409 Wins? The Coach Who Has Paterno Beat

COLLEGEVILLE, Minnesota - Joe Paterno continues to make history.

On Saturday, Paterno, the 84-year-old Penn State football coach, passed Eddie Robinson for the most victories in the history of Division I college football. Penn State’s victory over Illinois was the 409th of a head-coaching career than spans more than four decades — all of them at one institution. In an emotional presentation after the game, Paterno accepted congratulations and praised the memory of Robinson, the Grambling State coach who died in 2007.

While Paterno stands alone among Division I football coaches, there is one coach whom he stands behind: John Gagliardi at St. John’s University in Minnesota. As Paterno celebrated a high-profile accomplishment at Penn State, Gagliardi was adding to a victory total that Paterno, in all likelihood, will never surpass. With a 47-14 victory over Carleton College on Saturday, Gagliardi has won 482 games in a head-coaching career that covers more than six decades.



READ MORE