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, 2015
October 28th, 2015 at 9:20 AM ^
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.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:23 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 9:23 AM ^
Get healthy coach.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:24 AM ^
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
October 28th, 2015 at 9:27 AM ^
Minnesota will feel this loss. He was an upstanding coach. Good luck to him and his family.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:30 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 9:32 AM ^
As many have said, a class act and great leader of young men.
Thank you for your contributions to the game we all love, Coach Kill. Keep dancing.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:33 AM ^
Raback it!
October 28th, 2015 at 9:34 AM ^
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.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:37 AM ^
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.
October 28th, 2015 at 10:03 AM ^
First, I'll echo all the well-wishes for Coach Kill in this thread. Always seemed like a good guy and a good coach. It's terrible he won't get to continue doing what he does best, but health and family always come first -- and as someone mentioned above, maybe we'll see him on the BigTen Network. And this does make me worry a lot more about Saturday's game -- you know we'll get the Gophers' best shot.
The poster above is right -- this is also a real loss for the Big Ten. That's a tough program for a coach to be able to win at consistently, and Kill was getting the job done. The conference needs more good coaches like him, especially in the West division, to maintain the standing of the conference in comparison with others.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:38 AM ^
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October 28th, 2015 at 9:41 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 9:42 AM ^
That's a big loss for Minnesota. Kill seems like a really good guy and hopefully he stays healthy.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:42 AM ^
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October 28th, 2015 at 9:48 AM ^
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October 28th, 2015 at 10:43 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 9:51 AM ^
We are going to see a motivated Gopher team Saturday.
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October 28th, 2015 at 9:56 AM ^
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.
October 28th, 2015 at 9:58 AM ^
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!
October 28th, 2015 at 10:00 AM ^
This press conference is heart breaking.
"Shit I've taken years off my life and hers (his wife) but we'd do it again? Damn right".
Dusty in here.
October 28th, 2015 at 10:05 AM ^
Best of Wishes to Coach Kill. Class Act. It sucks to see someone doing it right, have to give it up due to health.
October 28th, 2015 at 10:07 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 10:14 AM ^
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October 28th, 2015 at 10:21 AM ^
That sucks. Get better, Coach.
October 28th, 2015 at 10:23 AM ^
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.
October 28th, 2015 at 10:24 AM ^
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October 28th, 2015 at 10:40 AM ^
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.
October 28th, 2015 at 10:46 AM ^
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October 28th, 2015 at 10:47 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 11:16 AM ^
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.
October 28th, 2015 at 11:15 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 11:21 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 11:25 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 2:16 PM ^
The right thing to do is to show some respect, at least in this thread.
EDIT: Now I do, and congrats on getting my first-ever vote. Didn't want it to be a neg, but....
October 28th, 2015 at 11:23 AM ^
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.
October 28th, 2015 at 11:47 AM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 12:27 PM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 12:37 PM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 12:58 PM ^
October 28th, 2015 at 1:30 PM ^
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.
October 28th, 2015 at 1:33 PM ^
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 .
October 28th, 2015 at 5:09 PM ^
He's no longer their coach so there is no "win one for the Gipper". I think it is unsettling at the very least.
October 28th, 2015 at 1:35 PM ^
I feel bad for Jerry Kill but we're still gonna shut out Minnesota, 24-0.
October 28th, 2015 at 2:19 PM ^
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.)
October 28th, 2015 at 2:20 PM ^
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?
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October 28th, 2015 at 2:23 PM ^
wish Coack K and his family the best.
October 28th, 2015 at 2:56 PM ^
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