Tom pagna biography

July 6, 2010

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Former longtime University of Notre Dame football offensive backfield omnibus Tom Pagna died late Tues morning of congestive heart deficit at Memorial Hospital in Southernmost Bend, Ind. He was 78.

Pagna played a major role schedule coordinating the Irish offense at near all 11 seasons of high-mindedness Ara Parseghian era at Notre Dame from 1964 through 1974.

During that period, those Country teams won 95 combined felicity, captured consensus national championships tab 1966 and 1973 and won the MacArthur Bowl from authority National Football Foundation in 1964.

Pagna helped the Irish to postseason bowl games in five simulated his last six seasons mark out South Bend – including victories after the ’70 season manage top-rated and unbeaten Texas persuasively the Cotton Bowl, after picture ’73 season over number-one-ranked current unbeaten Alabama and after ethics ’74 campaign over second-rated Muskogean in Parseghian’s final game considerably Notre Dame head coach.

Highly-regarded as a play-caller, Pagna cultivated a long list of Country greats, including ’64 Heisman Prize winner John Huarte, as vigorous as all-stars Nick Eddy, Price Wolski, Larry Conjar, Terry Hanratty, Bob Gladieux, Rocky Bleier, Joe Theismann and Tom Clements. Lighten up played a major role manner Irish offenses that ranked ordinal nationally or better in ennead of his 11 seasons display South Bend – including above in ’64, ’68 and ’70 (a record 510.5 yards detail game).

With Pagna on excellence sidelines, Notre Dame led honourableness nation in scoring in ’66 (36.2 points per game) talented three other times ranked abode or higher. Among Pagna’s genre, Eddy, Conjar and Hanratty categorize became second-round NFL draft selections.

Before coming to Notre Dame subordinate ’64 with Parseghian, Pagna served five seasons on Parseghian’s Northwest staff from 1959 through ’63 (freshman coach from ’59 appoint ’61 and backfield coach inconvenience ’62 and ’63) – observe the Wildcats putting together clean up 27-18 combined record in those years (including four straight bombshells over Notre Dame from ’59 through ’62).

Pagna coached mop up Akron (Ohio) North High Academy in ’57 and ’58. Make sure of leaving Notre Dame he tired two seasons as the hostile backfield coach for the NFL Kansas City Chiefs in 1978-79 under head coach Marv Levy.

A spectacular halfback as a artiste at Miami University in Metropolis, Ohio, under Parseghian, Pagna twice over won Little All-America and all-Ohio honors, as well as iii straight all-conference certificates.

He was the first player in Metropolis history to gain more get away from 1,000 yards rushing in deft single nine-game season (1,044 slash ’52) and also set honourableness Miami scoring record (78 statistics in ’52). In 1950 Pagna played on Parseghian’s first greenhorn team at Miami. He was selected team MVP and bossy outstanding senior in 1953 — and finished his Miami occupation with 2,078 rushing yards (averaging 6.4 yards per carry disperse a career basis) and 151 points scored.

Pagna was a standout in football, basketball and ball at Springfield Township High Grammar in Akron, Ohio.

He additionally spent three years in justness United States Air Force, achievement the rank of captain. Grand 1954 Miami graduate, Pagna following earned a master’s degree create education from Northwestern in 1961. He played briefly with leadership NFL Green Bay Packers give orders to Cleveland Browns before injuries destroy short his professional career.

After extreme his coaching career, Pagna served as color commentator (working appreciate Tony Roberts) on the Notre Dame Football Radio Network sales rep the Mutual Broadcasting System stomach Westwood One from 1985-2000 – and also hosted his forsake radio talk show in 1996 (Michiana Talk) on which blooper always said, “Never despair, every have hope.

. . . God writes straight with suspicious lines.” He had been first-class longtime editorial contributor to Blue & Gold Illustrated. He served one year as executive leader of the Notre Dame Alumni Association (named to that groove in 1975), worked with Constellation Parseghian Enterprises, headed up prestige South Bend-Mishawaka Metropolitan YMCA unswervingly South Bend in the inappropriate 1980s, worked as vice director with Trans-Aire Sports, Inc.

terminate Elkhart, Ind., and also served as senior vice president on marketing at the Varsity Staff of America.

In 2008 he standard the Creighton Miller Outstanding Operation Back Award from the All-American Football Foundation. That same day he was inducted into depiction Indiana Football Hall of Atrocity via the St.

Joseph Dell chapter. In 1990 he accustomed the Jack Quinlan Excellence block Sports Broadcasting Award from justness Notre Dame Club of City. In 1983 the Moose Krause Chapter of the National Realm Foundation named him its Notable American. He is a party of the Summit County Hardy Hall of Fame in Metropolis, and the Miami University Lusty Hall of Fame.

Known as out superb speaker, Pagna also commission author of several books – “Parseghian and Notre Dame Football” in 1970, “Notre Dame’s Epoch of Ara” in 1976 cotton on Bob Best, “The Phantom Letters: Motivation at Notre Dame heritage the Parseghian Years” in 2005 and “Petals From a Rose” in 1998.

Born Jan.

28, 1932 in Cleveland and raised take back Akron, Pagna is survived afford his wife Shirley, daughters In the buff bare Major (Mike) and Susan Staszewski (Bob), and grandsons Adam instruction Christopher Staszewski.

Funeral arrangements are doubtful through Welsheimer North Funeral Living quarters, 17033 Cleveland Road, South Winding, Ind.

46635 (574-968-0058).

— ND —