Gagliardi making history
BY DAVE CAMPBELL
Associated Press
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — No scholarships, no screaming coaches, no long and grueling practices, no mandatory offseason weightlifting, no whistles.
Just wins — and lots of them.
John Gagliardi's unorthodox guidance of the football program at St. John's University, an NCAA Division III school tucked in the woods of central Minnesota, has put him on the verge of a prestigious record. With two more victories, Gagliardi would pass Eddie Robinson for the most victories by a college football coach.
In his 55th season, 51 at St. John's, Gagliardi has 407 victories. Robinson retired with 408 in 1997 after 57 years at Grambling State, a Division I-AA school in Louisiana.
Gagliardi, who turns 77 today, can tie Robinson's mark if the Johnnies (7-0) beat struggling rival St. Thomas (3-5) at 1 p.m. today at O'Shaughnessy Field. He could become the all-time winner on Nov. 8 when St. John's plays host to unbeaten Bethel — a game that also could determine first place in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Gagliardi has done his best to downplay the attention.
"I know it's short-lived," he said last month. "I know we're not the Timberwolves or the Vikings. I don't know if I could put up with it. Well, I guess for the money I could."
Football at this level is decidedly different than at Bobby Bowden's Florida State and Joe Paterno's Penn State — the next two coaches behind Gagliardi on the all-time wins list.
Classes come first, no athletic scholarships are allowed, and there is no spring practice. In fact, Gagliardi's entire program is based on a list of "nos" — a rejection of many of football's sometimes-sadistic rituals that he detested when he played.
Gagliardi hates it when people call him "coach." Go with John instead. He's terrified of injuries, so contact in practice is kept to a minimum and tackling is prohibited. Nobody gets cut. The roster is routinely more than 150. Calisthenics? No way. Well, at least don't take them seriously.
"We have one rule with our players — the golden rule," Gagliardi said. "Treat everybody the way you would want to be treated."
A glimpse of a Johnnies practice belies their success, which includes three national championships, eight NCAA playoff appearances in the past 10 years, three consecutive trips to the national semifinals, 26 MIAC titles and nary a losing season since 1967.
Players never wear full pads — just helmets, shoulder pads and sweat pants or shorts. There are no gut-busting conditioning drills, only a crisp, efficient workout in which the offense runs plays at one end of the field and the defense tests out its schemes on the other.
After four years at Carroll College in Montana, he was hired by the monks at St. John's in 1953, and they asked him if he could beat St. Thomas and Gustavus Adolphus, another conference foe.
"I had never heard of them," Gagliardi said. "But I said, 'Sure.' "
St. John's went 6-2 and won the MIAC in his first season.
"When I came to Minnesota 50 years ago, I'd never seen television," he said. "I was unmarried at the time, living in the dorms. I asked them if I could have a TV set. They weren't so sure at first. But after we beat St. Thomas and Gustavus, they were like, 'You still want that TV?' "
Gagliardi's son, Jim, is the team's offensive coordinator who grew up in a house just yards from the stadium where John and his wife, Peg, still live.
Jim regularly fields questions about how much longer his dad will coach.
"He does as much now as he's ever done," Jim said. "He tells us what we're going to run, what we're going to play and what we're going to see. He's in complete control."
BY DAVE CAMPBELL
Associated Press
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — No scholarships, no screaming coaches, no long and grueling practices, no mandatory offseason weightlifting, no whistles.
Just wins — and lots of them.
John Gagliardi's unorthodox guidance of the football program at St. John's University, an NCAA Division III school tucked in the woods of central Minnesota, has put him on the verge of a prestigious record. With two more victories, Gagliardi would pass Eddie Robinson for the most victories by a college football coach.
In his 55th season, 51 at St. John's, Gagliardi has 407 victories. Robinson retired with 408 in 1997 after 57 years at Grambling State, a Division I-AA school in Louisiana.
Gagliardi, who turns 77 today, can tie Robinson's mark if the Johnnies (7-0) beat struggling rival St. Thomas (3-5) at 1 p.m. today at O'Shaughnessy Field. He could become the all-time winner on Nov. 8 when St. John's plays host to unbeaten Bethel — a game that also could determine first place in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Gagliardi has done his best to downplay the attention.
"I know it's short-lived," he said last month. "I know we're not the Timberwolves or the Vikings. I don't know if I could put up with it. Well, I guess for the money I could."
Football at this level is decidedly different than at Bobby Bowden's Florida State and Joe Paterno's Penn State — the next two coaches behind Gagliardi on the all-time wins list.
Classes come first, no athletic scholarships are allowed, and there is no spring practice. In fact, Gagliardi's entire program is based on a list of "nos" — a rejection of many of football's sometimes-sadistic rituals that he detested when he played.
Gagliardi hates it when people call him "coach." Go with John instead. He's terrified of injuries, so contact in practice is kept to a minimum and tackling is prohibited. Nobody gets cut. The roster is routinely more than 150. Calisthenics? No way. Well, at least don't take them seriously.
"We have one rule with our players — the golden rule," Gagliardi said. "Treat everybody the way you would want to be treated."
A glimpse of a Johnnies practice belies their success, which includes three national championships, eight NCAA playoff appearances in the past 10 years, three consecutive trips to the national semifinals, 26 MIAC titles and nary a losing season since 1967.
Players never wear full pads — just helmets, shoulder pads and sweat pants or shorts. There are no gut-busting conditioning drills, only a crisp, efficient workout in which the offense runs plays at one end of the field and the defense tests out its schemes on the other.
After four years at Carroll College in Montana, he was hired by the monks at St. John's in 1953, and they asked him if he could beat St. Thomas and Gustavus Adolphus, another conference foe.
"I had never heard of them," Gagliardi said. "But I said, 'Sure.' "
St. John's went 6-2 and won the MIAC in his first season.
"When I came to Minnesota 50 years ago, I'd never seen television," he said. "I was unmarried at the time, living in the dorms. I asked them if I could have a TV set. They weren't so sure at first. But after we beat St. Thomas and Gustavus, they were like, 'You still want that TV?' "
Gagliardi's son, Jim, is the team's offensive coordinator who grew up in a house just yards from the stadium where John and his wife, Peg, still live.
Jim regularly fields questions about how much longer his dad will coach.
"He does as much now as he's ever done," Jim said. "He tells us what we're going to run, what we're going to play and what we're going to see. He's in complete control."
