Comments on: Ara’s Knights Ride Again

By: Art Armento '61

Art Armento '61 — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 10:30:44 +0000

As much as I love Ara I disagree with Frank when he states that this was the “Golden Era” of Notre Dame football. The “Golden Era” was the 40’s when we won FOUR national Championships and got screwed out of a fifth in 1953. Here is how I rate the ND football coaches … 1st Leahy … 2nd Rockne … 3rd Ara … 4th Lou Holtz … 5th Dan Devine. Ara should have had three National Championships except he too got screwed in the final game in ’64 when a phantom holding call on Bob Meeker in in the LA Coliseum negated the winning touchdown and sent Southern California to the Rose Bowl. The then Pac 10 officiating crew should have been sent to jail for that one. Lou was also denied a second National Championship the year that we beat Florida State in the regular season … lost to Boston College in the final game … and finished with an identical record as the Seminoles but had beaten them in head to head competition. That was the year that the pollsters wanted to give Bobby Bowdon a lifetime achievement award.

By: 2015

2015 — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 02:31:50 +0000

Wish I was around to see these teams. Golden age ND football.

By: a68domer

a68domer — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 01:26:23 +0000

Ara’s first year at ND was my Freshman year – 1964. The upper classmen told us we were being spoiled by all the wins – something they were not used to. But what an electric atmosphere! During afternoon PT at the Rock, we would venture out onto the 2nd floor balcony and look down on the golf course practice green – usually Ara and his staff were down there puttering around. Such great memories. GO IRISH!!

By: rays15

rays15 — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 17:44:35 +0000

In reply to Terry. Great anecdote, Terry. Tommy Clements was a great field general.

By: Terry

Terry — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 16:19:10 +0000

I was a student at ND in 1961 and there was a guy across the hall named Dave who was from McKees Rocks, Pa. and occasionally Dave would rave about his little brother who was maybe 8 years old at the time and Dave kept saying that someday his little brother Tommy would be a great QB and maybe even play at ND.

Dave’s last name was Clements.

True story

By: other_guy

other_guy — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 15:20:28 +0000

. . . have read this book; and a a number of things stood out to me; among them was the respect Parseghian received from his players and secondly how strongly Ara emphasized T E A M. Parseghian truly recruited the RKG, as evidenced by his criteria.

A side note: I had the chance to attend a dinner which featured Dave Casper as a speaker. Casper said that when ND won the National Championship (beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl in 1973), two teams ND played in ’73 were better (athletically) than ND; Alabama and SC. In both games, Casper stated the Ara out-coached them

Good read . . .