Winningest football coach in NCAA history retires

• John Gagliardi, the winningest football coach in NCAA history, announced his retirement Monday
• Gagliardi went 465-132-10 over 60 seasons at St. John's University, a Division III program
• In 2006, he became the first active coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame coach John Gagliardi, the NCAA record holder for career victories, announced his retirement Monday after 64 seasons and 489 wins, nearly all of which came at tiny St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn.

Gagliardi's run at Division III St. John's began in 1953, after he spent four seasons as coach at Carroll College in Helena, Mont., going 24-6-1. Gagliardi compiled a 465-132-10 record over six decades with the Johnnies, winning four national championships and 27 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles.

The Johnnies struggled over Gagliardi's final three seasons, however. After going 7-3 in 2010, finishing third in the MIAC, St. John's went a combined 11-9 over the last two years. The nine losses were Gagliardi's most in a two-year span since 1967-68.

Gagliardi got his NCAA-record 409th winNov. 8, 2003; the record was previously held by Grambling coach Eddie Robinson. The 2003 team would go on to win the Division III title, ending the year undefeated for the fourth time. With Gagliardi's retirement, Larry Kehres (328-24-3) at Division III Mount Union (Ohio) becomes the NCAA's active leader for career victories.

In 2006, Gagliardi became the first active coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The award given to the Division III player of the year also is named in his honor.

"Today is another milestone for the greatest head coach in the history of college football," said St. John's athletics director Tom Stock. "We are so very happy and proud of John, and those of us who have been associated with him are so fortunate that he chose to spend his life and career at Saint John's, building a model NCAA Division III football program."

Gagliardi's tenure at St. John's was famous not only for the wins but also for the unorthodox way the Hall of Fame coach ran his program. Contrary to popular method, Gagliardi's practices included no tackling, no tackling dummies, no whistles and no yelling.

Gagliardi – "John" to his players, not "coach" – also used no playbook, did not require that his players engage in a strength and conditioning program and, more often than not, allowed his quarterback to call plays on offense. At its most basic, Gagliardi summed up his coaching philosophy as "Winning With No's."

"Arguably, John Gagliardi has impacted the lives of as many young men as any individual in the history of Saint John's University," said St. John's President Michael Hemesath.

"His legacy of educating young men at Saint John's is one that any coach or professor would envy. "The kind of loyalty and commitment John showed to Saint John's and his student-athletes is rare and exemplary. It is an example of how John modeled good character and ethical behavior for his student-athletes and the community for 60 years."