Notre Dame Football: Miami University's Important Role in Fighting Irish History

Miami's 'Crade of Coaches' helped save modern day Notre Dame football

Nick Shepkowski | Sep 19, 2024

Unknown Date; South Bend, IN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Notre Dame Irish head coach Ara Parseghian on the sidelines with Terry Hanratty (5) at Notre Dame Stadium. / Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame football may not have won a national championship since 1988, but you'd be hard pressed to find a bigger brand in college sports than it.

That identity was very much in doubt as the 1950's turned to the 1960's, however. Notre Dame went just 19-30 from 1959-1963 and when another coaching search came calling, it didn't take much thought of who to bring in.

Ara Parseghian coached Northwestern from 1956-1963. Although his 36-35-1 record at the school didn't look overly impressive, considering the Wildcats went just 7-27-2 in the four years previous to Parsegian's arrival, his stint certainly showed signs of significant improvement.

Parseghian Undefeated Against Notre Dame

Notre Dame and Northwestern used to play regularly, although not always annually. The teams met four times during Parseghian's time at Northwestern with the Wildcats taking each of those contests.

When the time came for Notre Dame to hire a new coach following the disastrous 2-7 season of 1963, the thought was pretty simple.

Why not hire the guy from Northwestern that keeps beating Notre Dame?

Parseghian's Instant Success at Notre Dame

Parseghian was the right hire at the right time for Notre Dame. Would the next 60 years following his hiring look anywhere near the same for the proud football program had he not been the choice?

That's an answer you may not want to think about if you're a Notre Dame football fan.

Notre Dame's 1964 team remains one of the true great turnaround stories in the history of sports.

In his first year as head coach, Parseghian turned the tide of Notre Dame football for the better and changed how it would be in the modern day. Quarterback John Huarte turned in Notre Dame's sixth ever Heisman Trophy winning season while his favorite receiving target Jack Snow was a force.

After a Week 1 domination of Wisconsin at Camp Randall, Notre Dame ran off nine-straight victories to start the year 9-0. Leading USC 17-0 at halftime, Parseghian and Notre Dame stumbled in the second half and lost the game to the Trojans 20-17, giving up the final score in the closing minutes.

A win would have secured the national championship for Notre Dame. Parseghian would bring a pair of those to the university later on, though.

Parseghian's National Championship Teams

Our entire program mourns the loss of one of the pillars of our University, Coach Ara Parseghian. pic.twitter.com/nXS3xyei05
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 2, 2017

Parseghian got his first national championship at Notre Dame two years later when he led the Irish to a 9-0-1 mark. The one tie was perhaps the most famous tie in college football history as Notre Dame and Michigan State played to a 10-10 draw in East Lansing in a game played between the nation's two top teams in late November.

After a dominating 51-0 destruction of USC a week later in Los Angeles, Parseghian and Notre Dame had impressed the voters enough to name them national champions, as Notre Dame was not playing in bowl games at this time.

Parseghian would lead Notre Dame to regular top five finishes but 1973 would be his second and final national championship with the university. That year concluded with a 24-23 upset win over a Bear Bryant-led Alabama team in the Sugar Bowl.

Parseghian a Product of Miami University's 'Cradle of Coaches'

Ara Parseghian and Lou Holtz at the 2007 Notre Dame Blue-Gold Game

Apr. 21, 2007; South Bend, IN, USA; Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Lou Holtz (left) and former Notre Dame head coach Ara Parseghian walk off the field following the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium. Holtz and Parseghian were guest coaches for the game. / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

You can't tell the history of college football without spending time on the significance Miami University has played. Parseghian played at Miami under Woody Hayes and after his NFL career ended due to a hip injury, he went back to coach. After Hayes left for Ohio State, Parseghian took on the role as head coach until leaving for Northwestern.

You won't find a history full of national championships at Miami like you do some programs, but you won't find a more impressive list of great coaches who spent time at Miami.

It goes all the way back to Paul Brown (founder of the Cleveland Browns) and Weeb Ewbank (championship head coach with the Baltimore Colts) and features several names football fans can't ignore.

Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, and Bo Schembechler are all products of the Cradle of Coaches, but it's so much deeper than that.

Earl Blaik, Bill Arnsparger, George Little, Sid Gillman, John Pont, Carmen Cozza, Bill Mallory, Joe Novak, Ron Zook, Dick Crum, Paul Dietzel, Bill Narduzzi, Randy Walker, John Harbaugh, Nobby Wirkowski, Gary Moeller, Larry Smith, Dick Tomey, Terry Hoeppner, and Sean McVay all have one thing in common.

Miami University.

Heck, Thomas Hammock, who recently coached Northern Illinois to a historic upset of Notre Dame even has Miami ties. He didn't play there, but his former head coach Joe Novak, who built Northern Illinois into a Group of Five powerhouse did, playing for Schembechler back in the day.

Not a bad track record whatsoever, and without Parseghian, who knows what Notre Dame football might have turned into from 1964 forward.