Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Under the Dome Five Questions With … Former Notre Dame Head Coach Ara Parseghian From 1964-74, Ara Parseghian continued Notre Dame's tradition of legendary head coaches. During those 11 seasons, he won two national championships and came to close to winning a handful of others. On May 21 this year, Parseghian celebrated his 90th birthday. He sat down with Blue & Gold Illustrated to look back on some of his accomplishments during the past nine decades. Blue & Gold Illustrated: What's your secret to living a long life? Parseghian: "If you're an energetic, outgoing guy that loves sports, you continue in that vein. I read the papers every morning and stay on top of what the hell is going on in the world from a communications standpoint. "It's a combination of the good Lord looking down and saying I'm going to give you another year or two. Who knows?" ▼ Blue & Gold Illustrated: Do you ever look back and wish you had not retired after 11 years at Notre Dame? Parseghian: "Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, I'm convinced that if I had continued on I wouldn't be here. It was 12 months on the treadmill. It was one thing after the other. The season, the recruiting, fundraising. "The demands on your time were just enormous and it finally gets to you." Blue & Gold Illustrated: You seem to remember your losses more than your wins. Did you love to win or did you hate to lose? Parseghian: "I never thought about it quite that way, but it's probably closer to [hate to lose]. When you win, that's what you're expected and want to do. "Then you're going on to the next thing, the next challenge, whatever it may be. When you lose, you go back and review whats and hows and whys of the thing." Blue & Gold Illustrated: Would you rather coach today or in your era? Parseghian: "The big difference is salaries. It's amazing. They make more money in five, six months than I did for 11 years. There's a big difference. They only thing is you can only deal with what your age and your circumstances are when you're a head coach. Those were the times. I can't change that. Parseghian, who won two national titles during his 11-year tenure in South Bend, celebrated his 90th birthday on May 21. photo courtesy notre dame media relations "Today, I think that it would be even more difficult media-wise. It seems like there are more demands." Blue & Gold Illustrated: What can Brian Kelly expect to change after a 12‑1 season last year? Parseghian: "He has to anticipate and be prepared because it's what have you done for me lately. It's the nature of the game. I used to say, you go undefeated in football and the only thing you can do is duplicate that if it's possible. You went 12-0, now they lost their bowl game, so they've got something to work with in that area. "You've got to win the bowl game and go for the national championship and so forth. If you go 10-2, what have you done for me lately?" — Lou Somogyi Click here for more on this interview, including Parseghian's charity work, his daily routine and how he's coped with the loss of family and many close friends over the years.