Author: David Shama

Minnesota’s most treasured coach, John Gagliardi of Saint John’s, started coaching college football in 1949 at Carroll College in Montana.  Since then he’s won more games than any college coach ever but he doesn’t pay much attention to his wins (461 total), number of years coaching at Carroll and Saint John’s (60 this year), or other numbers including his age (82).  He’s a live in the moment guy.

“I have spent my whole life with 18 to 22 year olds,” Gagliardi told Sports Headliners.  “I can’t wait to get to work each day.”

Gagliardi (Guh-lahr-dee) was presented the prestigious Amos Alonzo Stagg award by the American Football Coaches Association earlier this month. The award, which honors those “whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football,” is the highest honor given to football coaches by their peers.

Often quoted locally and sometimes nationally, including for his quips, Gagliardi has been at Saint John’s for 56 years.  In the January 26 issue of Sports Illustrated, he said: “The monks give me a lifetime contract. But if we start losing games, they can give me the last sacraments and declare me dead.”

Talking by telephone last week, Gagliardi answered questions for Sports Headliners and what follows are his answers (edited for brevity).

Question: You recently attended the American Football Coaches Association  convention and for the first time met Penn State coach Joe Paterno, another 82-year-old Italian coaching legend.  You and Paterno were called up on stage to meet each other.  What was that like?

Answer: Gee, Joe acted like we were long lost friends.  It was wonderful the way he treated me.  He said, “Oh, boy, I’ve been wanting to meet you.”  I didn’t even know if he had even heard of me to be honest with you.  He’s sure got a good set of hair.  I am practically bald.

Question: It’s been 60 years since you entered college coaching. Will you coach another decade or more?

Answer: (Laughs).  That’s a line I always use, you know.  I have to face reality.  There’s no way I can coach for another one, well, maybe two more decades. I would like to coach as long as I can.  I’ve been attending too many funerals to be honest with you.  It can’t go forever, unfortunately.

Question: Any secrets to your longevity as far as how you take care of yourself? What do you eat and drink? I know years ago coaches were expected to drink at social gatherings.

Answer:  Nothing special.  There are certain things that I like.  If you ask me what I prefer, right up on the top of the list (is) my good Italian spaghetti.  Those days (years ago) you couldn’t say give me a nonalcoholic drink. That wasn’t acceptable.  I used to have to dump a lot of my drinks in the nearest flower pot.

Question:  What do you think has kept you going all these years?

Answer: I don’t look much at the past very far, or the future very far.  I just kind of live every day and that’s it.  That’s the way I function.   My day is filled all the time.  It’s wonderful.

Question:  Doesn’t sound like you’re much of a worrier?

Answer: I am concerned about the next game and always worried that anybody can beat us.  I’ve been through it a lot (though).  As I always say, “Ah, we’ve been through this back in 1902.”

In 24 months Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster has had three defensive coordinators and two offensive coordinators.  Earlier this month came the announcements that Jedd Fisch will be the new offensive coordinator and Kevin Cosgrove joins the staff as co-defensive coordinator with Ronnie Lee who was the defensive backfield coach last season.

For various reasons previous coordinators have left but Brewster sees less change going forward. “I don’t see anybody going (leaving) soon,” he told Sports Headliners.

Brewster said Fisch has a two year contract while Cosgrove and Lee have one year contracts.  Fisch, 32, was an assistant coach for the Denver Broncos until head coach Mike Shanahan was fired earlier this winter.

Brewster said Indianapolis All-Pro quarterback Peyton Manning was “recruiting” Fisch to help coach the Colts’ offense before he accepted the Gophers’ job.  Brewster also said Shanahan and Brian Billick, another head coach who Fisch has worked for, told him they would hire Fisch again.

“Jedd made a commitment to me,” Brewster said.  “He wants to put his print on this program.”

Cosgrove didn’t coach last season after previous defensive coordinator positions at Nebraska and also Wisconsin where he was part of three Big Ten championship teams.  Brewster said Cosgrove “wanted to be here in the worst way.”

Cosgrove will lead the Gophers’ defensive planning but Lee will help formulate it, according to Brewster.  Cosgrove will make the defensive calls in the games.

President Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners it’s costing $10,000 per day to heat the new Twins’ stadium so that construction can continue during the cold weather in January.

He expects Joe Mauer to be ready for the start of the season but wouldn’t say if Mauer will participate in the opening of spring training work next month in Florida.  Mauer’s long term health isn’t an issue following kidney surgery, according to St. Peter.

The contract of the Twins’ catcher runs through 2010 and as the team does with all of its players there are ongoing discussions, St. Peter said.  He believes Mauer wants to remain with the organization.

Even though this is the Twins’ last season in the Metrodome and the Gophers will not play any more football in the facility, the stadium can operate in the future on revenues from the Vikings and other events, according to Bill Lester, executive director of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission since 1987.  Lester said the stadium commission expects to have $11 million in reserves by year end and is mandated to have at least $6 million.  If a new Vikings’ stadium is built on the Metrodome site the commission will operate that facility, Lester said.

Purdue coach Matt Painter believes seven or eight Big Ten Conference teams may be chosen for the NCAA tournament.  He’s also impressed with Gopher freshmen and big men Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson III who are struggling with consistency.  “They’re going to have their day,” Painter said.  Painter considers Gophers’ point guard Al Nolen the “fastest guy” in the Big Ten.

The Gophers, who beat Indiana at Bloomington yesterday, are at home against Illinois on Thursday night but then play four of the next five games on the road: at Michigan State and Ohio State, home against Indiana, and then at Penn State and Michigan.

Randy Wittman is relaxing and has time to watch daughter Lauren, a senior at Eden Prairie High School play basketball, according to a friend of the former Timberwolves coach.

A poll of Minnesota Wild fans likely would show they are more upset about the team not signing NHL All-Star game goalie Niklas Backstrom to a new contract than they are about management not coming to an agreement with franchise wing Marian Gaborik.

Following last weekend’s All-Star break, the Wild resume play tomorrow night at home against Toronto with a 23-20-3 record 49 points, fourth in the Northwest Division and tied for ninth in the Western Conference.  Last season Minnesota was 28-19-3, with 59 points at the All-Star break and leading the Northwest Division (third in the Western Conference).

Center Mikko Koivu has more than doubled his production from last season, scoring 46 points (13 goals, 33 points) compared to his 20 points (seven and 13) last year at the All-Star break.

Former Burnsville football player Larry Norton told Sports Headliners he hopes to play guard for Miami in a new startup league, the United National Gridiron League.  Norton played offensive tackle collegiately for Syracuse.