The first active head coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2006) and the 2009 American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) Amos Alonzo Stagg Award recipient, Gagliardi retired in 2012 following his record 64th season as a collegiate head football coach and 60th season as head coach of the Johnnies.
He ended his storied career as college football's all-time wins leader with a 489-138-11 (.775) record and a 465-132-10 (.774) record at SJU, including a 362-99-9 (.780) record in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) games. Gagliardi's 64 years of collegiate coaching are the most in college football history, surpassing the old record of 57 years held by former University of Chicago and University of the Pacific coach Amos Alonzo Stagg (1890-1946).
Gagliardi coached four national championship teams (1963, 1965, 1976 and 2003), and made the 2000 national title game. His teams reached the national semifinals six other times (1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2001 and 2002). As a collegiate coach, Gagliardi's teams won 30 conference titles (including three at Carroll, Mont.) and appeared in 58 post-season games. In his final 44 seasons, SJU was nationally ranked 43 times and owned a 39-19 postseason record. In 1993, SJU averaged 61.5 points per game, setting an all-divisions record that may never be broken.
He also coached SJU's track team (1954-65) to two conference titles, as well as the SJU hockey team for five seasons (1954-59). Gagliardi still owns the best career winning percentage of any hockey coach in school history, .625 (42-25-1 record).
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Gagliardi’s J-Club Hall of Honor induction celebrates his legend and expands his legacy
