Hall of Fame
Sarkis “Coach Sark” Arslanian was born in Fresno, California to immigrant parents from Armenia. 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. In 1949, he graduated from Dixie College where he played football, basketball and track and was class president. He received a BS degree from the University of Utah and a MS degree from Utah State University.
He began coaching at Central Jr. High in Salt Lake City, then continued at Union High School in Roosevelt. In 1955, he became athletic director and head coach in football, track and baseball at Dixie College. His recruiting efforts nearly doubled the size of the student body and were a stabilizing factor for the college.
He left behind a nationally ranked team at Dixie College to take over as head football coach at Weber State University in 1965, where his teams were nationally ranked. From 1973-82, he was head coach at Colorado State University. He then became a professional scout for CFL and USFL.
He coached professional teams in Milan, Italy, and Tokyo, Japan, and introduced American football in 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 NCAA coaches; only 13 other had better records.
Honors include the Pop Warner National Hall of Fame, Weber State Hall of Fame, Utah Sports Hall of Fame, All American Football Foundation and Honorary Lifetime member of the Dixie Colonels Club, which he helped organize.
