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John Gagliardi

American football coach

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IntroAmerican football coach
PlacesUnited States of America
isSports coach
Work fieldSports
Gender
Male
Birth1 November 1926, Trinidad
Age98 years
The details

Biography

For other persons of the same name see John Gagliardi (disambiguation)
John Gagliardi (/ɡəˈlɑːrdi/ gə-LAR-dee; born November 1, 1926) is a former American football coach. He was the head football coach at Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota from 1953 until 2012. From 1949 to 1952, he was the head football coach at Carroll College in Helena, Montana. With a career record of 489–138–11, Gagliardi has the most wins of any coach in college football history. His Saint John's Johnnies teams won four national titles: the NAIA National Football Championship in 1963 and 1965, and the NCAA Division III National Football Championship in 1976 and 2003. Gagliardi was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Early life

Born to Ventura and Antonietta Gagliardi, Gagliardi began coaching football at Trinidad High School in 1943, at the age of 16, when his high school coach was called into service during World War II. He was a player-coach his senior year of high school and continued to coach high school football at St. Mary's High School while obtaining his college degree at Colorado College.

College coaching career

At the age of 22, with six years of high school coaching, Gagliardi was hired at Carroll College in Helena, Montana. In four seasons as head coach at Carroll, Gagliardi compiled a 24–6–1 record, winning three Montana Collegiate Conference championships. After the 1952 season, Gagliardi left Carroll for the Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota.

In 60 seasons coaching the Saint John's Johnnies, Gagliardi won a school and conference record 27 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) titles and four national championships: in 1963 (at the Camellia Bowl), 1965, 1976, and 2003. His record at Saint John's was 465–132–10, bringing his career college football mark to 489–138–11.

On November 8, 2003, Gagliardi broke the record for career coaching wins with his 409th victory, passing Grambling State's Eddie Robinson. The 13,107 fans who witnessed the victory over Bethel at Saint John's Clemens Stadium were the largest crowd in NCAA Division III history. The win also gave Saint John's its 23rd MIAC championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Johnnies went on to win the national championship with a 24–6 victory over Mount Union.

In 1993, Jostens and the J Club of St. John's University began awarding the Gagliardi Trophy annually to the most outstanding player in NCAA Division III. On August 11, 2006, Gagliardi and Florida State's Bobby Bowden became the first active head coaches to be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. (Nevada's Chris Ault had been inducted in 2002 and returned to coaching two years later.)

Gagliardi is known for his unique coaching approach, which he called "Winning with No's." He instructed his players not to call him "coach", did not use a whistle or blocking sleds, prohibited tackling in practices, did not require his players to lift weights, and limited his team practices to 90 minutes.

Gagliardi announced his retirement from coaching on November 19, 2012.

Awards

In 2003, Gagliardi received the Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award from the United States Sports Academy.

Head coaching record

College football

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffsCoaches#AP°
Carroll Fighting Saints (Montana Collegiate Conference) (1949–1952)
1949Carroll5–1
1950Carroll5–21st
1951Carroll6–1–11st
1952Carroll8–21st
Carroll:24–6–1
Saint John's Johnnies (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1953–2012)
1953Saint John's6–25–1T–1st
1954Saint John's6–24–2T–3rd
1955Saint John's7–24–2T–2nd
1956Saint John's3–4–13–3–15th
1957Saint John's5–34–34th
1958Saint John's6–26–23rd
1959Saint John's5–34–34th
1960Saint John's4–3–13–3–1T–5th
1961Saint John's6–25–22nd
1962Saint John's9–07–01st
1963Saint John's10–07–01stW NAIA Championship (Camellia)
1964Saint John's4–34–3T–3rd
1965Saint John's11–07–01stW NAIA Championship
1966Saint John's4–3–13–3–15th
1967Saint John's3–53–45th
1968Saint John's6–44–3T–3rd
1969Saint John's8–1–15–1–12ndW Mineral Water
1970Saint John's6–35–2T–2nd
1971Saint John's8–16–1T–1st
1972Saint John's7–25–22nd
1973Saint John's4–43–4T–5th
1974Saint John's7–25–2T–1st
1975Saint John's8–1–16–0–11st
1976Saint John's10–0–17–01stW NCAA Division III Championship
1977Saint John's7–27–01stL NCAA Division III Quarterfinal
1978Saint John's6–35–34th
1979Saint John's7–26–2T–1st
1980Saint John's5–35–3T–3rd
1981Saint John's7–26–2T–2nd
1982Saint John's9–18–01stL NAIA Quarterfinal
1983Saint John's7–47–22nd
1984Saint John's6–36–34th
1985Saint John's8–28–11stL NCAA Division III First Round
1986Saint John's4–4–14–4–15th
1987Saint John's8–37–2T–2ndL NCAA Division III Quarterfinal
1988Saint John's7–27–23rd
1989Saint John's10–1–18–0–11stL NCAA Division III Semifinal
1990Saint John's7–36–3T–3rd
1991Saint John's11–18–01stL NCAA Division III Semifinal
1992Saint John's8–1–17–1–12nd
1993Saint John's12–19–01stL NCAA Division III Semifinal
1994Saint John's11–28–11stL NCAA Division III Semifinal
1995Saint John's8–1–17–1–1T–1st
1996Saint John's11–19–01stL NCAA Division III Quarterfinal
1997Saint John's6–46–34th
1998Saint John's11–19–01stL NCAA Division III Quarterfinal
1999Saint John's11–28–11stL NCAA Division III Quarterfinal
2000Saint John's13–28–12ndL NCAA Division III Championship
2001Saint John's11–38–1T–1stL NCAA Division III Semifinal
2002Saint John's12–28–01stL NCAA Division III Semifinal
2003Saint John's14–08–01stW NCAA Division III Championship
2004Saint John's7–36–2T–2nd
2005Saint John's11–18–01stL NCAA Division III Second Round
2006Saint John's11–27–1T–1stL NCAA Division III Quarterfinal
2007Saint John's10–27–12ndL NCAA Division III Second Round
2008Saint John's8–36–21stL NCAA Division III First Round
2009Saint John's10–18–01stL NCAA Division III First Round
2010Saint John's7–36–23rd
2011Saint John's6–45–34th
2012Saint John's5–53–56th
Saint John's:465–132–10364–98–9
Total:489–138–11
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title

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