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ST. GEORGE — Dixie State University Hall of Fame coach Sark Arslanian passed away Sunday afternoon at his home in St. George at the age of 92.
“The entire Dixie State athletics family is very saddened by the loss of our friend and colleague Sark,” Dixie State University Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Jason Boothe said. “Without Sark’s leadership and passion for Dixie, our athletic teams would not be where they are today. He was not only a great coach and leader, but a caring man as well. He will be missed.”
"Coach Sark" was born on February 4, 1924, in Fresno, Calif. He graduated from Granite High School in 1941, and enlisted with the Naval Air Corps, for which he served as an officer in the South Pacific until the end of World War II.
He graduated from Dixie College in 1949, where he played football and basketball, ran track, and served as class president. He went on to earn a Bachelor's degree from the University of Utah and a Master's degree from Utah State University.
Arslanian began coaching at Central Junior High in Salt Lake City, and then continued at Union High School in Roosevelt, Utah. In 1955, he returned to St. George and became athletic director and head coach in football, track and baseball at Dixie College. His recruiting efforts nearly doubled the size of the college’s student body and served as a stabilizing factor for the institution.
He left behind a nationally-ranked team at Dixie College to take over as head football coach at Weber State College in 1965, where his teams were nationally-ranked. From 1973-82, he served as head football coach at Colorado State University, then following his time in Fort Collins, Arslanian became a professional scout for the Canadian Football and United States Football leagues.
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People filled the Gardner Center Ballroom Saturday to witness legends being inducted into the Dixie State University Athletic Hall of Fame. Dixie Athletic Director Jason Boothe, President Stephen Nadauld and John Potter, DSU athletics media relations coordinator, made these hall of famers feel right at home.Arslanian coached professional teams in Milan, Italy, and Tokyo, Japan, and introduced American football in his family’s home land of Armenia. After his retirement, he coached high school football teams in Colorado, Idaho and at Pine View High School in St George. Coach Sark is still noted as one of the most successful coaches in NCAA history.
Arslanian was inducted into the Dixie State University Hall of Fame in 1999, and was part of the inaugural Dixie State Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2007. On Sept. 14, 2013, the football field inside Legend Solar Stadium (formerly known as Hansen Stadium) was renamed Sark Arslanian Field in his honor for his contributions and achievements during his tenure at DSU. The honor also coincided with the 50th-Anniversary of the 1963 Dixie College Football team, which was the first undefeated and untied football team in the program’s storied history.
In addition, he is enshrined in the Pop Warner National Hall of Fame, Weber State Athletic Hall of Fame, Utah Sports Hall of Fame, and the All-American Football Foundation honor roll.
Funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days.
