MINNEAPOLIS — John Gagliardi was ahead of his time as a football coach, believing he did not need to make his players suffer for them to succeed.

Using unconventional methods at a small private university in Minnesota, Gagliardi won more football games than anybody who has ever coached in college.

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

“John was a winner in so many ways, but mostly in his ability to connect with others,” Gina Gagliardi Benson, the coach’s daughter, posted on Facebook. “His appreciation of others ran so deep that it was the core of who John was.”

Gagliardi retired in 2012 after a record 64 seasons as a head coach, with 60 of those at St. John’s, an all-male school. He finished with 489 victories, 138 losses and 11 ties, winning four national championships. But he drew as much national attention to a school with fewer than 2,000 students with his laid-back approach to the sport. His policy was to not cut any players from the roster, and guide nonstrenuous practices that never exceeded 90 minutes.

“John Gagliardi was not only an extraordinary coach, he was also an educator of young men and builder of character,” St. John’s President Michael Hemesath said in a statement. “John inspired deep and enduring loyalty and passion among his players across the decades because he taught them lessons through the medium of football that served them well in their personal and professional lives long after graduating from St. John’s University. His is a legacy any educator would be extremely proud of.”

AP TOP 25: Notre Dame moved into the top five, Texas and Central Florida reached the top 10, and the Southeastern Conference placed a season-high eight teams in the latest Associated Press college football poll.

After three teams in the top eight and eight ranked teams overall lost on Saturday, there was significant movement throughout the poll, except in the first four spots.

Alabama stayed No. 1, with 59 first-place votes, and Georgia remained No. 2. No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Clemson each received one first-place vote from the media panel.

Notre Dame reached a season-high fifth after beating Virginia Tech on Saturday night. Texas jumped 10 spots to No. 9 after beating Oklahoma. The Longhorns are in the top 10 for the first time since Sept. 19, 2010, when they reached No. 7.

No. 10 Central Florida has never been ranked higher during the regular season. The Knights, who have the nation’s longest winning streak at 18 games, finished last season unbeaten and at No. 6 in the final poll.

The SEC’s eight teams are the most by a conference since the SEC had eight on Oct. 16, 2016. The record for most teams in the AP Top 25 for one conference is 10 by the SEC on Sept. 8, 2015.

MIAMI: Wide receiver Ahmmon Richards’ career is effectively over because of a disabling neck injury that will make playing football a too high-risk proposition for him going forward.

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