Records Show that Gordie was the Greatest Coach in American Sport: A “Coach for All Seasons.”

Special thanks to Pat Sullivan for his research on Gordie records and more than a few hours of discussion.

Past blogs on Gordie Gillespie have focused on teaching and coaching athletes, not on his statistics. It was an effort to document how he directly and indirectly influenced thousands of young people’s lives. By sharing these Gordie stories, I hoped to give voice to his alums who have had similar experiences and feel the same as I do. (Eleven blog posts on Coach Gillespie are listed at the end for reference. Everything I have written about him is included.)

This final Gordie blog centers on a topic that he would never talk about: his coaching records. If the topic came up, he invariably deflected the conversation to his great fortune to have had the opportunity to teach and coach such wonderful kids. He was the epitome of a humble leader. But the fact remains that: 

it is reasonable to proclaim, “Gordie Gillespie was/is the greatest coach in the history of American Sport.”

Taking one sport at a time, Gordie’s team records in basketball, baseball, and football are extraordinary.  

But taken together over his 59-year career, his resume is nearly beyond comprehension and the conclusion is that Gordon Gillespie was the best there ever was. No other coach has ever collectively achieved his coaching records and it is extremely doubtful that anyone ever will.

Overview

Let’s consider the facts that he coached three (3) major sports: basketball, baseball, and football. 

After coaching college and high school sports for 59 years, Gordie retired in 2011 at the age of 85. He was perhaps the only man during that period of time to have coached three sports and have outstanding success in each sport. 

Baseball was the one sport that he coached for each of his 59 years, the longest coaching streak in the country. (Augie Garrido is 2^nd, having coached baseball for 48 years.) As of 2011, he had the most college baseball coaching wins (1,893) in the country. Beginning at Lewis College (University) in 1953, Gordie continued his baseball coaching career at the College (University) of St. Francis and Ripon College. 

Although he had never played football, Gordie became the head coach at Joliet Catholic in 1959 where he continued to coach for 27 years winning 5 State Championships. He then took on the coaching job at the University of St. Francis for 8 more years. In all, he coached football for 35 years while continuing his baseball duties.

His first college coaching assignment was in basketball at Lewis College in 1951 where his teams won 65% of their games and made a trip to the NAIA National Tournament in 1965. For a 6-year period, between 1959 through 1965, he was the head basketball coach at Lewis, the head baseball coach at Lewis, and the head football coach at Joliet Catholic. During that time, he was also the Lewis athletic director and taught two classes at both Lewis and Joliet Catholic.

It is noteworthy to mention other athletic commitments. He served several stints as an assistant football coach, both at Lewis and at Joliet Catholic, and spent many summers coaching younger kids in his baseball camps. For one year (1977), Gordie coached the women’s basketball team at St. Francis and in 1951 he was the head basketball coach at Joliet Catholic.

In totality, Gordie Gillespie coached 59 years which included 110 seasons. For 55 of those years, he coached more than 3,371 consecutive games without missing a game.

Public Perception of Gordie Gillespie

It has been pointed out how his former students and athletes have regarded him. Accolades and superlatives are resplendent with love and respect for all that he was to them. But what did the public, those outside his circle of players, think of him? How was he recognized by those who knew him only by knowledge of his wins, losses, championships, trophies, and reputation?

The criteria for outside acknowledgement might be assessed by the formal recognition that he received. Two forms of recognition would be “halls of fame” memberships and “special awards.” In fact, he was inducted into Hall of Fame memberships on 18 occasions and honored with so many Special Awards and Recognitions that only a few could be listed.  

When you consider:

• The impact that he made on thousands of students and athletes (“Gordie Alums”) as evidenced by the testimony and stories of devotion, respect, and love for him; 
• Coaching records that include three (3) major sports over a 59-year career, a feat never accomplished by any other coach; 
• 35 years coaching two to three sports per year; and,
• The public recognition that his accomplishments deserved honors as acknowledged by 18 Halls of Fame and numerous Special Awards. 

The conclusion should be reached that Gordie Gillespie should be recognized as the greatest coach in the history of American Sport.”

Coaching Records and Achievements

Records, Halls, Awards

Basketball (1951-1965)

• He was the head coach of Lewis College for 15 years with a record of 239-131 (69%) 
• His teams went to the NAIA finals one year, and played in the District 20 championships 5 times
• He was the coach at Joliet Catholic one year (1951-52) and the women’s coach at St. Francis one year. (1977)
• Halls of Fame (2)
  • DePaul University (1978)
  • Illinois High School Basketball Coaches (1984) 

Baseball (1952-2011) 59 years

• College baseball: 59 years; 1,893-952-1. (67%) Longer than any other coach in the nation. In 2^nd place: Augie Garrido: 48 years.
• Four times NAIA National Champs
• Nationally more wins than any other college coach as of 2011 
• Halls of Fame (5)
  • NAIA Baseball Coaches (1973)
  • Illinois High School Baseball (1984)
  • American Baseball Coaches Association (1991)
  • Wisconsin Baseball Coaches (2005)
  • National College Baseball (2009)
• Awards & Recognition (5)
  • NAIA Baseball Coach of the Year (1965, 1971, 1972, 1993)
  • Meritorious Service Award for Baseball ABCA (1987)
  • Lefty Gomez Award MLB (1991)
  • NAIA Collegiate Baseball Coach of the Century (1998)
  • Wisconsin High School Baseball Coaches Association “Man of the Year” (2000)

Football (1959-1993)

• College football: 8 years; 48-33. (59%)
• High school football: 27 years; 222-54-6 (80%)
  • Five times State of Illinois Champions
• Halls of Fame (3)
  • National Football Coaches Association (1979)
  • Illinois High School Football Coaches (1986)
  • (First coach in Illinois to be inducted into all three Halls of Fame)
  • National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame (1986)

• Awards and Recognition (2)
  • Frank Leahy Prep Coach of the Year: Notre Dame Club (1982)
  • Head Football Coach for All-Time Illinois H.S. Football Team: Chicago Tribune (1991)

General

• Halls of Fame (8)
  • Lewis University Athletic (1980)
  • Chicago Sports (1986)
  • National High School Sports (1989)
  • Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (1991)
  • College of St. Francis (1992)
  • Joliet/Will County Project Pride (1995)
  • Joliet Area Sports (2003
  • Joliet Catholic Academy Hall of Champions (2014)
• Awards and Recognition (3)
  • DePaul University Distinguished Alumni Award (1980)
  • Distinguished Service Award: National Federation of State H.S. Associations (1983)
  • Distinguished Service Award: United States Sports Academy (2010)

“Those of us who played for him would agree he deserved every single one of the above awards.”

See links for complete Coach Gordie Gillespie blogs:

https://braidwoodguy.com/2019/08/19/gordie-gospel-according-to-disciples-pat-ray-tony-and-tom/ Four former players discuss what they learned from Coach.

https://braidwoodguy.com/2020/03/24/the-humility-of-coach-gillespie-a-true-leader/ Humility was a quality that should serve as a model for all leaders.

https://braidwoodguy.com/2020/04/07/who-is-coach-gordie-gillespie/ Tom’s first encounter with a coach and teacher who was a mystery man to a young Braidwood kid.

https://braidwoodguy.com/2020/04/14/now-i-know-coach-gordie-gillespie/ Tom’s four years at Lewis with Coach Gillespie.

https://braidwoodguy.com/2020/04/16/gordie-gillespie-master-teacher-and-coach/ The experiences of Pat Sullivan, John Morrey, Tom Kennedy, and Tony Delgado as they assisted Gordie.

https://braidwoodguy.com/2019/10/30/the-day-that-coach-left-us/ The shock of the passing of Coach.

https://braidwoodguy.com/2019/10/09/the-game-when-gordie-ordered-his-hitter-to-strike-out/ Coach orders our hitter to strike out. What?

https://braidwoodguy.com/2019/06/12/a-legendary-lewis-baseball-game/ What coach would start a pitcher who hadn’t pitched all year? In the National NAIA tournament?

https://braidwoodguy.com/2019/05/23/longest-lewis-basketball-game-ever/ A “sudden death” basketball game Lewis won on a tip in.

https://braidwoodguy.com/2019/03/19/three-jocks-past-prime-time/ Three former players talk about old times with Coach.

https://braidwoodguy.com/2019/02/27/if-you-dont-like-kids-get-out/ The primary reason to coach is the welfare and well-being of the kids. Amen. It’s not about the coach.