HELENA, Mont. -- Former Carroll College football coach John Gagliardi, college football's all-time winningest coach, passed away this weekend.

Gagliardi coached at Carroll from 1949-1952 with a record of 25-5-1. He led the Saints to three Montana Collegiate Conference championships.

"What he did here at Carroll College started his legacy. Certainly the 60 years he spent at Saint John's cemented it, but he's got a lot of great fanbase here from the days he coached, a number of his former players are around," Saints coach Mike Van Diest told MontanaSports.com in an interview Sunday morning. "I believe it was in 2000 they had a 50-year reunion of his team and brought him back with all those great players that played for him. (Former Montana Grizzly and Wyoming Cowboy coach) Joe Glenn and I, I have a picture in my office of Joe, Coach Gagliardi and I. It's one of my favorite pictures, just an awesome picture. The three of us smiling, you think of the national championships Joe won, what Coach Gagliardi meant to Carroll College, it's just a great memory. He was a wonderful person and in college football, 489 wins, that's just amazing."

He went onto a legendary career at St. John's University, where he coached for 60 years, finishing with a record of 489-138-11. He won four championships with the Johnnies. 

Gagliardi died Sunday at the age of 91, according to St. John's University.

He retired in 2012 after 64 season as a head football coach. 

FULL REPORTS ON GAGLIARDI'S PASSING

MontanaSports.com: Former Carroll College football coach John Gagliardi, college football's winningest coach, dies at 91

Associated Press: Gagliardi, college football's winningest coach, dies at 91

Minnesota Star Tribune: Legendary St. John's coach John Gagliardi dies at 91