The 3rd Annual Parseghian Cup will kick off on Thursday, March 12th in Tucson, Ariz. with Notre Dame and Arizona meeting on the pitch for a worthy cause.

All proceeds from the game and surrounding events go towards the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding medical research projects to find a treatment for Niemann-Pick Type C (NP-C) disease and related neurodegenerative disorders.

The Foundation was founded in 1994 by Parseghian family member shortly after they learned that three of the four children of Mike and Cindy Parseghian were diagnosed with NP-C disease. The Foundation is named after Ara Parseghian, the legendary Notre Dame Football coach and the children’s grandfather.

Of the more than 400 rare disease organizations in America, the Parseghian Foundation is a leader in raising funds totaling over $30 million since its inception. Last year in South Bend, the teams and the foundation combined to raise over $30,000 for the cause.

For the Head Coaches of the teams in Sean Duffy (Arizona) and Notre Dame (Sean O’Leary), this event is a perfect opportunity to show their teams how their sport can be used as a positive platform to benefit the community. “We’re honored that the foundation sees us as a key cog in their effort to find a cure for this disease. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we are committed to assisting any way that we can and we ask that fans from both teams, and fans of Rugby as a whole think about donating and at the very least learning more about this great cause” said Arizona Head Coach Sean Duffy.

For more information on the game or to purchase tickets, head to www.parseghian.org  

To warm up for the Parseghian Cup, Notre Dame played Grand Canyon on Monday and won 38-22.