Minnesota coach Jerry Kill abruptly retired Wednesday, saying his epilepsy had become too draining for him to continue his exhaustive effort to rebuild the program.
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Throughout his coaching career at both the University of Minnesota and the University of Southern Illinois, Kill has dealt with epilepsy, which he was diagnosed with in 2005. And it finally came to a point where Kill made a decision to walk away to benefit the program, himself and his family.
The momentum crested past year when the Gophers went 8-5, including 5-3 in the Big Ten for their first winning record in conference play since 2003.
The Gophers’ defensive coordinator, Tracy Claeys, will take over as interim head coach.
“I’ve given every ounce that I have for 32 years to the game of football and the kids I’ve been able to coach”, Kill told reporters at a press conference streamed online. And while Minnesota might not be competing for a Big Ten title, one head coach of a team that is competing spoke up about Kill’s retirement. Minnesota was 4-3 when Claeys was the acting head coach and posted wins against Northwestern, Nebraska, Indiana and Penn State. Though Kill’s exit will take its emotional toll, the football, the Xs and Os, remain the same. “But I’m going to listen this time”.
Kill said even as he faced this announcement, he was wrestling with the decision. Much love and respect for Coach Kill! He said on Wednesday that he’s drawn interest from other pro leagues, like the Arena League, but the wear and tear on his body isn’t worth the paycheck.
“I feel like a part of me died”, Kill said. Former head coach Jerry Kill earned everyone’s sympathy when he was forced to retire Wednesday due to medical concerns.
Kill was named Minnesota’s head coach on December 7, 2010. This was a coach who said he slept less than three hours a night.
Michigan secondary coach Greg Jackson explains moving past the MSU loss. “But, on any given day, his teams were capable of beating the best teams in the country”, said Glasenapp. I’m not speaking about everybody, but in terms of Jerry Kill, I know it for a fact.
Kill, 54, had a seizure on the sideline on September 14, 2013, at halftime against Western Illinois, but he returned to the sidelines the next week. “None. I’ve left it all here in the great state of Minnesota and I have no regrets”, Kill said. And I don’t want to cheat the game. He is just a genuine, genuine person who is stepping aside for all the right reasons.
Earlier this year, Kill and his wife partnered with the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota on a new “Chasing Dreams” fund geared toward helping children with epilepsy. “I want to coach the way I have coached my whole life”.
It’s hard to say what effect those interim coaches will have on Iowa’s opponents – and Iowa’s own ability to win those games and keep this season rolling along.
Kill has suffered several seizures since becoming the Gophers coach in 2011.
“We are well aware of the calendar”, said U President Eric Kaler, who’s waiting for outside attorneys to finish an investigation into the events and timeline surrounding Teague’s resignation before hiring a new athletic director.
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There isn’t a timeline for when the search for the new athletics director will begin, and the search for a permanent replacement for Kill presumably won’t come until after the hire of a new athletics director.
