MIAC Release
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Former Saint John's University head football coach and athletic director John Gagliardi received the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor distributed by the conference, at the league's athletic directors meeting May 7 in Collegeville.
The award is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to their institution and to the conference, and is nominated, selected and honored by the MIAC Athletic Directors' Council and Management Committee. Gagliardi was joined by Augsburg College's Marilyn Pearson Florian as the 2013 recipients.
Gagliardi announced his retirement Nov. 19 as college football's all-time wins leader with a 489-138-11 (.775) collegiate record in 64 seasons and a 465-132-10 (.774) record in 60 seasons at SJU, including a 362-99-9 (.780) record in MIAC games. Gagliardi's 64 years of collegiate coaching is 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). He was the first active head coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2006) and received the American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) Amos Alonzo Stagg Award in 2009.
In addition to the football program, Gagliardi served as Saint John's athletic director from 1976-94 and was the head coach for Saint John's track and field (1954-65) and hockey (1954-59) teams during his career. He was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame in 2006.
The 2007 Liberty Mutual Division III Coach of the Year, Gagliardi tied the all-time collegiate win record, held by former Grambling State head coach Eddie Robinson, on Nov. 1, 2003, and broke the all-time record on Nov. 8, 2003, en route to a perfect 14-0 season and an NCAA Division III championship. Gagliardi also broke Robinson's record for the most games coached in college football history (588) in 2008 and coached his 600th game in 2009.
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 1993, Josten's and the SJU J-Club unveiled the Gagliardi Trophy that goes to the nation's outstanding Division III player honoring excellence in athletics, academics and community service.
