League of Fans Release | Report (Pdf)

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Former Presidential candidate and consumer advocate Ralph Nader announced July 27 that his League of Fans project is beginning a campaign calling for coaching education programs that promote humanistic coaching styles as an antidote to today's autocratic coaching norm. His model for all coaches to aspire to is Saint John's University's John Gagliardi, college football's all-time wins leader.

The announcement came in conjunction with the release of the League of Fans' third report from its Sports Manifesto. The report is titled, “Sports World Needs More Humanistic Coaches.”

“John Gagliardi is the winningest coach in college football history and one of the most humane as well,” Nader said in the release. “He has almost no physical contact in practices during the week, so his players are healthier and ready to play on Saturday. Players love coming to practice and almost all of them graduate. He develops his athletes in a holistic, democratic, and humanistic way — and his teams win. He's a positive example of what's possible in the world of coaching.”

SJU opens the 2011 season against Northwestern (Minn.) at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, at Clemens Stadium in Collegeville. Gagliardi begins his record 63rd season overall and 59th season at SJU this fall with a 478-129-11 (.782) career record and a 454-123-10 (.782) record in Collegeville.