Minnesota's Coach Kill to retire immediately due to health reasons

Nothing against Jerry (he is a good coach), but I'm surprised it took this long. I thought he was going to retire after the 2014 season.

I've always liked that dude. Definitely not the B1G coach I wanted to see retire for health reasons. I hope Michigan does something nice for him on Saturday. I still hope they hand his team a convincing loss, but maybe like an extra handshake after the game or something.

Get healthy coach.

It sucks that he's going to have to leave the team that he clearly enjoys coaching and has done a very good job with bringing up to a level of respectability. At the same time, Kill's seizures and health issues are scary, and it seems like the right decision if doctors and his family feels that he cannot coach and be able to spend quality time with his loved ones. It is what's important.

As far as how it affects Saturday's game, it just makes me feel bad about what Michigan is going to do his team...

/downvotes for insensitive comment about what Michigan is going to a departing coach's team

/upvotes for funny

/downvotes for telling me what to think about his post

Get well coach!


The anti-Urban Meyer

This really sucks to see. The guy is a great coach, and genuinely seemed to care about all of his players. Hopefully he can get healthy

Raback it!

What a shame.  It seemed like he had managed to get the seizure issue under control.  I hope for all the best for him and his family.

Coach Kill has always been a respected figure in the coaching community. I hope Minnesota gets a great replacement to take their program to the next level. The void of coaching now in the Big Ten West is startling: Kirk Ferentz, Pat Fitzgerald, Mike Riley, Paul Chryst, Daryl Hazell, Bill Cubit, and Tracy Claeys.

That list needs a serious upgrade if they are going to ever compete in the Big Ten title game -- especially at Wisconsin, Nebraska, and now Minnesota.

Feel bad for the players and the school. Coach Kill was getting the program back on track even if this year was a step backwards. Get well coach, get well.

I'm sad to see him leave the game, and hope that he can enjoy retirement and good health.

Coach kill was my favorite non Michigan coach. This is sad. I hope he gets this under control and lives a long time. Sad day for the B1G

Hope we get to see him next year at ExposureU. He and Fitzgerald are the non-M coaches I have the most respect for by a mile

Best wishes to him. Glad he got out when he knew when to do it and didn't force it.

We are going to see a motivated Gopher team Saturday.

I live in Minneapolis.  Coach Kill is a great guy by all accounts.  Wishing him and his family health and strength.  

Last week, another beloved Minnesota sports figure passed away.  Flip Saunders.  Been tough to watch a sportscast around here for a whle.  The only positive was that it pushed the Vikings-Lions rehash aside faster than they got through the offensive line on Sunday.

 

Definitley too bad...sad day for Minnesota and the conference.  He was great for that team despite his health issues.  Hopefully our boys play tough on Saturday because emotions will be high on their side.

 

Go blue!

Harbaugh. Seriously, very sad and wish him the best.

My brother played for Coach Kill at SVSU. Good guy and coach. Best wishes.

That sucks. Get better, Coach.

Damn.  He is one of those guys who if you talk to people that played for him or coached with him, every single one will go to war for him.  Every single one.  Hope he recovers fully.

LOVE coach Kill. get better coach.

Get well soon, Coach Kill. I'm now a tad nervous about the upcoming game, but it would be nice if Minny has something special planned for him on Saturday. And I wonder if Bart "Can't Wait" Scott and many of his other former players plan to be at TCF Stadium.

The college football coaching ranks lost a good one. I'm sure Minnesota will give their best efforts to honor him by keeping the jug. Best of luck coach, and may the rest of your days be long and prosperous with your friends and family.

is obviously quality.  Unfortunately his heath issues have been a giant question mark hanging over his head for years, and I'm actually somewhat surprised that he managed to be as successful as he has been given his battles with epilepsy, just because of the difficulties involved.  Obviously some of that falls on him having great support from the U of Minnesota, and some falls on his staff really stepping up for him when his heath problems came up.

 

I don't know a ton about the disease, but I do know that sometimes the only way to prevent seizures is to continue to increase dosages of the anti-seizure medications, and the side-effects can be extreme.  They usually involve loss of energy and other cognative side-effects.  Things that you can probably overcome in a standard existance, but really tough stuff to deal with in the never-rest 24/7 world of college football coaching. 

 

I give him a ton of credit for battling at long as he has and for his success.  Hopefully in retirement he can relax and get to a place where his health problems don't affect his life very much. 

 

 

I shared this with my wife, she had the immediate reaction that this makes Saturday much more difficult. I agree.

He will be missed in college football for sure. Aside from the impact on saturdays game he is a man of high charactor. He was the only other coach I truly respected out of the Big Ten. In a day and age where we see people putting football over everything it is nice to see a coach with a perspective on life. Hope he gets his health problems solved and can continue to be with his family. 

Sorry he had to leave the game. Hope this improves his condition some and he can enjoy his time away from the game.

This sucks. Always liked Coach Kill. Wish him the best.

This is truly unfortunate for Minnesota. He seems like a great guy and has done very good things for Gopher football.

Gonna miss this guy he is a class act and a real positive for the conference. I'm sure the Gophers are going to be very motivated to deliver a win for him Saturday...as they should. It's going to be a tough game and I'm sorry we aren't going up against Coach Kill.

With AD gone and the head coach resigned, there is a huge void in the Minnesota program.  I know it probably can't happen due to the same health issues, but Minnesota could do a lot worse than name Kill the AD.

With 25 years or so in affiliation with the Kill, Tracy Claeys will stay the head coach until they at least name a new AD.   And with the Minnesota staff coaching together for so long, he may stay on permenately, so as to keep the rest of the staff on board.  I'm sure Kill will push for that. 

UM watch out. Minnesota didn't really have much to play for... and now?.... I know it's not quite the same but it's a game of emotions... had the same uneasy feeling when Earl Bruce got fired before The Game or with Hank Gathers/Bo Kimble in the NCAA tournament...

Love you Coach Kill but wish you had done this a week later after our Halloween night game .

I feel bad for Jerry Kill but we're still gonna shut out Minnesota, 24-0.

Just watched the presser on Youtube. Really sad. That dude could coach it; one of, if not the, most underrated coaches in ball. Probably the pre-Michigan Beilein of football.

Good luck to that ol' ball coach. (Spurrier is The Ol' Ball Coach.)

Too bad it's due to illness; hope the time away helps improve his issue.


With all the coaching retirements this year, I wonder if he gets full contract value. I recall "The Boz" retired (shortly after Bo hit him!) and got his full NFL contract. Does anyone know if "retirement" has standard contract language allowing full payment?

wish Coack K and his family the best.