Bill wore jersey #29 as a Johnnie from 1966-1969.
Johnnies have always competed hard and with a lot of heart. Athletically and academically, I would argue that it is the one intangible that consistently sets us apart from our conference, regional and national peers. Character and passion matter more than ever, and no one measures up to SJU. I smile to myself when others pound their chests as if they have always lived on the summit.
By contrast, Saint John’s is comfortable at the top precisely because we have been there consistently throughout the decades. We have never taken success for granted and we go about our business with a quiet confidence blended with a healthy dose of Benedictine humility. Our championship tradition is the envy of the country because it is measured in the hearts our student athletes. It is measured in these same young men who, for over a century and a half, have moved on from Collegeville to become exceptional men.
Bill Laliberte, class of 1970, is just one example of many. But Bill is not ordinary and he has the biggest heart of any man I have ever met. In so many ways he IS the story of Saint John’s. To borrow the title of a recent hit by the country artist, Eric Church, he is Mr. Underestimated. Bill is a guy who has always fought above his weight and a guy who has always been a winner. He grew up in a working-class family in Robbinsdale, MN, with seven brothers. Like several of his siblings, he came to Saint John’s to get a great education and to compete in athletics.
John Gagliardi grins when he tells the story that he didn’t have a football uniform small enough for Bill when he arrived on campus for fall practice in 1966. But Bill was tenacious and he had outstanding speed and quickness. John admired his toughness as well, and all that Bill ever asked was for an opportunity to prove himself. John gave him that opportunity, and Bill didn’t disappoint. He dominated the MIAC as a running back and a receiver out of the backfield.
After graduating from Saint John’s Bill served in the United States Navy, and a few years later he settled in southern California. But like so many alumni Bill never left Saint John’s behind. Last month Bill and his wife, Ginny, along with Bill’s 98-year old father, Art, returned to campus for the Gagliardi Field ground-breaking ceremony.
Several years ago I had the pleasure of asking Bill and Ginny if they would consider a significant gift to the project to honor John. They didn’t hesitate, and they were the very first donors to make a leadership pledge commitment. I remember driving down the 405 freeway in Los Angeles and calling John on my cell phone to share the great news. John was truly humbled, and he immediately hung up and called his former running back to personally thank him.
On this special day in early May, however, it was a chance for Bill Laliberte to thank John. John always saw the potential in ordinary guys, especially when others did not. In stature alone Bill did not look like a football player, but John was intuitive and he saw something extraordinary in Bill. Bill said it best: “John, I want you to know what an inspiration you have been to me in my life. I suppose nobody stepped out and talked to you about it, but I’m here today to say that most of us owe what we are today to what you made us. And to you, Peg, thank you as well. You have been simply marvelous.”
There is no question that throughout John’s coaching career he loved being underestimated. They underestimated him all the way to the College Football Hall of Fame, where the story is told of his four national championships and 489 career victories, the most ever in the history of the game. Saint John’s and the Benedictines have always been underestimated as well. Today it is no different.
Bill and Ginny believe in Saint John’s, and they led the way on the Gagliardi Field project. Construction has begun and will continue throughout this summer, and later in the fall we will dedicate and bless a beautiful new building, turf field and seasonal dome. We extend a very special thanks to all of our generous leadership benefactors on this project, but we extend a huge thanks to Mr. Underestimated. Thank you Bill and Ginny. We like our chances.