Sark Arslanian, who reminded the Colorado State football program what it was like to win again, passed away Sunday afternoon at the age of 92 at his home in St. George, Utah.
Arslanian spent nine seasons as the Rams’ coach (1973-81), a tenure matched by Bob Davis and only exceeded by Harry Hughes and Sonny Lubick. Under his guidance, the team went 45-47-4, with the magical run of 1977 in the middle. That season, CSU went 9-2-1, highlighted by a win over No. 12 Arizona State. By 1975, the program had just one winning season in the prior 15, while his teams had four before he was replaced by Chester Caddas midway through the 1981 season.
“Sark, first of all was always good to me and a good friend, a person I could call on and count on,” said Gary Ozzello, who works in the CSU marketing department but served as the sports information director at the time Arslanian coached. “I look back and Sark brought to Colorado State University some of the most incredible performers ever. When you look at the players he brought in, it’s amazing to think about the level of talent he had here, and he really was committed to this university.
“I think he embodies everything we talk about being Rams’ pride.”
He arrived with the Rams coming off a 1-10 season. He won five games his first year, the second year they led the nation in passing and in his third season, they had winning record at 6-5.
Mark Driscoll, who played quarterback and coached under Arslanian, remembers a man who was devoted to the people around him.
“He always was a very kind an compassionate person,” said Driscoll, who helped celebrate his former mentor’s 90th birthday in Utah. “I learned a lot from him about that. He had a great way about people; he treated people fairly and always had a compassion for people. He always thought the best of people.
“I have a lot that I owe to Sark Arslanian for what I have in my life.”
Driscoll remembers that trait paying off for him as a coach, as he was great at talking to families with in-home visits. It allowed Arslanian to raise the talent level at the school, and that showed as many of them played at the next level. He was also ahead of the curve in the passing game, putting many of his best athletes on the offensive side of the ball and going to the air at a time when run-first offenses were still the norm.
He had two players, linebacker Kevin McLain (1975) and defensive lineman Mike Bell (1977-78) earn All-American recognition from at least one group, both of them getting first-team acclaim. There were 27 Rams drafted by the NFL while he coached, with Bell being the No. 2 overall pick in 1979. Of the program’s five first-round picks, three played for Arslanian (McLain and Mark Mullaney were the others). Ozzello noted that eight members of the 1977 defense alone played in the NFL.
While he couldn’t be part of the Farewell Hughes Stadium festivities in person, he sent a videotaped message that was played during the final game, talking about his fond memories and ending it with “Go Rams”.
Arslanian served in the Naval Air Corps during World War II, then participated in football, track and basketball at Dixie Junior College (now Dixie State University in St. George) for two years, also serving as his class president. He began his coaching career at Dixie, where the field at Hansen Stadium was named after him in 2013.
From there he coached at Weber State (he was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 1991) before being hired at CSU. After his time in Fort Collins, he worked as a scout for the Canadian Football League, coached pro teams in Italy and Japan, and eventually found his way back to Utah where he was raised, coaching high school teams.
He is also a member of the Utah Sports Hall of Fame and the Pop Warner National Hall of Fame.
Mike Brohard: 970-635-3633, mbrohard@reporter-herald.com or twitter.com/mbrohard
