:Sark Arslanian
{{Short description|American football coach}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Sark Arslanian
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1924|2|4}}
| birth_place = Fresno, California, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|12|11|1924|2|4}}
| death_place = St. George, Utah, U.S.
| alma_mater =
| player_sport1 = Football
| player_years2 = {{Circa|1948}}
| player_team2 = Dixie (UT)
| player_sport3 = Basketball
| player_years4 = c. 1948
| player_team4 = Dixie (UT)
| player_sport5 = Track and field
| player_years6 = c. 1948
| player_team6 = Dixie (UT)
| player_positions =
| coach_sport1 = Football
| coach_years2 = 1952–1953
| coach_team2 = Central JHS (UT)
| coach_years3 = 1954
| coach_team3 = Union High School (UT)
| coach_years4 = 1955–1964
| coach_team4 = Dixie (UT)
| coach_years5 = 1965–1972
| coach_team5 = Weber State
| coach_years6 = 1973–1981
| coach_team6 = Colorado State
| coach_years7 = 1998–2000
| coach_team7 = Pine View HS (UT)
| coach_sport8 = Basketball
| coach_years9 = 1954–1955
| coach_team9 = Union High School (UT) (assistant)
| admin_years1 = ?–1965
| admin_team1 = Dixie (UT)
| overall_record = 95–73–6 (college)
| bowl_record =
| tournament_record =
| championships = 3 ICAC (1956, 1963–1964)
2 Big Sky (1965, 1968)
| awards =
| coaching_records =
}}
Sarkis "Sark" Arslanian (February 4, 1924 – December 11, 2016) was an American college football coach. He served as the head football coach at Weber State College—now known as Weber State University—from 1965 to 1972 and Colorado State University from 1973 to 1981, compiling a career college football head coaching record of {{winpct|95|73|6|record=y}}. Arslanian was also the head football coach at Dixie Junior College—now known as Utah Tech University—from 1955 to 1964.
Early life, military service, and playing career
Arslanian was born on February 4, 1924, in Fresno, California, to Kevork and Freida (Aposhian) Arslanian, immigrants from Armenia. He graduated in 1941 from Granite High School in South Salt Lake, Utah. Arslanian served in the United States Navy in the South Pacific during World War II.{{cite news |author=|title=Obituaries; Sark Arslanian |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-spectrum-obituary-for-sark-ars/164986328/ |newspaper=The Spectrum |location=St. George, Utah |date=December 14, 2016 |page=4A |access-date=February 8, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} After the war, he attended Dixie Junior College, where received all-conference honors in football, basketball, and track and field before graduating in 1949.{{cite news |author= |title=Former Dixie Coach to Be Honored At Homecoming |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/washington-county-news/164984799/ |newspaper=Washington County News |location=St. George, Utah |date=October 24, 1985 |page=5 |access-date=February 8, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}
Coaching career
Arslanian began his coaching career in 1952 at Central Junior High School in Salt Lake City. In 1954, he was the head football coach at Union High School in Roosevelt, Utah, leading his team to a record of 9–1–1 in his lone season there.
Beginning in 1955, Arslanian spent ten seasons as the head football coach at Dixie Junior College. His 1963 Dixie team went undefeated, and his 1964 team had a record of 9–1. Arslanian also served as the athletic director at Dixie.{{cite news |author= |title=Sark Arslanian Named Football Coach at WSC |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-ogden-standard-examiner/164962521/ |newspaper=Ogden Standard-Examiner |location=Ogden, Utah |date=February 17, 1965 |page=12 |access-date=February 8, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}
In 1965, he was hired as the head football coach the at Weber State College in the Big Sky Conference, where he coached through 1972 and was the winningest coach in school history. He left Weber State in 1973 for Colorado State University of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). His 1977 Colorado State Rams football team was one of the most successful in school history, finishing 9–2–1 and receiving votes in the final AP poll. Arslanian was fired six games into the 1981 season. The team defensive coordinator, Chester Caddas, was appointed interim head coach for the remainder of the season.{{cite news |author= |title=Colorado State's Arslanian fired after six defeats |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9oJfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sDAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4044%2C2618542 |newspaper=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=Lewiston, Idaho |agency=Associated Press |date=October 21, 1981 |page=2C |access-date=February 8, 2025 |via=Google News}}
After a long and successful career as a football coach at the collegiate and professional levels, he helped establish a winning tradition at Pine View High School in St. George, Utah. After a bypass surgery, he resigned as head coach of Pine View and began coaching eighth graders at Pine View Middle School. As of 2007, Arslanian was the oldest active football coach in the United States. An Armenian-American, Arslanian once traveled to Armenia to establish an American football league in his ancestral country.
Family, honors, and death
Arslanian's son, Dave Arslanian, was the head footoball coach at Weber State from 1989 to 1997, assisted by his brother, Paul Arslanian.{{cite news |last=Carr |first=Patrick |title=Dixie State's Arslanian remembered |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-spectrum/164986043/ |newspaper=The Spectrum |location=St. George, Utah |date=December 18, 2016 |page=G8 |access-date=February 8, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} On September 14, 2013, the field at Hansen Stadium on the campus of Dixie State University was named Sark Arslanian Field. Arslanian died on December 11, 2016, at the age of 92.{{cite news |last=Brohard |first=Mike |title=Former Colorado State football coach Sark Arslanian passes away at 92 |url=https://www.reporterherald.com/2016/12/11/former-colorado-state-football-coach-sark-arslanian-passes-away-at-92/ |newspaper=Loveland Reporter-Herald |location=Berthoud, Colorado |date=December 11, 2016 |access-date=February 8, 2025 }}{{cite news |author= |title=Sark Arslanian Obituary |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/deseretnews/name/sark-arslanian-obituary?id=20539248 |newspaper=Deseret News |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |date=December 14, 2016 |access-date=February 8, 2025 |via=Legacy.com }}
Head coaching record
=College=
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Weber State Wildcats
| conf = Big Sky Conference
| startyear = 1965
| endyear = 1972
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1965
| name = Weber State
| overall = 8–1
| conference = 3–1
| confstanding = T–1st
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1966
| name = Weber State
| overall = 6–3
| conference = 2–2
| confstanding = 3rd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1967
| name = Weber State
| overall = 6–4
| conference = 2–2
| confstanding = T–2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1968
| name = Weber State
| overall = 7–2
| conference = 3–1
| confstanding = T–1st
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1969
| name = Weber State
| overall = 6–4
| conference = 3–1
| confstanding = 2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1970
| name = Weber State
| overall = 5–5–1
| conference = 3–3
| confstanding = T–3rd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1971
| name = Weber State
| overall = 7–2–1
| conference = 3–2–1
| confstanding = 4th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1972
| name = Weber State
| overall = 5–5
| conference = 2–4
| confstanding = 6th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Weber State
| overall = 50–26–2
| confrecord = 21–16–1
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Colorado State Rams
| conf = Western Athletic Conference
| startyear = 1973
| endyear = 1981
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1973
| name = Colorado State
| overall = 5–6
| conference = 2–4
| confstanding = 8th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1974
| name = Colorado State
| overall = 4–6–1
| conference = 2–3–1
| confstanding = 6th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1975
| name = Colorado State
| overall = 6–5
| conference = 4–2
| confstanding = 3rd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1976
| name = Colorado State
| overall = 6–5
| conference = 2–4
| confstanding = 7th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1977
| name = Colorado State
| overall = 9–2–1
| conference = 5–2
| confstanding = 3rd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1978
| name = Colorado State
| overall = 5–6
| conference = 2–4
| confstanding = T–5th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1979
| name = Colorado State
| overall = 4–7–1
| conference = 3–4
| confstanding = T–5th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1980
| name = Colorado State
| overall = 6–4–1
| conference = 5–1–1
| confstanding = 2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1981
| name = Colorado State
| overall = 0–6{{#tag:ref|Arslanian was fired after the first six games of the 1981 season. Chester Caddas was appointed interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Colorado State finished the year 0–12 overall and 0–8 in conference play, placing last out of nine teams in the Western Athletic Conference.|group=n|name=1981season}}
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Colorado State
| overall = 45–47–4
| confrecord = 25–27–2
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
| overall = 95–73–6
| bowls = no
| poll = no
| polltype =
}}
=Junior college=
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Dixie Rebels
| conf = Intermountain Collegiate Athletic Conference
| startyear = 1955
| endyear = 1964
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1955
| name = Dixie
| overall =
| conference = 1–4
| confstanding = T–6th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1956
| name = Dixie
| overall = 7–1
| conference = 6–0
| confstanding = T–1st
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1957
| name = Dixie
| overall =
| conference = 2–2–1
| confstanding = 3rd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1958
| name = Dixie
| overall = 4–4–1
| conference = 3–1–1
| confstanding = 2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1959
| name = Dixie
| overall = 4–5
| conference = 3–1
| confstanding = T–2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1960
| name = Dixie
| overall = 2–6
| conference = 2–4
| confstanding = T–5th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1961
| name = Dixie
| overall = 2–7
| conference = 2–4
| confstanding = 6th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1962
| name = Dixie
| overall = 6–4
| conference = 2–3
| confstanding = 4th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1963
| name = Dixie
| overall = 9–0
| conference = 5–0
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1964
| name = Dixie
| overall = 9–1
| conference = 4–0
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Dixie
| overall =
| confrecord = 30–19–2
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
| overall =
| bowls = no
| poll = no
| polltype =
}}
Notes
{{Reflist|group=n}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Find a Grave}}
{{Dixie State Trailblazers football coach navbox}}
{{Weber State Wildcats football coach navbox}}
{{Colorado State Rams football coach navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arslanian, Sark}}
Category:Colorado State Rams football coaches
Category:Dixie State Rebels football coaches
Category:Dixie State Rebels football players
Category:Dixie State Rebels men's basketball players
Category:Weber State Wildcats football coaches
Category:High school basketball coaches in Utah
Category:High school football coaches in Utah
Category:Junior college athletic directors in the United States
Category:Junior college men's track and field athletes in the United States
Category:University of Utah alumni
Category:Utah State University alumni
Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II
Category:Sportspeople from Fresno, California
Category:Sportspeople from Salt Lake County, Utah
Category:Coaches of American football from Utah
Category:Players of American football from Utah
Category:Basketball coaches from Utah
Category:Basketball players from Utah
Category:Track and field athletes from Utah