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Cindy, who now sits on the university's board of trustees. "For all of the bad luck that we had as a family we were blessed with grandpa Ara's national prominence, the fact that he is so well respected." Parseghian celebrated his 90th birthday in May. More than 300 people, former players and their families came to South Bend a few weeks earlier for a party in his honor. While they were in town, they raised more than $300,000 for the foundation. An army of volunteers helps the small Parseghian family continue to raise money at fundraisers across the country — from little old ladies sending letters from the home office in Tucson, Ariz., to major worldwide fundraising efforts. Notre Dame's contributions to the foundation got a shot of energy five years ago when Greg Crawford came to South Bend to take over as the dean of the College of Sciences. Ara Parseghian has been scarred by the death of three of his grandchildren from the rare Niemann-Pick Type C disease, but Crawford ensured the uni- he has continued to wage the battle against it. photo courtesy the parseghian family versity stayed committed to its research during the school year. In the A couple of artificial knees and hip rearound as long as some of his contemposummer, he set about raising some extra placements keep the nonagenarian Parraries like Florida State's Bobby Bowden money in his own way. The dean has pedaled seghian from joining Crawford on the bike, and Penn State's Joe Paterno. thousands of miles on his road bike during but the coach is still an active part of the It's more likely, he says, that he wouldn't the past four years to help raise money and foundation from his home in Indiana. He have been around now for a much bigger awareness for Niemann-Pick. said having a worthwhile goal has helped to fight had he continued at the grueling, stressOn June 24 this year, he dipped his back keep him full of energy in the 20 years since ful pace as a Notre Dame head coach. tire into the Pacific Ocean near Los Angeles he retired. "The demands on your time were just and set out across the country. He travels "One thing about retirement is you need enormous, and it finally gets to you," he said. roughly 100 miles every day and stops to something to do. You have to have some"Eleven years. You've got people tugging at drum up interest in his trip each night. His thing that gives you cause to get up and you. You've got to sit in that chair to really plan is to drop his front tire in the Atlanget something done," he said. "I'm tapering understand what it's really like." tic Ocean in Baltimore in time to attend a down, but still involved." The grind ended Parseghian's Hall-ofFame football career in what is now ap"This ranks as the No. 1 challenge I've faced. There's no question about it. proaching half of a lifetime ago. He said he's never felt the same fatigue in chasing a cure You say let's find a cure to this, and that's what we went about doing. It for Niemann-Pick. wasn't easy because of the length of time that's involved in the research. The search has tested his patience. Losing But I really feel like we've moved the ball down the field a long way." his grandchildren tested his faith. The silver bullet they all hoped to find never came, but Parseghian Parseghian said he's encouraged daily by Niemann-Pick conference there at the end Parseghian walked away from his former their progress. of July. life as a football coach nearly 40 years ago The coach has lived long enough now "It's a lot of hard work," he said. "But now. He was 51 years old and only a season to review his life by the decade. He scans their story is just so inspiring for any parent. separated from his second national chamthrough every 10 years and marks them with You meet them, and the first question you pionship with the Irish when he announced the accomplishments and events he rememcan think to ask is, 'How do I help?'" his resignation in 1974. He won 95 games in bers most — his playing days in the 1940s, Crawford will have logged a grand total 11 seasons on the Notre Dame sideline and his coaching start under Woody Hayes in of more than 11,000 miles on the road in his decided he had had enough. '50s, winning championships and losing his effort to help by the end of this year's ride. At the time, he hinted that he might some father in the '60s. The trip raises six figures worth of donations day return to coach at the pro level or elseAt his birthday party this spring, Pareach year. This time he's hoping to raise the where, but he stayed away. He said he never seghian told the crowd he plans to add one bar to $500,000 to fund the trials for Notre looks back and thinks about what type of more to the list, and there's no question Dame's recently developed drug. legacy he might have written if he stuck about how he hopes to remember it. ✦ 146 ✦ Blue & Gold Illustrated 2013 Football Preview 144-147.Ara Parseghian.indd 146 6/25/13 3:31 PM