Part of that simple genius was a flexible coaching approach that adapted the system to the talents of the players, not the other way around. “The good coaches adjust and find ways,” said Gary Fasching ’81, who played for Gagliardi and was an assistant coach before replacing his mentor as head coach in 2013. “He was ahead of his time in a lot of things.”
think of a player, and everything is about the success of his players. I think he’s proud of that more than anything. “He never talks about the games he won like an old coach might – he’s talking about these guys doing so well in life.” Gagliardi takes a genuine interest in their careers, and pride in their accomplishments. He cared about them as football players, and he cares about them as people. “It’s that family culture. He genuinely liked everybody,” Benson said, “and that makes everybody like each other.” “Praise makes winners out of losers,” Gagliardi said. “If you can find something to praise these guys about, they feel a helluva lot better than the other way around.” That’s just part of his legacy – the one Gagliardi gets to weigh in on, since he’s still here. “What does legacy mean?” he asked rhetorically. “There’s a lot to be thankful for. But it can’t go forever.”
John with his shrine of Peggy on his home computer. “It just doesn’t make much sense for me to fit that square peg in a round hole,” Gagliardi said. “You might be able to pound it in there, but it’s going to wreck everything.” “That’s really a tribute to John,” Mathiasen said. “He did that in life, too. He understood things and he adapted his life.” Gagliardi adapted. He evolved. He flourished.
Or can it? The underpinnings of the Gagliardi legacy – family, originality, respect – are concepts with no expiration date. “There’s obviously genius behind everything he says,” Elliott said. “It’s the culture here that John created and passed on to the next generation of coaches. They care about more than just football. They care about you as a person.” “He was just a family man,” Linnemann said, “and he had a big family.”
His approach allowed his players to do the same.
Family man. When pressed, that’s exactly how Gagliardi describes himself.
“You look at this program, and it’s been unique for 50 years,” Palmer said. “Now finally a lot of other programs are looking at what’s done here and saying, ‘That’s the right way to do it.’
“Being a decent guy who was nice to his players and everybody around him,” Gagliardi said. “Just be a nice guy. That’s as high praise as you can get.”
“It’s all these things that are strikingly simple, but so smart. And I think that’s John.”
Maybe that’s legacy enough. In a lifetime filled with milestones, that might be John Gagliardi’s proudest accomplishment.
Defining the Legacy Gagliardi will turn 91 on Nov. 1. He uses a walker for balance, and his hearing isn’t what it used to be. But his memory is still amazingly fresh when former players drop by, which happens often. “His recall is actually remarkable,” Mathiasen said. “He’ll
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Dave DeLand, editorial and content director for SJU Institutional Advancement, is an award-winning writer, guest lecturer at Saint John’s University and former columnist for the St. Cloud Times. Watch a video of John and Peggy Gagliardi’s reflections on 61 years of family at sjualum.com/saint-johns-magazine