“[Tuesday] night, when I walked off the practice field, I felt like a part of me died”. It was a shock to everybody. I thought he had it under control and all that. “I don’t think he did”.
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Associate head coach Tracy Claeys will take over as interim coach, with the 4-3 Gophers preparing to play Michigan on Saturday in Minneapolis.
The Gophers’ on-campus stadium that opened in 2009 surely has had a positive impact on the program, and the go-ahead previous year to build a $70 million football complex would only have been a big asset for Kill in luring players from all over America to the cold of Minnesota. In 2013, Kill took an extended leave of absence, during which Claeys team went 4-4. It’s going to be a weird feeling not seeing him out there, not having him yell at you and push you and whatnot. With Minnesota now opening, it appears to be a particularly busy coaching search season in the Big Ten, meaning there will be a lot of competition for similar types of coaching candidates. There may not be a coaching staff in the nation that had greater continuity. It will be different, but it will be alright.
Still, the 2016 freshman class won’t be led by Kill, the primary man the recruits committed to, the man Schlueter said has a “fantastic personality”, the man Martin and Coughlin said makes them laugh every time they talk to them and the man Martin said does a great job “producing young men”. “The guys we work with are serious about football but lighthearted guys”. He invested in us as human beings, as people.
Boyum and his son Travis manage their epilepsy with medication, but not a day goes by they don’t think about the “what ifs”. “And so I would just want him to know that he has everyone’s support”.
Starting center Dan Voltz and second-leading receiver Robert Wheelwright suffered leg injuries that will keep them out for the remainder of the regular season, while quarterback Joel Stave suffered a head injury that has him questionable for this week’s game against Rutgers. “Our profession lost one of the finest men in the game with Coach Kill”.
In a press release from the school, Kill commented on his retirement.
Southern Illinois hadn’t had a winning season in nine years; Kill had the Salukis back in the I-AA playoffs within three years and had them ranked No. 1 in the fourth.
Kill resurrected the Golden Gophers program during his tenure, guiding Minnesota to three bowl appearances including a Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl appearance in January that marked the Golden Gophers’ first appearance in a New Year’s Day bowl since 1962. I’ve never cheated and I didn’t steal. I love what it’s done for my family.
Where the university goes from here is a big question.
Bazil, director of the Columbia Comprehensive Epilepsy Center in New York, said epilepsy is a complicated condition that has a wide range of effects.
It also leaves the players, especially the younger ones, in a tough spot.
Sometimes stability and patience aren’t the worst things in the world, though I’m not naming names (Iowa).
“I don’t want to be a liability”, Kill said. “I’m definitely looking forward to playing under him for these next four years”. Kill said, turning to look at his wife, who nodded as she cried. He has taken a team that was always considered an “easy” win by opponents and made them a force no one can take lightly.
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“[I told the players] you can’t do football forever…i told them I loved them, I care about them”.
