![]() Kill at the 2013 Minnesota Spring Game | |
Current position | |
---|---|
Title | Consultant |
Team | Vanderbilt |
Conference | SEC |
Biographical details | |
Born | Cheney, Kansas, U.S. | August 24, 1961
Playing career | |
1979–1982 | Southwestern (KS) |
Position(s) | Linebacker |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1985–1987 | Pittsburg State (DC) |
1988–1990 | Webb City HS (MO) |
1991–1993 | Pittsburg State (OC) |
1994–1998 | Saginaw Valley State |
1999–2000 | Emporia State |
2001–2007 | Southern Illinois |
2008–2010 | Northern Illinois |
2011–2015 | Minnesota |
2017 | Rutgers (OC/QB) |
2019 | Virginia Tech (asst. to HC) |
2020–2021 | TCU (asst. to HC) |
2021 | TCU (interim HC) |
2022–2023 | New Mexico State |
2024–present | Vanderbilt (consultant) |
Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
2016 | Kansas State (assoc. AD) |
2018–2019 | Southern Illinois (interim AD) |
2019 | Southern Illinois |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 175–115 (college) |
Bowls | 1–6 |
Tournaments | 4–5 (NCAA D-I-AA/FCS playoffs) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
3 Gateway Football (2003–2005) 1 MAC West Division (2010) | |
Awards | |
Eddie Robinson Award (2004) [1] Big Ten Coach of the Year (2014) [2] Kansas Sports Hall of Fame (2016) [3] C-USA Coach of the Year (2023) | |
Jerry R. Kill (born August 24, 1961) is an American football coach. He was most recently the head coach at New Mexico State University. He played college football at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, from 1979 to 1982. Kill served as the head coach at Saginaw Valley State University, Emporia State University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Northern Illinois University and the University of Minnesota, as well as serving as the interim head coach for the final four games of the 2021 season at TCU.
Kill has also served as an athletic department administrator, most recently at Southern Illinois University as an assistant to the Chancellor and athletic director. He was also briefly at Kansas State as associate athletic director. [4]
During the course of his career he was credited with bringing several programs to new heights, and these successes led to increasingly more prestigious coaching positions. Despite retiring from the game in 2015 for health reasons, Kill returned to coaching in 2020 after accepting a special assistant's job at TCU and was named the interim head coach on October 31, 2021, after the resignation of Gary Patterson.
Kill was born in Cheney, Kansas. He was raised in a working-class family and became the first member of his family to graduate from college. [5]
Kill landed his first college head coaching job as the fourth football coach at Saginaw Valley State University in 1994, where he produced five consecutive winning seasons, including back-to-back 9–2 campaigns in 1997 and 1998. [5] Kill compiled a 38–14 record in five years as head coach. His teams led the NCAA's Division II in rushing each of his last two years and his last season was second in the nation in total offense (498.3) and scoring (42.5). [6]
He is ranked third at Saginaw Valley State in total wins and second in winning percentage (as of the 2007 season). [7]
Kill was the 20th head football coach for Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas, and held that position for two seasons, from 1999 until 2000. His overall coaching record at Emporia State was 11–11. As of completion of the 2007 season, this ranked him tenth at Emporia State in total wins and ninth in winning percentage. [8]
Kill was named to the head coaching post at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2001. In 2004, Kill's Salukis went a perfect 9–0 against Division I-AA opponents and outscored competitors by more than 30 points per game. Southern Illinois finished 7–0 in Gateway Football Conference games, earned the No. 1 ranking for the final ten weeks of the year, and garnered the top seed in the 2004 postseason. [1]
At Southern Illinois, Kill was the first coach to produce four consecutive winning seasons and is credited with turning the football team around to a winning program. [9] On September 26, 2006, he became the school's all-time leader in winning percentage after defeating Indiana State, 55–3. [10]
In December 2007, Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, announced that Kill had been hired as its new head coach. [11] He replaced Joe Novak, who retired after developing the Huskies into a successful program over 12 seasons, though just one bowl win. [12] Before Kill's first season at Northern Illinois began, NIU was ranked No. 6 in ESPN's Bottom 10. [13] The team finished the 2008 regular season with a 6–6 record. The six wins secured bowl eligibility and an invitation to the Independence Bowl was accepted. Northern Illinois was defeated by Louisiana Tech, 17–10, in the bowl game despite outgaining the Bulldogs in rushing and passing yardage.
In 2010, Northern Illinois had a nine-game win streak and reached the MAC Championship Game, losing to Miami. NIU finished 10–3 for the year. In December, days after the losing the conference championship to Miami, Kill accepted the position of head coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. His announcement came less than two weeks before the Huskies were scheduled to play in the Humanitarian Bowl. Leaving the team in the manner he did (many teammates learned about his new job via Twitter instead of from Kill himself [14] ) dealt an emotional blow to the members of the team; quarterback Chandler Harnish saying about Kill's departure, "I have a horrible taste in my mouth". Additionally, besides the emotional impact, USA Today noted, "The timing of the announcement further hurts the program due to Kill most likely taking the bulk of his staff to Minnesota." [15]
Thus, Kill left NIU without ever winning a bowl game. Furthermore, the fact that Kill left NIU before the team's bowl game added fuel to the debate about whether or not the NCAA should prohibit coaches from abandoning their teams before their final bowl game. [16] [17] [18]
The University of Minnesota hired Jerry Kill on December 6, 2010. [19] He took over for Tim Brewster who was fired during the middle of the season. Kill brought much of his NIU staff with him to Minnesota, including offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover, [20] defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys, [21] and special teams coordinator Jay Sawvel. [22] While his first season in Minnesota was not particularly successful (finishing with a 3–9 record and one of only two non-bowl eligible teams in the Big Ten), Kill was in the headlines most often due to his health issues. A highlight of the 2011 season was a win over Big Ten rival Iowa. In Kill's second season (2012), Minnesota improved to 6–7, including an appearance in the Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl where they lost to Texas Tech 34–31.
After Kill led Minnesota to a 4–1 start in the 2013 season, a seizure prevented him from attending Minnesota's game at Michigan. He announced on October 10, 2013 that he would take a leave of absence to focus on epilepsy treatment. With his longtime defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys serving as acting head coach, Kill watched their next game, a win over Northwestern, from the press box. Minnesota went on to win four consecutive Big Ten games for the first time since 1973. Even without Kill present on the field, the Gophers finished with an 8–5 record. The American Football Association named Kill the Region 3 Coach of the Year. [23]
Kill returned to the field for the 2014 football season. For the first six games of the season, the Golden Gophers went 5–1, with their only loss to TCU (30–7), and conference wins over Michigan (30–14) and Northwestern (24–17). The team ended with an 8–5 record, with losses to TCU, Illinois (28–24), Ohio State (31–24), Wisconsin (34–24), and Mizzou (33–17) at the Citrus Bowl. Surprisingly, Kill was awarded the Big Ten Coach of the Year award for the 2014 season.
Jerry Kill began the 2015 season with the Gophers, building a 4–3 record. However, worsening health problems led him to retire from his position as head coach on October 28, 2015. He was succeeded by defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys. [24]
Kill returned to Southern Illinois in 2018 as a special assistant to the chancellor, later becoming athletic director. He remained in that role through September 2019, when he returned to the coaching ranks at Virginia Tech. [25]
Kill was tapped by Virginia Tech head football coach Justin Fuente to be his special assistant after three games of the 2019 football season. [26]
TCU head coach Gary Patterson hired Kill away from Virginia Tech in January 2020 to be a special assistant, overseeing the offense. Although close friends, the two had never worked together before. [27] Kill took over as interim head coach midway through the 2021 season after TCU and Patterson parted ways. [28]
On November 24, 2021, it was reported that Kill would be the next head coach at New Mexico State University following the 2021 season. [29] In his first season, the Aggies won their 2nd bowl game since 1960 and finished 7-6. Following the Aggies' victory in the Quick Lane Bowl, Kill got a tattoo on his right arm to commemorate his team's success. [30] Kill stepped down following the 2023 season, during which the team posted a 10–5 record. [31]
Jerry Kill is married to Rebecca Kill, and they have two daughters, Krystal and Tasha. [32]
Kill is a close friend of Gary Patterson, former head football coach at Texas Christian University. [33] Both men played football for Dennis Franchione and each worked for him as an assistant coach. Kill served as the best man in Patterson's wedding. [34]
Kill suffered a seizure toward the end of a game in October 2005. [35] Subsequently, Kill was diagnosed with kidney cancer, which is now in remission. Kill has since started the Coach Kill Fund to assist low-income southern Illinois residents with treatment. [36] Then, from 2010 through 2013, Kill was plagued by a series of gameday hospitalizations, most of which were also seizures. Shortly after a game in September 2010, he was hospitalized for dehydration. [37] He then suffered two gameday seizures during the 2011 season, [38] [39] followed by one each in 2012 [40] and 2013. After the 2013 seizure, Kill announced that he was taking a leave of absence to address his health and get his seizures under control. [41] After coaching for the entire 2014 season and the first seven games of the 2015 season, Kill announced that he was resigning as head coach on October 28, 2015. He cited health reasons, including at least two additional seizures, as the cause for his decision. [42]
Kill was a nominee for the 2011 Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Award, [43] presented by Uplifting Athletes, but lost to Princeton running back Jordan Culbreath. [44] In 2016, he was named to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. [3]
Philip John Fleck Jr. is an American football coach and former wide receiver. He has served as the head coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team since 2017.
Gary Allen Patterson is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the special assistant to the head coach at the University of Texas. He is the former head football coach at Texas Christian University and the coach with the most wins in Horned Frogs' history. Patterson led the TCU Horned Frogs to six conference championships and eleven bowl game victories, including victories in the 2011 Rose Bowl and 2014 Peach Bowl. His 2010 squad finished the season undefeated at 13–0 after a 21–19 Rose Bowl victory over the Wisconsin Badgers on New Year's Day 2011, and ranked second in the final tallying of both major polls.
Tim Brewster is an American football coach and former player. He is the associate head coach and tight ends coach for Charlotte. He also served as the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator for the North Carolina Tar Heels football program. He was the head coach of the University of Minnesota from 2007 until he was fired midway through the Golden Gophers' 2010 season. In 2011, Brewster was a sideline analyst for Fox College Football and the 'NFL on Fox with Gus Johnson and Charles Davis.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represents the University of Minnesota in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Founded in 1882, Minnesota has been a member of the Big Ten Conference since its inception in 1896 as the Western Conference. The Golden Gophers claim seven national championships: 1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, and 1960. Since 2009, the Golden Gophers have played all their home games at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The TCU Horned Frogs football team represents Texas Christian University (TCU) in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The Horned Frogs play their home games in Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on the TCU campus in Fort Worth. TCU began playing football in 1896 and has been a member of the Big 12 Conference since 2012.
The 2007 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was the first for new head coach Tim Brewster. They began play on September 1, 2007 at home against Bowling Green and finished the season with a record of 1 win and 11 losses.
The 2008 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was the second under head coach Tim Brewster. They began play on August 30, 2008 at home against Northern Illinois from the Mid-American Conference, and finished the regular season against Iowa, on November 22. It was the Golden Gophers' final season in the Metrodome, as they moved into TCF Bank Stadium in 2009. The Gophers accepted a bid to the Insight Bowl and played Kansas on December 31 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
The Northern Illinois Huskies football team are a college football program representing Northern Illinois University (NIU) in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football. NIU football plays its home games at Huskie Stadium on the campus of the Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.
The Emporia State Hornets football program is a college football team that represents Emporia State University, often referred to as "Emporia State" or "ESU". The team competes as a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), which is a conference in the Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The program began in 1897 and has fifteen conference titles. On December 15, 2006, former Hornet quarterback Garin Higgins became the team's 24th head coach, following the resignation of Dave Wiemers. Home games are played on Jones Field at Welch Stadium, located on the Emporia State University campus in Emporia, Kansas. In August 2017, Hero Sports named Emporia State the "best football team in Kansas, regardless of division."
The 2010 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies compiled an overall record of 11–3 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the MAC's West Division title. The team advanced to the MAC Championship, where they lost the Miami RedHawks. Northern Illinois was invited to the Humanitarian Bowl, where they defeated Fresno State. The Huskies were led by third-year head coach Jerry Kill during the regular season and for the MAC title game before KIll resigned to become the head football coach at the University of Minnesota. Tom Matukewicz was appointed interim head coach for the bowl game. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
The 2011 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota for the 2011 college football season. The Golden Gophers are members of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium. They were led by head coach Jerry Kill for his first season as head coach at Minnesota. They finished with 3–9 overall record, 2–6 in Big Ten Legends play.
The 2011 Mid-American Conference football season is the 66th season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The season began on Thursday, September 1, with four games: Bowling Green played at Idaho, Central Michigan hosted South Carolina State, Temple hosted #14 (FCS) Villanova, and Toledo hosted #10 (FCS) New Hampshire. The conference's other nine teams began their respective 2011 seasons of NCAA Division I FBS competition on Saturday, September 3. The first in-conference game was September 10, with Temple hosting Akron.
The 2012 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Jerry Kill and played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium. They were a member of the Legends Division of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 6–7, 2–6 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fifth place in the Legends Division. They were invited to the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas where they were defeated by Texas Tech.
Philip Nelson is a former American football quarterback. He played for the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019, and for the Dallas Renegades of the XFL and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Tracy Lee Claeys is a former American football coach. Claeys served as the head football coach at University of Minnesota from midway into the 2015 season through the end of the 2016 season. He was an assistant coach under Jerry Kill for 21 years at Saginaw Valley State University, Emporia State University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Northern Illinois University, and Minnesota—the last 16 as his defensive coordinator. Claeys was the defensive coordinator at Washington State University from 2018 to 2019 and the linebackers coach at Virginia Tech in 2020. He announced his retirement in January 2021.
The 2013 Texas Bowl is an American college football bowl game that was played on December 27, 2013 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. It was one of the 2013–14 bowl games that concluded the 2013 FBS football season. The eighth edition of the Texas Bowl, it featured the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the Big Ten Conference against the Syracuse Orange of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The game began at 5:00 p.m. CST and aired on ESPN.
The 2014 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Jerry Kill and played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium. They were a member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 8–5, 5–3 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for second place in the West Division. They were invited to the Citrus Bowl where they lost to Missouri. It was their first New Year's Day bowl game appearance in 53 years, their previous was the 1962 Rose Bowl.
The 2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Jerry Kill, who resigned on October 28, 2015 for health reasons. Tracy Claeys replaced Kill on an interim basis and was named head coach two weeks later on November 11. The Gophers played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium. They were a member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. Minnesota finished the regular season with a record of 5–7, 2–6 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fifth place in the West Division. Despite finishing below .500, the Gophers were invited to the Quick Lane Bowl versus Central Michigan due to there not being enough bowl eligible teams and Minnesota's high Academic Performance Rating. Minnesota defeated Central Michigan 21–14 to finish the season 6–7.
Matt Limegrover is an American football coach who is the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Kent State. He previously served as the offensive line coach at Arkansas State, offensive coordinator at Minnesota, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, and Chicago.