Ara Parseghian was chosen to take over as head coach of the Redskins after Hayes' departure. Parseghian's teams at Miami consistently did well in the Mid-American Conference, posting a 7–3 record in 1951 and improving to 8–1 the following year. The Redskins were conference champions in 1954 and in 1955, when they went undefeated. Parseghian's success, which included two wins over larger Big Ten schools, raised his profile nationally as a head coaching prospect. In late 1955, he departed Miami and was hired to become head football coach at Northwestern, one of the Big Ten schools Miami had beaten. Parseghian compiled a 39–6–1 record in five seasons at Miami. After his tenure at Northwestern, Parseghian would go on to cement a Hall of Fame career as head coach at Notre Dame, where his teams won the National Championship in 1966 and 1973. Parseghian's winning percentage at Miami (.859) is the highest of any full-time Miami head coach in the last 100 years.