D3Football:
After 64 years as a head coach and at 86 years of age, St.
John's legendary football coach John Gagliardi has announced his
retirement.
Gagliardi, who has been at St. John's since 1953, goes out as
the winningest coach in college football history. He finishes with
a 489-138-11 record overall, a .775 winning percentage, and four
national titles, two of them in Division III.
“Seventy years (60 at SJU) is a long time to be doing the
same job,” Gagliardi said. “Luckily, I've always been
blessed with great players, friends, family and support to make it
this far.
“Nobody ever said that getting older was easy. I just can't
do the job at the level I used to anymore.”
St. John's finished this season 5-5, 3-5 in the MIAC, after ending
its 2012 season with a 27-22 loss Nov. 10 at Bethel.
I didn't realize this:
Aside from the football field, Gagliardi also won two conference
championships with SJU's track team and coached the SJU hockey team
for five seasons from 1954-59, compiling a 42-25-1 record. The .625
winning percentage is still the best of any hockey coach in school
history. In addition to his various head coaching duties, Gagliardi
has also been 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.
I don't think anyone will ever break his record for wins. If you are looking for an enjoyable book about sports and life, pick up
The Sweet Season. For a shorter read, try
this.
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