Oregon State.
Chiefs: Kailer Yamamoto had a couple of assists in an international hockey game.
Indians: The Northwest League won the All-Star game yesterday vs. the Pioneer League, 5-4, in Hillsboro. A couple of Indians played key roles.
Preps: Jakobe Ford has been a track phenom in Spokane for a while. Now he’s made his mark – actually, marks – on the national scene. Greg Lee has the in-depth story on Ford’s incredible Junior Olympics performance.
Mariners: Two games over .500. After Tuesday’s 8-7 win over the Rangers, that’s where the M’s stand. It ties a season-best mark. Dave Nichols has more in the Mariners Log and we’ve added links there.
Seahawks: The big news yesterday was the contract extension signed by safety Kam Chancellor. The leader of the secondary will probably end his career in Seattle. That’s a big deal to the other players. … Earl Thomas is practicing a bit differently. … So is Jimmy Graham. … First-round pick Malik McDowell, recovering from an ATV accident, is in camp.
Sounders: For some reason I’m sure I’ve read this Cristian Roldan story before. But I guess not.
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• Sorry if my quasi-obituary of Ara Parseghian seemed a bit me-centered. It’s just that day was big one in my life and today seemed appropriate to share it. We’ll get back to the Mariners and Hawks and Cougars, etc., tomorrow. Until then …