Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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rather than arriving in a team bus. The following is an excerpt from the book on what it meant to be a "Knight." I have compared playing for Ara Par- seghian to being a knight playing for royalty. The medieval legend of King Arthur helped establish the model of a knight. From Camelot, Ar- thur ruled his kingdom with right be- ing right instead of might being right. Arthur met with his knights at the Round Table to discuss the issues of the kingdom and to plan adventures, such as the quest for the Holy Grail, the cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper. The table was round to make sure all understood that every one of the knights had equal status and authority. Arthur's knights followed a code of chivalry: Never do outrage or murder. Respect life at all levels. Have patience and humility. Do not commit treason, a crime against country or King. Do not be cruel. Grant mercy to those who ask, even in combat. A Knight must help women if they need it. Never harm a woman. Don't join in on fights over anything less than God or country. Search for self-knowledge, your purpose in life. Understand that the Kingdom of Camelot is a great place, but the Kingdom of Heaven is inside of us and all around us. Make a positive difference for all the peo- ple you have contact with. Be a center of peace for all and pass it on to the young. … King Arthur 's ideals were pure and fair and earned him great loyalty. It is not a stretch to say that Ara Par- seghian stood for similar values. For those of us lucky enough to be under his leadership, Notre Dame was our Camelot. Ara wanted his players to be a cut above, not only on the football field but also in the rest of their lives. He sought to develop men with good moral judgment who could become leaders because they had core values that were decent, honest and respect- ful of others. Consistent with Notre Dame's mission, Ara tried to culti- vate young people who would grow to serve the community and contrib- ute to a better world. "A part of the legacy of the uni- versity is that you're not there just to get a diploma. You're there to make your life and other people's lives bet- ter," said Tom Bolger, one of Ara's Knights. As I talked to players and coaches who had played for Ara at Miami of Ohio and Northwestern as well as Notre Dame, I began to see a pat- tern: Ara had a unique drive himself and wanted to surround himself with similar people. They may not have al- ways been the greatest athlete or the smartest person, but they had a hun- ger and a vision to be successful, and he could recognize that in a person. You don't have to be a graduate of Notre Dame to be a modern-day knight. It is not necessary to have played for Ara Parseghian. Women as well as men can be knights by fol- lowing a code of conduct based on integrity and selflessness.