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Hofstra90
November 14th, 2005, 06:30 AM
http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/ny-skguardi144512548nov14,0,7550566.story

Hofstra football coach Joe Gardi will retire at the end of this season, which could conclude with Saturday's home game against No. 5 Massachusetts. After 16 years on the Hofstra sideline, Gardi, 66, said he wants to spend more time with his family. "The experience as head coach of this university has been fulfilling beyond expectations," he said, "but I look forward to turning to the next chapter in my life."

Gardi was at the helm as Hofstra moved from Division III to a Division I-AA independent in 1994, then to the Atlantic 10 conference in 2001.

He has posted a career record of 118-62-2 at Hofstra, taking the Pride (nee Dutchmen) to the Div. I-AA Playoffs five times with a postseason record of 2-5. He also brought Hofstra to the Div. III Playoffs his first season, 1990. He is the only Hofstra coach to win an NCAA Playoff game. His wins (118) and percentage (.654) are both the second-best in school history.

Gardi also coached 33 players who signed contracts with either NFL or Canadian Football League teams.

This was the final year of Gardi's contract. He and Hofstra athletic director Jack Hayes said they decided not to discuss an extension during the season. Hayes said he met with Gardi yesterday, when the coach told Hayes his decision. A formal announcement will be made today.

Gardi said after speaking with his family this summer, it became clear this would be his final season. "I feel like I deserve the chance to enjoy time with my family," he said. Gardi and his wife, Audrey, have two grown children and four grandchildren.

The Pride is 6-4 this year, its first winning season since 2001.

Hofstra has a sliver of a chance at being invited to this year's I-AA Playoffs; a win against Massachusetts is crucial and could extend the Joe Gardi Era by at least a week.

grizzpaw
November 14th, 2005, 08:17 AM
i sured enjoyed his teams coming to montana. your losing one first class coach! go luck finding another one like him.

89Hen
November 14th, 2005, 09:58 AM
Wow, great coach. I have nothing but respect for him. :nod:

henfan
November 14th, 2005, 10:16 AM
JoeGa was a terrific coach but clearly he had lost a little in his final years. This was a good decision on his part to leave while HU was still very respectable.

UD fans are going to miss hating Joe but I'm sure many will admit to admiring him. I'll never forget the time the UD fans were really letting Gardi have it. He turned to the stands and said, "Hey, at least I'm not Andy Talley." Everybody laughed. From then on, he won us over.

Big loss for HU and the A-10. There's no doubt Hofstra will use the loss as a springboard to better things. Good luck to 'em.

Ivytalk
November 14th, 2005, 12:07 PM
Gardi kind of grew on me. I had more fun booing Jay Wright when he coached Hofstra hoops. Now he's Villanova's problem! :p

ChickenMan
November 14th, 2005, 12:19 PM
Gardi's final game will probably result in a big effort vs UMass... the Minutemen had best come ready to play.

ngineer
November 14th, 2005, 09:45 PM
Coach Gardi was very magnanimous after a very difficult loss to Lehigh in the 2001 playoffs. He certainly produced a winning legacy at a school that, to me, has always been lukewarm about football.