HawkeyeHypnosis
Well-Known Member
The Associated Press: College football's top coach does it different
Kind of interesting. From article:
Football at St. John's University stands out. There's no tackling at practice or lengthy calisthenics. No whistles or wind sprints. No captains either, unless you count the honor shared by the seniors.
And even though the program's commander, now in his 60th year, has won more games than any other college football coach, there's no calling John Gagliardi "coach."
It's just John.
"It has always been my way of doing things and it's more solidified than ever as the years go by ... because it's proven to be successful for us, and we think we've prevented a lot of injuries," Gagliardi said, modestly adding: "We seem to have won more than our share of games."
Gagliardi, 85, is 486-133-11 in 64 years of coaching, including a 462-127-10 record in his 60 years at St. John's, making him the nation's all-time winningest coach. And he's done the majority of it at a NCAA Division III school, which doesn't offer athletic scholarships.
His coaching methods at this Catholic Benedictine university have evolved into a list of "Nos." Among them: No single way to coach. No goals, just high expectations. No playbooks.
And then there's the no-tackling rule at practice, the most remarkable to outsiders.
"Right off the bat, I noticed that practices were different," said Ian Goldsmith, a senior strong safety. In place of hitting, Gagliardi stresses repetition, and practices are short: 45 to 90 minutes.
Mike Grant played for Gagliardi in the 1970s, coached under him for two years and now leads one of Minnesota's most successful high school programs in Eden Prairie. He adopted the no-tackle policy, and said it has worked for him — Eden Prairie has won 95 percent of its games and seven state titles since 1996.
"Our whole thing is, we want our best players to play in the games," Grant said. "I know some coaches say that, but then they go out and hit and hit and pound all week, and really it's the survivors of the week that play in the game."
Kind of interesting. From article:
Football at St. John's University stands out. There's no tackling at practice or lengthy calisthenics. No whistles or wind sprints. No captains either, unless you count the honor shared by the seniors.
And even though the program's commander, now in his 60th year, has won more games than any other college football coach, there's no calling John Gagliardi "coach."
It's just John.
"It has always been my way of doing things and it's more solidified than ever as the years go by ... because it's proven to be successful for us, and we think we've prevented a lot of injuries," Gagliardi said, modestly adding: "We seem to have won more than our share of games."
Gagliardi, 85, is 486-133-11 in 64 years of coaching, including a 462-127-10 record in his 60 years at St. John's, making him the nation's all-time winningest coach. And he's done the majority of it at a NCAA Division III school, which doesn't offer athletic scholarships.
His coaching methods at this Catholic Benedictine university have evolved into a list of "Nos." Among them: No single way to coach. No goals, just high expectations. No playbooks.
And then there's the no-tackling rule at practice, the most remarkable to outsiders.
"Right off the bat, I noticed that practices were different," said Ian Goldsmith, a senior strong safety. In place of hitting, Gagliardi stresses repetition, and practices are short: 45 to 90 minutes.
Mike Grant played for Gagliardi in the 1970s, coached under him for two years and now leads one of Minnesota's most successful high school programs in Eden Prairie. He adopted the no-tackle policy, and said it has worked for him — Eden Prairie has won 95 percent of its games and seven state titles since 1996.
"Our whole thing is, we want our best players to play in the games," Grant said. "I know some coaches say that, but then they go out and hit and hit and pound all week, and really it's the survivors of the week that play in the game."
