Coaching search: Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill

By Staff     Dec 2, 2014

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Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill, right, celebrates with fans a 28-24 win over Nebraska in an NCAA college football game in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Minnesota coach Jerry Kill has a strong record for turning around losing programs. He is a native Kansan, from Cheney to be exact. He played college football in Kansas (Southwestern). He coached college football in Kansas at Pittsburg State and Emporia State. Plus, he has a colorful personality.

In short, if Kansas decides it would rather have an experienced head coach than interim head coach Clint Bowen, Kill would be the perfect choice to tackle the challenge of reviving a football program that just finished its worst five-year stretch in history.

Kill, 53, is in his fourth season at Minnesota and has the Golden Gophers (8-4) headed to a bowl game for the third season in a row.

Everywhere Kill has coached, he steadily produces better records from year-to-year.
Saginaw Valley State: 6-4, 7-3, 7-3, 9-2, 9-2.

Emporia State: 5-6, 6-5.

Southern Illinois: 1-10, 4-8, 10-2, 10-2, 9-4, 9-4, 12-2.

Northern Illinois: 6-7, 7-6, 10-3.

Minnesota: 3-9, 6-7, 8-5, 8-4.

Now that he has Minnesota moving in the right direction, why would he want to take on an even bigger challenge in trying to get Kansas back into bowl games when playing a schedule that features facing every Big 12 team every season?

Excellent question. But if he is interested in the job, don’t look for him to coach the Gophers in a bowl game before moving. He left Northern Illinois without coaching in a bowl game and took most of his staff with him when he headed to Minnesota, including defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys, who made a strong impression when he took over as acting head coach when Kill took a leave of absence as he recovered from seizures. Kill four times suffered from seizures on game days, but has not had any such issues this season.

Claeys, from Claeys Center, also is a strong candidate for a head coaching job.

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