Saint John's University

Saint John’s Mourns the Passing of Football Coaching Legend John Gagliardi (Oct. 7, 2018)

ESPN Feature: "Saint John" | The Man Behind the Trophy

The Winningest Coach in College Football History

An era ended Nov. 19, 2012, when John Gagliardi announced his retirement as Saint John's University's head football coach.

The first active head coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2006) and the 2009 American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) Amos Alonzo Stagg Award recipient, Gagliardi ended his record 64th season as a collegiate head football coach and landmark 60th season as head coach of the Johnnies in 2012. The winningest coach all-time in college football, Gagliardi (Guh-lahr-dee) ended his career with a 489-138-11 (.775) collegiate record and a 465-132-10 (.774) record at SJU. Gagliardi’s 64 years of collegiate coaching is the most in college football, surpassing the old record of 57 years held by former University of Chicago and University of the Pacific coach Amos Alonzo Stagg (1890-1946).

The 2007 Liberty Mutual Division III Coach of the Year, Gagliardi tied the all-time collegiate win record, held by former Grambling State head coach Eddie Robinson, on Nov. 1, 2003 and broke the all-time record on Nov. 8, 2003 on the way to a perfect 14-0 season and an NCAA Division III championship. Gagliardi was a finalist in the category of Best Record-Breaking Performance at the 2004 ESPY's.



Gagliardi also broke Robinson's record for the most games coached in college football history (588) Sept. 20, 2008, against Concordia-Moorhead. He also coached his 600th game on Sept. 19, 2009, against the Cobbers.

Gagliardi's coaching career began when his high school coach at Trinidad (Colo.) Catholic was drafted into World War II. Gagliardi, as the team's captain, took over the reins at the age of 16 in 1943. His teams won four conference titles in Gagliardi's six years of coaching high school at Trinidad Catholic and St. Mary's in Colorado Springs.

After graduation from Colorado College in 1949, his first college coaching position was at Carroll College in Helena, Mont. The college was thinking about dropping football because of losing seasons and lack of interest.

Gagliardi led Carroll to three conference titles in his first four seasons as a college coach. Gagliardi coached basketball and baseball and also won championships.

His success caught the attention of Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minn. Saint John's needed a coach to succeed the legendary Johnny "Blood" McNally, a charter member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

Compared to Carroll, Saint John's football program was healthy before Gagliardi's arrival but not exactly thriving. SJU had not won a conference title in 15 years. Gagliardi took over the program in 1953 with an intent to turn the program around. Meanwhile, Blood offered this gloomy prediction: "Nobody could ever win at Saint John's."

Gagliardi proved McNally wrong by winning the MIAC title that fall. He also won championships with SJU's track team, and he also coached the SJU hockey team for five seasons, compiling a 42-25-1 record, which is still the best career winning percentage of any hockey coach in school history.

After 60 seasons, Gagliardi's teams still set the standard for MIAC competitors. He coached four national championship teams (1963, 1965, 1976 and 2003), and made the 2000 national title game. His teams reached the national semifinals as well in 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2001 and 2002. In 2001, Gagliardi became only the third coach in NCAA college football history to coach 500 career games.

As a collegiate coach, Gagliardi's teams won 30 conference titles (including three at Carroll), including 2008 and 2009, and appeared in 58 post-season games. In the past 44 years, SJU has been nationally ranked 43 times, and it owned a 39-19 postseason record. In 1993, SJU averaged 61.5 points per game, setting a record that might never be broken.

In addition to his various head coaching duties, Gagliardi also served as athletic director at both Carroll (1949-53) and Saint John's (1976-94). In June 2006, Gagliardi was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame.

Gagliardi's insights on strategy, success and motivation have been discussed in five different books. "A Legacy Unrivaled: The Story of John Gagliardi," written in September 2016 by CSB/SJU associate professor and former player Warren Bostrom '95. In January 2004, "Gagliardi: Road to the Record," written by St. Cloud Times sports writer Frank Rajkowski, was released. Jim Collison's book "NO-How Coaching: Strategies for Winning in Sports and Business from the Coach Who Says 'NO!'" came out in fall 2001. Sports Illustrated writer Austin Murphy spent four months in Collegeville during the 1999 football season working on a book about Gagliardi, the football program and Saint John's. The book, "The Sweet Season," was released in August 2001. "Gagliardi of Saint John's: The Man, The Coach, The Legend," was written in the 1980s by Don Riley, a longtime sports columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Gagliardi's unique story has brought the spotlight to Saint John's, and in the recent years, the team has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, "The Today Show," World Traveler Magazine, ESPN, ESPN2, CNN, CNN/SI, "CBS News Sunday Morning," USA Today, New York Times, USA Weekend, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Chicago Tribune.

In 1993, Josten's and the SJU J-Club unveiled the new Gagliardi Trophy that goes to the nation's outstanding Division III player.

Gagliardi's success is attributable to more than just football strategy and tactics. He creates an environment of fun and high expectations and he concentrates on methods and practices that truly focus on winning football games. In short, Gagliardi's approach is one of concentration at the critical point and flawless execution. It is accomplished through a practice regimen that is purposeful -- emphasizing repetition and fundamentals. His coaching methods have been distilled into a series of "Winning With Nos," some of which are listed below.

• No blocking sleds or dummies
• No athletic scholarships
• No compulsory weightlifting program
• No whistles
• No "coach" - players call him John
• No tackling in practice - players wear shorts or sweats
• No long practices - an hour and a half or less

Through his current and former players, his accomplishments on and off the field and his place in the records of NCAA football, John Gagliardi has built a legacy that is unrivaled in college football.

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College Football's 300-Win Club
There have been more than 25,000 head coaches in the history of college football. Only these 10 have won more than 300 games.

1. John Gagliardi, SJU: 489-138-11, 64 years, .775
2. Eddie Robinson, Grambling: 408-165-15, 55 years, .707
3. Bobby Bowden, Florida State: 377-129-4, 43 years, .743
4. Larry Kehres, Mount Union: 332-24-3, 27 years, .929
5. Paul "Bear" Bryant, Alabama: 323-85-17, 38 years, .780
6. Glenn "Pop" Warner, Temple: 319-106-32, 44 years, .733
7. Roy Kidd, Eastern Kentucky: 315-123-8, 39 years, .715
8. Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pacific: 314-199-35, 57 years, .605
9. Frosty Westering, Pacific Lutheran: 305-96-7, 39 years, .756
10. Tubby Raymond, Delaware: 300-119-3, 36 years, .714

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John Gagliardi Facts and Figures 
Career Record: 489-138-11 (1949-2012)
Career Record at Carroll (Mont.): 24-6-1 (1949-1952)
Career Record at SJU: 465-132-10 (1953-2012)
Career Record vs. MIAC schools: 362-99-9 (1953-2012)

100th Career Collegiate Victory: at SJU 34, Hamline 6 (Oct. 9, 1965)
200th Career Collegiate Victory: at SJU 45, Bethel 10 (Oct. 11, 1980)
300th Career Collegiate Victory: SJU 77, at Bethel 12 (Oct. 16, 1993)
400th Career Collegiate Victory: SJU 21, at Linfield, Ore. 14 (Dec. 7, 2002)
450th Career Collegiate Victory: SJU 40, at Gustavus 0 (Oct. 13, 2007)

Longest Winning Streak: 20 games (1962-64)
Biggest Margin of Victory: 75-2 vs. Coe (1991)
MIAC Championships: 27 (1953, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009)
Conference titles at Carroll, Mont: 3 (1950, 1951, 1952)
National Championships: 4 (1963, 1965, 1976 and 2003)
Years Without a Losing Season: 44 (1968-Present)
Most Points Scored in Season: 702 (1993)
Least Points Allowed in Season: 26 (1965)

John Gagliardi's Season Records at Saint John's