Shooter: Pssst there’s some question as to whether Jerry Kill will return to Rutgers


He needs to just walk away... go live on his farm and Relax
 

Every time he takes a break, he gets healthy, then he tries to do football again and gets sick again.
 

Nobody should/can tell the man how to live his life. He's climbed a long ladder to fulfil a dream. He's done that with one of the most physically debilitating afflictions a person can have.

He's long been a public advocate/role model for various epilepsy related causes. He's always sending a message to children that you don't have to let epilepsy define who you are and dictate what you can and cannot do.

I have niece who is hit pretty hard by this in recent years. I have personally cited Kill's story, and have seen the gears turning behind her in eyes. He's touched the lives of thousands of people he hasn't even met (and has done his best to meet as many as possible). I'd wager that the man has done more good with the work he's done in one day, than those telling him to quit have in their entire lives.

Good for him for fighting for what he loves to do instead of "just going to his farm," to live out his days. Shame on anyone who thinks it's their place to tell him how to live because his condition makes them uncomfortable.

Thanks, Jerry, for being the being the bull dog that you are, and spreading that attitude. There isn't a more class act in college football, and frankly, most Gopher fans have unfortunately forgotten that with all of the ridiculous nonsense of the last 12 months.
 

Nobody should/can tell the man how to live his life. He's climbed a long ladder to fulfil a dream. He's done that with one of the most physically debilitating afflictions a person can have.

He's long been a public advocate/role model for various epilepsy related causes. He's always sending a message to children that you don't have to let epilepsy define who you are and dictate what you can and cannot do.

I have niece who is hit pretty hard by this in recent years. I have personally cited Kill's story, and have seen the gears turning behind her in eyes. He's touched the lives of thousands of people he hasn't even met (and has done his best to meet as many as possible). I'd wager that the man has done more good with the work he's done in one day, than those telling him to quit have in their entire lives.

Good for him for fighting for what he loves to do instead of "just going to his farm," to live out his days. Shame on anyone who thinks it's their place to tell him how to live because his condition makes them uncomfortable.

Thanks, Jerry, for being the being the bull dog that you are, and spreading that attitude. There isn't a more class act in college football, and frankly, most Gopher fans have unfortunately forgotten that with all of the ridiculous nonsense of the last 12 months.

Absolutely spot on! When I suggested that he get a different non-football job at the U, I nearly get my head torn off and my comment deleted.

Shame on those who have forgotten all the good that Jerry Kill and his wife have brought to this community, this University, and the Gopher Football program. He and Rebecca were nothing but a class act.
 


I think Jerry is a good coach.

I think his contributions here were good.

I think several GH'ers overrate his accomplishments however.
 

When your illness prevents you from doing your job it creates a scenario where you need to look in the mirror and ask yourself is this what's best for me and my family. I totally agree that he is an inspiration to many and I am fully on board that every deserves to chase and try to fulfil their dreams. In Jerry's case he has done that, he has reached the pinnacle of college coaching a power 5 head coach. Chasing that dream has put him in the hospital numerous times and thankfully it hasn't taken his his life or left him debilitated to where he can't do basic day to day routines.. your quality of life has to come into play eventually not only for his sake but his wife and children's as well. Not taking in all factors and weighing them is selfish. Now if Rebecca, his children, and any university he works for are fully on board and prepared to deal with ultimately what could happen then by all means go ahead and coach, just be prepared to deal with what could ultimately be a horrific situation. I personally would not want to put anyone in that situation especially with a past that has shown numerous times, for him; to not be one he can manage with this illness
 

Nobody should/can tell the man how to live his life. He's climbed a long ladder to fulfil a dream. He's done that with one of the most physically debilitating afflictions a person can have.

He's long been a public advocate/role model for various epilepsy related causes. He's always sending a message to children that you don't have to let epilepsy define who you are and dictate what you can and cannot do.

I have niece who is hit pretty hard by this in recent years. I have personally cited Kill's story, and have seen the gears turning behind her in eyes. He's touched the lives of thousands of people he hasn't even met (and has done his best to meet as many as possible). I'd wager that the man has done more good with the work he's done in one day, than those telling him to quit have in their entire lives.

Good for him for fighting for what he loves to do instead of "just going to his farm," to live out his days. Shame on anyone who thinks it's their place to tell him how to live because his condition makes them uncomfortable.

Thanks, Jerry, for being the being the bull dog that you are, and spreading that attitude. There isn't a more class act in college football, and frankly, most Gopher fans have unfortunately forgotten that with all of the ridiculous nonsense of the last 12 months.

Really appreciate the passion in this post. And very sorry to hear about your niece's affliction.

You're absolutely correct, though I wasn't proclaiming that Kill should quit coaching. Simply noting that he clearly has not yet, and may never be able, to figure out that magic combination of work, rest, diet, etc. that allows him to function at a high-level role in a high-level football program without having seizures that are induced from the stress of the job. I'm pretty sure he had a seizure this past season at Rutgers.


In my opinion, the perfect situation for him would be only to: watch tape of the opponent, figure out the game plan each week, and call the plays. No position coaching. No recruiting. No road trips. No selling boosters to donate. Etc.

Not sure if that job exists in college football, at least at the high level. Maybe in the NFL a coordinator can get away with that? Don't know for sure.
 

I think Jerry is a good coach.

I think his contributions here were good.

I think several GH'ers overrate his accomplishments however.

Maybe they do. However there is no way we would have the new athlete village facilities without Coach Kills efforts.
 



Rutgers is going to have the same problem the U of M did.
You want him to be able to make his own decisions regarding his health, but you also need an O coordinator who isn’t going to miss practices and/or games.
 

Absolutely spot on! When I suggested that he get a different non-football job at the U, I nearly get my head torn off and my comment deleted.

Shame on those who have forgotten all the good that Jerry Kill and his wife have brought to this community, this University, and the Gopher Football program. He and Rebecca were nothing but a class act.

BS! Please, let’s not go there again. The U did offer him a job, but it wasn’t good enough for him. He wanted to mettle into the program too much.


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I think Jerry is a good coach.

I think his contributions here were good.

I think several GH'ers overrate his accomplishments however.

If there are those that zealously preach the accomplishments of Kill I cannot fault them. It can rationally be argued that he has done as much or more for Gopher football than any other coach in the past 50 years. It's difficult to overrate that.
 

Nobody should/can tell the man how to live his life. He's climbed a long ladder to fulfil a dream. He's done that with one of the most physically debilitating afflictions a person can have.

He's long been a public advocate/role model for various epilepsy related causes. He's always sending a message to children that you don't have to let epilepsy define who you are and dictate what you can and cannot do.

I have niece who is hit pretty hard by this in recent years. I have personally cited Kill's story, and have seen the gears turning behind her in eyes. He's touched the lives of thousands of people he hasn't even met (and has done his best to meet as many as possible). I'd wager that the man has done more good with the work he's done in one day, than those telling him to quit have in their entire lives.

Good for him for fighting for what he loves to do instead of "just going to his farm," to live out his days. Shame on anyone who thinks it's their place to tell him how to live because his condition makes them uncomfortable.

Thanks, Jerry, for being the being the bull dog that you are, and spreading that attitude. There isn't a more class act in college football, and frankly, most Gopher fans have unfortunately forgotten that with all of the ridiculous nonsense of the last 12 months.

All good points. I like Jerry personally. His impacts to Minnesota football should not be underrated or overrated.

When your affliction affects others professionally, you need to look inward. I was a big supporter of his when he was going through his worst times here. It was an emotional drag that cannot be understated, especially on 18-22 year old "men". Imagine if it was your dad, or your boss--especially if you really like him. I literally would get sick when Jerry would have one of his bad spots--and he was just the flickin' coach of my favorite team. I cannot imagine what his players and assistants were going through. This isn't about being an advocate, or fighting, or personal decisions.

And don't talk about shame. Guess what? Your place of business DOES get to tell you what to do when your illness prevents you from doing your job. Adding it all together and looking at the whole picture...Jerry needs to find an administrative job if he wants to stay in football.

And there nothing wrong with anyone telling him that. The flip side is that he can do what he wants. And I believe he will die doing it. That is his choice. But when it affects others lives and jobs, well that just stinks too.
 



Nobody should/can tell the man how to live his life. He's climbed a long ladder to fulfil a dream. He's done that with one of the most physically debilitating afflictions a person can have.

He's long been a public advocate/role model for various epilepsy related causes. He's always sending a message to children that you don't have to let epilepsy define who you are and dictate what you can and cannot do.

I have niece who is hit pretty hard by this in recent years. I have personally cited Kill's story, and have seen the gears turning behind her in eyes. He's touched the lives of thousands of people he hasn't even met (and has done his best to meet as many as possible). I'd wager that the man has done more good with the work he's done in one day, than those telling him to quit have in their entire lives.

Good for him for fighting for what he loves to do instead of "just going to his farm," to live out his days. Shame on anyone who thinks it's their place to tell him how to live because his condition makes them uncomfortable.

Thanks, Jerry, for being the being the bull dog that you are, and spreading that attitude. There isn't a more class act in college football, and frankly, most Gopher fans have unfortunately forgotten that with all of the ridiculous nonsense of the last 12 months.

+1 I told the story of a young lady that was inspired by coach Kill at one of his Epilepsy camps. She chose the U because of him. The gift of hope is powerful.
 

Previous to his resignation team doctors noted that Jerry was fine and his seizures do not have a cumulative impact on his health and that Jerry was doing everything he should to manage his health.

At his resignation press conference Jerry seemed to strongly imply he was told by his doctors that he had to quit or there would be health consequences, and Jerry seemed to imply he couldn't be 100% when he took his meds and so he hadn't been taking them and he didn't want to coach being anything less than 100%...

I always wondered if in going back to Rutgers if he chose to do what he was told by doctors... or had gone back to not taking his meds.
 

I was very happy to have Kill as the Gophers coach. It can be debated forever but I feel he was on track to have a consistent 8-4 team with occasional flirtations with 10-2 or rarely, even better. Compared to the past 50 years, that would be good. I wish it hadn't ended with him the way it did and the way he had to step down. I am bummed even further that he now seems to have some bad blood related to the "U". I miss him. I miss the way he coached. I miss the way he ran the program. But, I still hold optimism related to Fleck and continue to feel he could build something special here. Other than Fleck's coaching of Kill's players, there isn't much of a connection between the two and I can separate my positive vibes related to both of them.
 

If Kill would not have had to retire ... and he only has the seizures as a complication of having cancer in the past (not sure if it was due to the treatment, or the cancer itself, or maybe both?) ... we’d still have Limegrover as OC, Claeys as DC, Klein as strength, etc.

That was Kill’s thing, continuity. That and recruiting “underrated” players.

Who knows how 15 would’ve finished, and how 16 and 17 would’ve gone. We’ll never know ...
 

He won half the games he coached, and never a bowl game.
In 8 seasons at the D1 coaching level, he was cumulative 7 games over .500 (Minnesota record plus Northern Illinois)

He was adequate, he was stable and he was basically average in every way. He gets the benefit of being compared to the abject failure of the Brewster era, a hire that never should have happened. Kill was a step down from Mason, but luckily for him, Brewster was three steps down, so by comparison he was hailed a wonderful upgrade.

Guy was on the hot seat before he resigned, how quickly we forget how stale the program was in 2015. It started with such promise and hope, a very good TCU game to kick off the season, then it went off the rails. Three 3 point wins against inferior non-conf opponents, an even more embarrassing shut out loss to NU than what happened this year. 4 of the 6 wins that year happened on or before October 10.

Looking back on it, what were so many so dang excited about?
 

He won half the games he coached, and never a bowl game.
Guy was on the hot seat before he resigned, how quickly we forget how stale the program was in 2015.

You're totally making this up. Kill was not even close to being on the hotseat at the time of his resignation.
 

You're totally making this up. Kill was not even close to being on the hotseat at the time of his resignation.
Agree he was not on the hot seat. I would say some fans were out of the honeymoon stage. I wasn’t really a fan of his but I didn’t think he should’ve been on the hot seat
 

Didn't think much of Kill while he was at the U and think even less of him since he has been gone.

Kill proved what he is all about when he started bad mouthing the U when they didn't cave into him pressuring the Administration to give him the job he wanted.
 

I know Coach Kill had a seizure this year but also know it happened shortly after he got drilled by a player on the sidelines and they thought the two might be connected. Not sure if he had any others, but if this rumor is true than I would guess it wasn't just the one that was made public.

This hire was one of the oddest hires I've ever seen. Coach Kill was a good head coach, but offensive genius never even occurred to me. I would have never thought about hiring him as an OC, and that is assuming he was healthy.

I feel bad if he can't do it because of his health. I always liked him and I honestly wish him nothing but the best.
 

Didn't think much of Kill while he was at the U and think even less of him since he has been gone.

Kill proved what he is all about when he started bad mouthing the U when they didn't cave into him pressuring the Administration to give him the job he wanted.

Coming from you, I SHOCKED.
 


Kill proved what he is all about when he started bad mouthing the U when they didn't cave into him pressuring the Administration to give him the job he wanted.

Sadly, I agree with this. Was a big Kill fan while he was here. Found myself just wanting him to go away soon after he left.

By "proved what he is all about" I will assume you mean himself. Again, I agree to some point. I am not a fan of coaches who run around preaching how they are all about the kids when their actions say they are not.


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He won half the games he coached, and never a bowl game.
In 8 seasons at the D1 coaching level, he was cumulative 7 games over .500 (Minnesota record plus Northern Illinois)

He was adequate, he was stable and he was basically average in every way. He gets the benefit of being compared to the abject failure of the Brewster era, a hire that never should have happened. Kill was a step down from Mason, but luckily for him, Brewster was three steps down, so by comparison he was hailed a wonderful upgrade.

Guy was on the hot seat before he resigned, how quickly we forget how stale the program was in 2015. It started with such promise and hope, a very good TCU game to kick off the season, then it went off the rails. Three 3 point wins against inferior non-conf opponents, an even more embarrassing shut out loss to NU than what happened this year. 4 of the 6 wins that year happened on or before October 10.

Looking back on it, what were so many so dang excited about?

He got the chance to coach in the Big Ten because of what he did at N Illinois and S Illinois before that.

His last five seasons at S Illinois he went 10-2, 10-2, 9-4, 9-4, 12-2, and that is in the same conference that NDSU and SDSU are in now, though that was before they joined. It was still a tough conf back then, for that level of college football. And that was after bringing the team up from 1-10, 4-8 the two seasons prior to the winning seasons.

At N Illinois he went 6-7, 7-6, and 10-3, taking over for their longtime coach Joe Novak.



He wasn't first on Maturi's list, but he was a reasonable candidate. I like MAC coaches that have done well at that level, as Big Ten (or other P5) coaches.



I know Coach Kill had a seizure this year but also know it happened shortly after he got drilled by a player on the sidelines and they thought the two might be connected. Not sure if he had any others, but if this rumor is true than I would guess it wasn't just the one that was made public.

This hire was one of the oddest hires I've ever seen. Coach Kill was a good head coach, but offensive genius never even occurred to me. I would have never thought about hiring him as an OC, and that is assuming he was healthy.

I feel bad if he can't do it because of his health. I always liked him and I honestly wish him nothing but the best.

I thought he had more OC chops, but it only shows two years at the DII level in the early 1990's. For some reason I thought he was more concerned with the offense, but maybe my mind is making that up.
 

All good points. I like Jerry personally. His impacts to Minnesota football should not be underrated or overrated.

When your affliction affects others professionally, you need to look inward. I was a big supporter of his when he was going through his worst times here. It was an emotional drag that cannot be understated, especially on 18-22 year old "men". Imagine if it was your dad, or your boss--especially if you really like him. I literally would get sick when Jerry would have one of his bad spots--and he was just the flickin' coach of my favorite team. I cannot imagine what his players and assistants were going through. This isn't about being an advocate, or fighting, or personal decisions.

And don't talk about shame. Guess what? Your place of business DOES get to tell you what to do when your illness prevents you from doing your job. Adding it all together and looking at the whole picture...Jerry needs to find an administrative job if he wants to stay in football.

And there nothing wrong with anyone telling him that. The flip side is that he can do what he wants. And I believe he will die doing it. That is his choice. But when it affects others lives and jobs, well that just stinks too.

100% in agreement with you!!! Of course, unless your work for the federal government as an elected politician, they pretty have done what they have wanted to do all these years with no one having a voice to tell them otherwise. Thank god we have had many strong women come forward and tell us in most cases the truth. Most companies have rules and guidelines that all employees must follow, and if you do not, you will be terminated.
 

Sadly, I agree with this. Was a big Kill fan while he was here. Found myself just wanting him to go away soon after he left.

By "proved what he is all about" I will assume you mean himself. Again, I agree to some point. I am not a fan of coaches who run around preaching how they are all about the kids when their actions say they are not.


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As many college head coaches I think Kill has a massive ego. Yes, I think Kill has a lot of all about me in him. He knew what came before him and played his opposite of that role to an audience that ate it up.
 

He got the chance to coach in the Big Ten because of what he did at N Illinois and S Illinois before that.

His last five seasons at S Illinois he went 10-2, 10-2, 9-4, 9-4, 12-2, and that is in the same conference that NDSU and SDSU are in now, though that was before they joined. It was still a tough conf back then, for that level of college football. And that was after bringing the team up from 1-10, 4-8 the two seasons prior to the winning seasons.

At N Illinois he went 6-7, 7-6, and 10-3, taking over for their longtime coach Joe Novak.



He wasn't first on Maturi's list, but he was a reasonable candidate. I like MAC coaches that have done well at that level, as Big Ten (or other P5) coaches.





I thought he had more OC chops, but it only shows two years at the DII level in the early 1990's. For some reason I thought he was more concerned with the offense, but maybe my mind is making that up.

Agree with your statement on him being a reasonable candidate. Though he wasn't the first choice, after reading what he had accomplished I thought he was a very good hire at the time.

As far as the OC chops, I think you might have that impression from all the rumors of Kill being the one who actually ran Limegrover's offense. Which frankly was another reason I never would have even thought of hiring him as an OC at that level. Not exactly an offense I'd like to replicate...
 

Maybe that was it. Maybe Limegrover came up with the game plan, and suggested plays, then Kill either gave the go-ahead on a play or vetoed it for a different play?
 




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