Category: News

BY MANUEL MARSELIAN

With the 2026 to 27 NFL and college football seasons approaching, it is an ideal time to reflect on the remarkable contributions Armenian-Americans have made to one of America’s most popular sports.

Although the Armenian athletic tradition is often associated with wrestling, weightlifting, boxing, and, more recently, mixed martial arts, Armenian-Americans have also established a significant legacy in American football. From the earliest decades of the game through today’s NFL, generations of players, coaches, executives, and innovators have contributed to the sport at both the collegiate and professional levels.

Their history stretches across more than a century of American football, encompassing pioneering athletes, All-Americans, championship-winning coaches, professional standouts, and influential figures behind the scenes. Many competed during periods when ethnic heritage was rarely documented, leaving parts of this history largely unknown outside the Armenian community.

This article brings that history together, tracing the Armenian-American presence on the gridiron from its early pioneers through the generations that followed and recognizing the individuals whose accomplishments helped secure a distinctive place for Armenian-Americans in the story of American football.

Mian (Mihran) “Mike” Gulian

The First Verified Armenian-American Football Player

Born on July 29, 1900, in Marash, Mian (Mihran) “Mike” Gulian, known as the “Armenian Prince,” immigrated to Newton, Massachusetts, where he developed into one of America’s premier football players.

At Brown University, Gulian became one of the nation’s top tackles during football’s “Iron Man” era. A four-year letterman and 1922 team captain, he earned First Team All-American honors after leading Brown to a memorable victory over Harvard.

He played professionally from 1923 to 1927 with the Buffalo All-Americans, Frankford Yellow Jackets, and Providence Steam Roller. Based on available historical records, Gulian is recognized as the first verified Armenian-American football player to achieve national prominence in major college football, the first verified Armenian-American to compete in the National Football League, and the first verified Armenian-born player in NFL history.

Widely regarded as the father of Armenian participation in American football, Gulian paved the way for future generations of Armenian-American players and holds a distinctive place among the sport’s early ethnic pioneers.

Research Note: Richard Demirjian’s Armenian-American/Canadian Who’s Who of Outstanding Athletes, Coaches and Sports Personalities (1989) states that Michael Gaspar Kaprielian played four years of football at the University of Southern California from 1910 to 1913. However, this claim remains unresolved because historical records show that USC did not field a varsity football team during most of those seasons, having temporarily replaced football with rugby.

The Most Decorated Armenian-Americans in College Football

Alex Agase

Walter Camp Foundation All-Century Team

Alexander “Alex” Agase was born on September 17, 1922, in Evanston, Illinois, to an Assyrian father and an Armenian mother, Eslie Darwitt, whose family originated from Iran.

Agase became one of the most accomplished linemen in college football history and was among a select group of players to earn First Team All-American honors three times.

He starred at Illinois in 1942 and 1946 and at Purdue in 1943 while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps V-12 Program during World War II. A two-time Consensus First Team All-American, he won the 1946 Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player and captained Illinois to victory in the 1947 Rose Bowl.

Following his playing career, Agase spent several seasons in the All-America Football Conference and National Football League before embarking on a successful coaching career at Northwestern and Purdue.

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1963 and named to the Walter Camp Foundation All-Century Team in 1989, cementing his legacy as one of the great linemen in college football history.

Ara Parseghian

Two-Time NCAA National Championship Head Coach

Ara Raoul Parseghian was born on May 21, 1923, in Akron, Ohio, into a family of Armenian and French heritage. His father, Michael Parseghian, was Armenian, while his mother was of French descent.

Parseghian became one of the most celebrated head coaches in college football history. After successful tenures at Miami University (Ohio) and Northwestern, he took over at Notre Dame in 1964 and immediately restored the Fighting Irish to national prominence.

Over his head coaching career, Parseghian compiled a remarkable 170–58–6 record, guiding Notre Dame to consensus national championships in 1966 and 1973. A multiple-time National Coach of the Year, he became renowned for his strategic discipline, motivational leadership, and ability to rebuild struggling programs.

Parseghian was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980 and remains one of the defining figures in Notre Dame football history, alongside legendary coaches Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy. His success also made him one of the most prominent Americans of Armenian heritage ever associated with college football.

The Five Stanford Armenians

A Remarkable Story in College Football History

In the fall of 1951, five Armenian-American athletes, Gary Kerkorian, Harry Hugasian, Norm Manoogian, Chuck Essegian, and Ed Krapilian, came together on Stanford’s football field. Recruited with the support of Pasadena booster Sam Salesian, they became part of a remarkable team that fought its way to the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1952.

Each made a distinctive contribution. Kerkorian became an All-American quarterback, Hugasian scored Stanford’s only touchdown in the Rose Bowl, Manoogian became a team captain, Essegian later reached baseball’s World Series, and Krapilian strengthened Stanford’s line.

Kerkorian and Hugasian became such a memorable combination that sportswriters nicknamed them the “Shish-Kebab Twins.” Together, the five created an enduring chapter in Stanford and Armenian-American sports history.

The Most Decorated Armenian-Americans in NFL

Ben Agajanian

Two-Time NFL Champion and Two-Time Super Bowl-Winning Coach

Ben Agajanian was born on October 28, 1919, in Santa Ana, California, to Armenian immigrant parents. Despite losing several toes on his kicking foot in a childhood accident, he overcame the injury to become one of professional football’s great kicking pioneers.

During a professional career spanning 1945 to 1964, Agajanian played for nine NFL teams, including the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, and Philadelphia Eagles, as well as the Los Angeles Chargers of the AFL. He won two NFL championships as a player, with the New York Giants in 1956 and Green Bay Packers in 1961, and later earned two Super Bowl rings as kicking coach for the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII.

A pioneer of the specialist kicking position, Agajanian helped transform placekicking into a distinct role in professional football and established a legacy that endured well beyond his playing career.

Garo Yepremian

Two-Time Super Bowl Champion

Garo Yepremian was born on June 2, 1944, in Larnaca, Cyprus, to Armenian parents. After immigrating to the United States, he became one of the NFL’s most successful kickers despite having no prior experience playing organized American football.

Yepremian spent the majority of his career with the Miami Dolphins from 1970 to 1978, helping the franchise win Super Bowls VII and VIII. He was a member of the legendary 1972 Dolphins, who completed the only perfect season in NFL history. A two-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time First Team All-Pro, he led the NFL in scoring in 1973 with 127 points.

Yepremian became one of the defining kickers of his era and a pioneering Armenian presence in professional football.

Steve Furness

Four-Time Super Bowl Champion

Steve Furness was born on June 21, 1950, in Providence, Rhode Island, to an English father and an Armenian-American mother. He went on to become an accomplished defensive lineman, enjoying a distinguished nine-year NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1972 to 1980.

After starring at the University of Rhode Island, Furness was selected by Pittsburgh in the fifth round of the 1972 NFL Draft. He developed into a key member of the legendary “Steel Curtain” defense, helping the Steelers capture four Super Bowl championships: IX, X, XIII, and XIV. Known for his strength, quickness, and relentless pass rush, he recorded 26.5 career sacks, although sacks were not yet an official NFL statistic during the early years of his career.

His role in Pittsburgh’s championship dynasty placed Furness among the most successful Armenian-American players of the Super Bowl era.

Berj Najarian

Six-Time Super Bowl Champion Executive

Berj Najarian is an Armenian-American football executive who served for more than two decades with the New England Patriots, rising from equipment assistant to Director of Football/Chief of Staff under head coach Bill Belichick. A trusted member of the Patriots’ leadership, he played an important behind-the-scenes role during one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history.

Najarian was part of the organization that won six Super Bowl championships, XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, and LIII, during the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady era. Widely respected for his leadership and football operations experience, he later joined the Houston Texans as Senior Advisor to the General Manager.

With six Super Bowl rings, Najarian stands among the most decorated Armenian-Americans in professional football and represents another dimension of the Armenian-American contribution to the sport: achievement and influence beyond the playing field.

Armenian-Americans have written a distinctive, often overlooked chapter in American football history. It began with Mike Gulian, the Marash-born All-American who became the first verified Armenian-American to play in the NFL. It continued with Alex Agase’s All-American career, Ara Parseghian’s national championships at Notre Dame, and the remarkable Five Stanford Armenians, who helped carry Stanford to the 1952 Rose Bowl. Later generations added to that legacy through Ben Agajanian’s pioneering placekicking career, Garo Yepremian’s role on Miami’s perfect 1972 team, Steve Furness and Pittsburgh’s “Steel Curtain,” and Berj Najarian’s six Super Bowl championships with New England.

Across generations, Armenian-American players, coaches, pioneers, and executives have been part of some of the defining teams and moments in football history. Their achievements form a remarkable legacy that extends from the earliest days of the sport to the modern NFL. And with a new generation taking the field today, the Armenian story on the gridiron continues to be written.

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BEIRUT — Haigazian University Press and Hairenik Press announced the publication of “My Native Village: Okhou” by Parounag Topalian, the inaugural volume in the new Armenian Memory Book Series, dedicated to bringing the rich tradition of Armenian memory books to new generations of readers.

Originally published in Armenian by Hairenik Press in Boston in 1943, “My Native Village: Okhou” (“Im Hayreni Kiughs: Okhou”) reconstructs the world of Okhou, an Armenian village in the Ottoman Empire, through the recollections of a survivor writing nearly three decades after the Armenian Genocide. The new English edition, translated by Simon Beugekian, is jointly published by Haigazian University Press and Hairenik Press.

Armenian memory books, or houshamadyans, constitute a distinctive literary and historical genre created primarily by survivors and descendants of the Armenian Genocide. Combining history, ethnography, geography, genealogy, folklore, photographs, maps, dialects, memoirs, traditions, accounts of daily life, and narratives of genocide and exile, these works sought to reconstruct communities that had been destroyed and populations dispersed. They function at once as historical archives, cultural artifacts, acts of resistance against erasure, and emotional roadmaps through which displaced Armenians preserved and reimagined home in exile.

The Armenian Memory Book Series will republish significant Armenian memory books, bring previously unpublished works into print, and make important texts available in English translation. Volumes will also incorporate critical commentary and new research situating individual memory books and the communities they document within the broader history and cultural heritage of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire and its surrounding regions.

The series grew out of a proposal by George Aghjayan to translate the memory books of his ancestral hometown of Palu. Discussions among Aghjayan, Haigazian University President Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian, and series co-editors Antranig Dakessian and Khatchig Mouradian developed that initial project into a broader initiative encompassing Armenian towns and villages across the former Ottoman Empire.

“The authors of these memory books undertook the formidable task of reconstructing the social, cultural, and physical worlds of communities destroyed by genocide and exile,” Dakessian and Mouradian write in their introduction to the series. “Their work preserved invaluable historical knowledge while creating enduring monuments of memory for descendants and future generations.”

The publication of “My Native Village: Okhou” marks the beginning of what the editors envision as a wide-ranging series that will make these extraordinary repositories of Armenian history and memory accessible to scholars, descendants of the communities they document, and general readers alike. More than eight decades after Topalian first published his account, “My Native Village: Okhou” now introduces an English-language readership to both one lost Armenian village and the remarkable tradition through which survivors sought to ensure that such places would not disappear from memory.

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Dr. Albert Phillips converses with a patient

BY DR. ALBERT and SUE PHILIPS

PARAMUS, N.J. — A team of 32 volunteers on July 2 departed for a 10-day Armenia Medical Mission. For the past 17 years, Dr. Albert and Susan Phillips, together with Dr. Chris Tashjian, have organized and led these annual medical missions, bringing compassionate healthcare and the love of Christ to communities throughout Armenia.

Due to the unprecedented number of volunteers who wished to participate this year, the mission was divided into two teams, allowing the outreach to expand to additional regions of the country.

Dr. Albert and Susan Phillips led the northern team, returning to the Lori region to serve the communities of Stepanavan and Ijevan. Ijevan was a new clinic location this year, reflecting the mission’s continued expansion into underserved areas of Armenia.

Dr. Chris Tashjian led the southern team, returning to Sisian while also establishing a new clinic in Vardenis. Vardenis represents an important area of focus for the AMAA’s ongoing outreach and development efforts. As in previous years, patients from surrounding villages were transported by bus to the clinic sites, ensuring that individuals in remote communities had access to medical care.

Patients were welcomed into the clinics, where they first underwent triage, including vital signs, urine testing, and electrocardiograms when indicated. Nurses and medical students then obtained medical histories before patients received additional diagnostic testing, including laboratory studies and ultrasound examinations when necessary.

Finally, patients were evaluated by physicians, who provided comprehensive medical care while also offering prayer and words of encouragement. Prescriptions were written for a wide range of medical conditions, most commonly hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Medications were dispensed at no cost, and pharmacists provided counseling to ensure that patients understood their treatment plans.

This year’s mission cared for 939 medical patients, while the dental team provided treatment for 141 patients. In addition to medical and dental services, the mission offered nutritional education, physical therapy evaluation and instruction, psychological counseling for both emotional and spiritual needs, and specialized training for children with special needs.

Throughout each clinic, patients were invited to local church services, where members of the mission team and local pastoral staff shared the hope and message of Jesus Christ.

A hallmark of the AMAA Medical Mission is the close partnership between visiting volunteers and their Armenian counterparts. Through the AMAA’s longstanding investment in medical outreach, Armenian physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals now work alongside U.S. volunteers during the mission and continue caring for patients after the teams return home.

This collaboration has created an effective and sustainable model of healthcare that combines quality medical treatment with compassionate Christian service.

The dental ministry has likewise continued to make a meaningful impact. In addition to providing treatment, the dental team educates children and families about proper oral hygiene practices, contributing to measurable improvements in dental health and a reduction in preventable tooth decay over the years.

The success of the Medical Mission depends upon the dedication of every participant. Physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, medical students, non-medical volunteers, and our faithful Armenian translators each play an indispensable role. Together, they function as a unified team with a common purpose: to serve God by caring for the physical and spiritual needs of the Armenian people.

The impact of the Medical Mission extends far beyond the clinics themselves. Each year, volunteers return home with their lives transformed through service, inspiring continued involvement, and cultivating the next generation of AMAA supporters and mission participants.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the leadership of the Armenian Missionary Association of America, especially Serge D. Buchakjian and Gary Phillips, Esq. for their steadfast support and commitment to the Medical Mission. We also express their heartfelt appreciation to their colleagues in Armenia, led by Aren Deyirmenjian and Dr. Gor Hovhannisyan, whose tireless efforts and partnership are essential to the mission’s continued success.

Planning is underway for the 18th AMAA Armenia Medical Mission in 2027. Individuals with a heart for service are encouraged to consider joining this life-changing ministry. Both medical and non-medical volunteers are welcome, and Armenian language skills are not required.

For additional information or to apply, please visit the AMAA website and select the Armenia Medical Mission link under the Projects section. Join us in making a lasting difference in the lives of the Armenian people while serving in the name of Jesus Christ.

Dr. Albert and Sue Phillips are the Founders/Directors of the AMAA Armenia Medical Mission.

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