Читать книгу A Legacy Unrivaled. The Story of John Gagliardi онлайн

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John’s teams played consistent football and continued to perform at a high level even when they were far ahead. It was very rare that an opponent could mount a comeback once Saint John’s took a commanding lead. John Laliberte was a running back on the 1974 team and after graduating devoted his career to the South Saint Paul public schools as a teacher, coach, dean, and principal. He recalled that during his junior year, the Johnnies once took a 35–0 lead into halftime. “The team had played well, and we were pumped up going into the locker room. As the offense gathered we expected John to congratulate us on a great first half and tell us to continue to do what we were doing. However, John came in and asked the question, ‘Now, what problems are we having on offense?’

“We were taken aback a bit and there was a pause. For me, it was classic Gagliardi to come in with that question and get us to focus on the second half of the game. With that question, he was attempting to get us to strive for even more. It was not a perfect first half, and he wanted us to perform better in the second half than in the first. It was something I never forgot in my thirty-three years as an educator and coach of three sports.”