All hail John Gagliardi

John Gagliardi is the legendary football coach of St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. Gagliardi has been a Minnesota institution for as long as I can remember. Today, on his seventy-seventh birthday, he stands poised to tie Eddie Robinson as the all-time winningest football coach in college history if his unbeaten Johnnies can pull off a victory against their traditional MIAC rival St. Thomas.
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The Washington Post takes note of Gagliardi today in “A light touch among football heavyweights.” Pat Reusse’s Star Tribune column is a good companion to the Post’s profile. Reusse is particularly impressed by Gagliardi’s record since Gagliardi turned 65: “A record of 101-9-2 in the MIAC, 11-3 in nonconference games and 20-9 in the NCAA Division III playoff games — an overall record of 132-21-2 since the autumn of his 65th birthday.”
UPDATE: The Johnnies tied a bow on it for Coach Gagliardi’s birthday, edging the Tommies !5-12 on a field goal with eight seconds to go in regulation. Click here for the St. Thomas press release on the game. Next week Coach Gagliardi seeks to break the record he now holds with Eddie Robinson as the Johnnies go for the MIAC championship against unbeaten Bethel College.

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