Ara Parseghian (born March 10, 1923 in Akron, Ohio, USA) was head coach for the University of Notre Dame football team from 1964-1974. During his 11 seasons as head coach, he compiled a 95-17-4 record, for a .836 winning percentage, making him the most successful Notre Dame coach of the modern era.

Parseghian originally graduated from Miami University (Ohio) and had a short professional football career with the Cleveland Browns from 1947-1949. In 1950, he returned to Miami to coach under Woody Hayes, and when Hayes left at the end of the season, Parseghian became head coach. He coached at Miami from 1951-1955. He left for Northwestern University and coached there from 1956-1963.

Finally, in 1964 he received the head coaching job at Notre Dame, and quickly turned the program around, improving their record from 2-7 the previous year to a record of 9-1. Besides his overall winning record, he won two National Championships (1966 and 1973) and three bowl games. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980.

Ara Parseghian is currently the National Spokesman for the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping find a cure for Niemann-Pick disease.