College football's winningest coach retires

John Gagliardi announces retirement from St. John's

St. John's University football coach John Gagliardi leads his team onto the field at Collegville, Minn., in October, 2003.

MINNEAPOLIS — John Gagliardi, the winningest coach in college football history, is retiring from Division III St. John's University in Minnesota.

Gagliardi announced his decision on the team website on Monday. He coached for 64 years, 60 of them at the private school in central Minnesota, and retires with a record of 489-138-11. He surpassed Eddie Robinson for the career coaching victories record in 2003 and won four national titles at St. John's.

He gained fame for an unconventional coaching style that included no tackling in practice.

Gagliardi's decision comes after the Johnnies finished a rough season with a 5-5 record and went 3-5 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He says in a statement that he “just can't do the job at the level” he once did.