Winningest College Football Coach in History Dies
John Gagliardi, the winningest coach in college football history, died Sunday at the age of 91.
Gagliardi coached for 63 years, compiling a record of 489-138-11. Most of those wins came at Division III St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, where was head coach from 1953 until 2012. Gagliardi won two NCAA Division III national championships and two NAIA national championships at St. John’s.
He began his coaching career at Carroll College in Helena, Montana, in 1949.
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“John was a winner in so many ways, but mostly in his ability to connect with others. His appreciation of others ran so deep that it was the core of who John was,” his daughter, Gina Gagliardi Benson, wrote Sunday on Facebook.
“Without a doubt, John’s greatest pride was always his wife Peggy. He was a great role model of what true love is,” she wrote. “John also felt great pride in his own children, grandchildren and his 3,000 football players. John honestly believed every one of his players were wonderful and he spoke often about how proud he was of them all. Not just how well they played football, but the things that mattered most to John: being hard working, successful, good men.”
Saint John’s Mourns the Passing of Football Coaching Legend John Gagliardi:https://t.co/weGCMxNMND #d3fb pic.twitter.com/sIWpkIOoEg
— Saint John's Athletics (@SJUJohnnies) October 7, 2018
Gagliardi won his 409th game in 2003 to surpass Grambling’s Eddie Robinson as the winningest coach in college football history. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
“Growing up in the Great Depression, John was part of ‘The Greatest Generation’ in a way we may never see again. There was no jealousy of others … only appreciation for what little they had and what their neighbors achieved or had. Things never mattered to John or his generation. People were the real treasures in life,” his daughter wrote.
She made a plea to people on behalf of her father.
“In honor of John, today make an effort to do what was effortless for John: Compliment your spouse many, many times today; listen intently to others; and ‘be interested, not interesting.’ See the best in others,” she wrote.
“God Bless, John Gagliardi.”
His greatness is memorialized in the Gagliardi Trophy, which is awarded to the best Division III college football player every year.
Our condolences are with the entire Gagliardi family on the loss of an incredible football coach and an even better man. https://t.co/rJrhI0RXYd
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 7, 2018
“John Gagliardi was not only an extraordinary coach, he was also an educator of young men and builder of character,” St. John’s president Michael Hemesath said in a statement, reported ESPN.
“John inspired deep and enduring loyalty and passion among his players across the decades because he taught them lessons through the medium of football that served them well in their personal and professional lives long after graduating from St. John’s University. His is a legacy any educator would be extremely proud of,” Hernesath added.
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