Minnesota's Coach Kill to retire immediately due to health reasons
Coach Kill announced today that he is retiring effective immediately due to health reasons. Tracy Claeys has been named interim head coach.
— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) October 28, 2015October 28th, 2015 at 8:48 AM ^
It seems that with his seizure issues that this has been in his mind for some time, but still a shame to see him go. Not only a class act, but he really reinvigorated that program.
And his freakin' name is Coach Kill ! You know that this MGoBoard member has a soft spot for anyone named "Coach Kill" - it's so refreshingly honest.
October 28th, 2015 at 8:49 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 8:49 AM ^
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October 28th, 2015 at 8:50 AM ^
What is with this season? How many open jobs does this make mid season?
October 28th, 2015 at 10:40 AM ^
Open now or with interim not expected to get final job: USC, USoCar, Illinois, Minnesota, Maryland, Miami FL, UCF
Expected to be open at end of year: Purdue, Rutgers, Houston (Tom Herman's going somewhere), K-State (credible rumblings the Old Wizard has decided this is his final year)
Still could be open and would change calculus entirely: Georgia, Auburn, Texas (although that seems to have been tamped down for now)
Other P5 jobs that could be open if flame outs occur / NFL jobs open: Boston College, Indiana, Penn St, Nebraska, UCLA (NFL move), Arkansas, NC State, Duke, Ga Tech
So even just that open now list has a lot of "quality" jobs that will cause other movement in lesser schools (see Toledo, Bowling Green, Temple, Western Michigan as lower tier schools likely to lose their coach to a higher position and cause shuffles). I'm not sure if this in unprecedented, but there's a lot of churn going to be happening.
October 28th, 2015 at 11:07 AM ^
Who's got it better than us?
October 28th, 2015 at 11:35 AM ^
Noooooooooooooooooooobody!
October 28th, 2015 at 8:50 AM ^
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October 28th, 2015 at 8:50 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 8:51 AM ^
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October 28th, 2015 at 8:55 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 8:59 AM ^
Maybe if you took off your Ray Ban Aviator knock-offs you'd be able to see better. Marsupials in general can see colors better than humans, with some able to see into the ultraviolet range.
But those marsupials aren't wearing Aviator knock-offs.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:09 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 8:59 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 8:51 AM ^
Sad as he is a good man and a good coach and his influence on the game will be missed.
October 28th, 2015 at 8:51 AM ^
It does seem that his health issues seemed to happen around the Michigan - Minnesota game.
October 28th, 2015 at 8:54 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 9:12 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 9:19 AM ^
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October 28th, 2015 at 12:03 PM ^
srsly wondering why. All the best to Coach Kill, but I am not at all a Minnesota fan. They have our jug and hurt our QB last year.
October 28th, 2015 at 8:54 AM ^
just sad!!! he was/is a great coach that was able to turn the gophers into a competitive team again for the most part...
coach Kill you will be missed but you are doing the right thing for your health and your family...
October 28th, 2015 at 8:54 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 9:00 AM ^
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October 28th, 2015 at 8:55 AM ^
Being a MN resident have had the opportunity to watch coach Kill on a regular basis and have had kids attend his camps. He is a class act and good coach. Wish him nothing but the best.
October 28th, 2015 at 8:55 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 8:56 AM ^
Nice writeup:
http://www.startribune.com/jerry-kill-retires-as-u-football-coach-due-t…
He really turned that program around:
The Gophers went 3-9, 6-7, 8-5 and 8-5 in his first four years and are 4-3 heading into Saturday’s game against Michigan.
Last year, they went 5-3 in the Big Ten, their first winning conference record since 2003, and played in their first New Year’s Day bowl game since 1962.
October 28th, 2015 at 8:59 AM ^
Yeah he's done a really nice job there in a fairly short amount of time. Best wishes for him and his family.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:00 AM ^
Sad news for the Big Ten and Coach Kill. I'm hoping he can land at Big Ten Network, where we need actual personalities who know football and I assume would accomodate his health needs better than being a head coach would.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:24 AM ^
Yes - trade Kill for Glen Mason. Mason blows on the network and in the booth.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:02 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 9:05 AM ^
Hoping for the best for Coach Kill and his family. Thoughts and prayers to them.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:12 AM ^
Poor dude. Genuinely good guy, respected by his peers and players alike.
Sucks for him long-term.
Sucks for us he announced it this week and not next week.
October 28th, 2015 at 10:56 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 9:06 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 9:07 AM ^
to precipitate an immediate retirement.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:07 AM ^
Prayers go out to the Kill family! Get better Coach Kill!
October 28th, 2015 at 9:08 AM ^
At least we can all safely assume this isn't because he got caught with a co-ed. Looking at you Urban.
Seriously though, too bad etc., but on a Wednesday at 9AM the week of the Jug Game? I hope he finds peace in his retirement, but man, this has been going on for years. For the programs sake he should have retired in the off-season.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:10 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 9:11 AM ^
So many head coaching positions open! I don't like this....
October 28th, 2015 at 9:17 AM ^
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October 28th, 2015 at 9:11 AM ^
It is very sad, and yet, I'm glad he can walk away with his faculties intact. Some things are more important than football. May he be able to enjoy however much life he has left, hopefully a long, healthy and prosperous life.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:12 AM ^
I'm sorry to hear of this; Coach Kill did a great job there. And 54 is an awfully young age to be forced into retirement.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:16 AM ^
Hopefully, it isn't anything too serious and he can find some rest and recouperation in retirement. He seemed like a great guy and a determined one too, having battled seizures and even cancer at one point, if I remember correctly. Further, he seemed like an excellent coach - he had Minnesota as a program trending in the right direction too, as last year they had their first winning conference record in over a decade.
Get well, Coach Kill.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:17 AM ^
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October 28th, 2015 at 9:18 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 9:23 AM ^
That is exactly what I thought too. As a fellow cancer "survior" I can tell you that genie doesnt always stay in the bottle forever unfortunately. And treatment on a resurgent kidney cancer would be pretty tough.
Either way it sucks for him.
October 28th, 2015 at 10:28 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 9:17 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 9:20 AM ^
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October 28th, 2015 at 9:20 AM ^
That's awful I hate to see this happen to a guy like this especially because of something that he has no control over. I could see this happening eventually but not this suddenly. Although I wonder who is on their list to become their permanent head coach.