Since 1953, John Gagliardi has been the only head football coach on the St. John's (Minnesota) sidelines. Remarkably, he is getting ready to begin his 60th season as a college head football coach - the first four seasons were at Carroll (Montana) and the last 56 at St. John's. While Gagliardi's career accomplishments are truly amazing, he will also be remembered for his refusal to adhere to college football norms and loyalty to his school, characteristics that are often overlooked in today's ultra-competitive college football environment.

As the head coach for a Division III powerhouse, Gagliardi doesn't get as much national attention like other longtime great coaches, such as Florida State's Bobby Bowden and Penn State's Joe Paterno. While these three coaches all have a lot in common as far as age, experience and loyalty, what many people don't know is that Gagliardi has a considerable edge over these coaches in both wins and longevity.

Gagliardi's success on the football field has truly been remarkable. He has a career record of 453-122-11, and currently holds the NCAA record for most coaching wins. On the list of the 10 football coaches with more than 300 career wins, Gagliardi's .782 winning percentage is tops, just ahead of Paul "Bear" Bryant's .780 mark. Oh yeah, the man has also won four Division III national championships.

Honestly, can you believe that Gagliardi only has 122 losses in 59 years? That's averaging just over two losses a year! Duke football, by comparison, has lost 125 games since 1995.

While I'm sure you're impressed with Gagliardi's career credentials, it actually gets more interesting when you read about his practice traditions. For instance, have you ever heard of a football team that prohibits whistles at practice? How about no tackling sleds/dummies, which are used in nearly every high school and college practice? And get this, have you ever seen a football team that doesn't tackle during practice? Yep, Gagliardi's team only wears shorts and sweats during its traditionally short practices. Gagliardi is an individual in every sense - he will do it his way, the same way that he has done it since just after World War II.

Beyond his gaudy career numbers and interesting practice routines, one must marvel at how loyal Gagliardi has remained to St. John's, and Division III football in general. I'm sure he has had other coaching offers at different times in his career that would pay him more, but he never swayed from his roots. Gagliardi should be applauded for this.

When you consider the college football coaching world that we live in today, Gagliardi is truly a breath of fresh air. Coaches are always looking for their next opportunity to cash a big paycheck, and while that is definitely their prerogative, it creates an environment where loyalty seems to be virtually nonexistence, especially at the Division I level.

But this blame shouldn't just fall on the shoulders of the coaches. Athletics administrators are pressured by boosters and university officials to "win now," which often forces them to fire perfectly capable coaches. While this is mostly applicable to Division I schools, even Division II and III coaches and athletics administrators feel the pressure for their student-athletes to perform, both on the field and in the classroom.

The proof in this constant coaching carousel can be seen all over college football. For instance, California's Jeff Tedford is the 12th Golden Bear head football coach since 1953. And I'm sure you could find similar coaching histories at the vast majority of college football programs at all levels.

So, let's appreciate what we have in Gagliardi. Unfortunately, after the days of Bowden, Paterno and Gagliardi, it seems that loyalty might become a forgotten word in college football.