Coach Kill ---> To Coach Claeys

[edwa0221]

Hey gopher rubes, new member (longtime lurker).

Question for you guys...

When Kill retired due to health reasons, why did he walk away from the game only to come back? Seems there was sour grapes the U didn't create a position for him. But what really confuses me is the fact he is now the OC at another school. Your telling me after spending (correct me if i'm wrong) 14 yrs or better with this staff, he couldn't have switched jobs, or done something with the U coaches to get him off the sideline and into the pressbox? Or even something less stressful?

Looking back at it, it almost looks like he wanted out, used the "retirement" to get out....Giving his buddy Tracy a job.

While i'm not 100% sold on Claeys...i'm 100% certain this was the most poorly handled CF from the top on down.

thoughts?

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I think Kill really did take time away due to health reasons.

IIRC at the time MN offered Kill to let him step away for a while if he needed. Kill never disputed / commented on that at the time.

So kill made his call.

But I think everyone who knew Kill knew he would be back. Kill is football....

In the meantime Kill had a strong personality, it also doesn't surprise me that maybe he rubbed some folks the wrong way. It is what makes him great, but also maybe why he didn't get exactly what he wanted from the U.

In the meantime the U obviously wanted a HC, not a guy gone, in some admin role.... then maybe back, or not. That wouldn't have been fair to TC / no way to run a program.

 

[Winnipegopher]

I think at the time, Kill's health was shot and he was scared. I also think he believed he would not be coaching again. Times change and now he wants to coach again. That said, knowing what we know now, how laughable was all the posturing, on both sides, that Kill could be a liaison to the president?

As Freud said, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

I agree that the recent transition was poorly handled.

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

Kill's health wasn't the only reason, IMO. Look at him now. He clearly has issues with the administration. I think the stress and issues surrounding the program greatly contributed to his decline in health. July 2015, the football team is investigated and Kimberly Hewitt voices concerns to Kill and Teague about a "disturbing pattern of sexual assault and harassment" going on within the football team. A month later, Teague is gone. The 2015 season starts off disappointing, with the team losing to TCU and struggling to beat Ohio, Kent St. and CSU. The team gets embarrassed at NW, rebounds to beat Purdue, then gets thumped at home by Nebraska. Shortly thereafter, Kill calls it quits. I think the environment and turmoil made his health worse and he was frustrated with the administration not having his back, so he walked away.

 

[50PoundHead]

Kill's health wasn't the only reason, IMO. Look at him now. He clearly has issues with the administration. I think the stress and issues surrounding the program greatly contributed to his decline in health. July 2015, the football team is investigated and Kimberly Hewitt voices concerns to Kill and Teague about a "disturbing pattern of sexual assault and harassment" going on within the football team. A month later, Teague is gone. The 2015 season starts off disappointing, with the team losing to TCU and struggling to beat Ohio, Kent St. and CSU. The team gets embarrassed at NW, rebounds to beat Purdue, then gets thumped at home by Nebraska. Shortly thereafter, Kill calls it quits. I think the environment and turmoil made his health worse and he was frustrated with the administration not having his back, so he walked away.

But who signs the f*cking checks? This is the stuff that pisses me off (not you per se). It seems the athletic department is always griping about the administration when they can't get their way, regardless of what the request is. There's no question Kill walked into a maelstrom and really did a lot of positive things to right the ship, but that shouldn't give him carte blanche to just run everything his way. I don't see anything really wrong with Hewitt informing Kill of a perceived pattern in regard to the behavior of the football team. I can't remember if she went public with her concerns. If she did, that was wrong. But if she gave Kill a heads-up within the confines of the University, I don't see why Kill would be out of joint about it. Kill ran a very tight ship in most respects, but if there was a problem brewing, one would think he would have appreciated the opportunity to get ahead of it.

If we are going to be a successful university, we have to get past the Jocks v. Nerds battle.

 

[Herd]

Kill's health wasn't the only reason, IMO. Look at him now. He clearly has issues with the administration. I think the stress and issues surrounding the program greatly contributed to his decline in health. July 2015, the football team is investigated and Kimberly Hewitt voices concerns to Kill and Teague about a "disturbing pattern of sexual assault and harassment" going on within the football team. A month later, Teague is gone. The 2015 season starts off disappointing, with the team losing to TCU and struggling to beat Ohio, Kent St. and CSU. The team gets embarrassed at NW, rebounds to beat Purdue, then gets thumped at home by Nebraska. Shortly thereafter, Kill calls it quits. I think the environment and turmoil made his health worse and he was frustrated with the administration not having his back, so he walked away.

Kill was left without an AD and was the suedo AD for FB, fundraiser, and coach. He was the face of the gophers and pulled in a million directions that did not involve coaching the team. He was involved in everything, and it was killing him. 9 months away with diet and health regulation, and he's ready to work again.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I also think there is less pressure and stress being a coordinator over a head coach. For the most part he can just concentrate on coaching and recruiting. Not the case when you're the head coach.

 

[MNfootballfan]

My personal thoughts: Kill was almost forced into retirement because I think he overworked himself being a Head Coach in addition to basically being an Athletic Director. Yes, he will work long hours still as an OC, but it will all be coaching. Think how many times we heard Jay Johnson or Jay Sawvel out fundraising, speaking, etc. Before Tracy was head coach I think I only heard him speak in a couple of press conferences and the recruiting day social and that is the same as Sawvel.

 

[Iceland12]

But who signs the f*cking checks? This is the stuff that pisses me off (not you per se). It seems the athletic department is always griping about the administration when they can't get their way, regardless of what the request is. There's no question Kill walked into a maelstrom and really did a lot of positive things to right the ship, but that shouldn't give him carte blanche to just run everything his way. I don't see anything really wrong with Hewitt informing Kill of a perceived pattern in regard to the behavior of the football team. I can't remember if she went public with her concerns. If she did, that was wrong. But if she gave Kill a heads-up within the confines of the University, I don't see why Kill would be out of joint about it. Kill ran a very tight ship in most respects, but if there was a problem brewing, one would think he would have appreciated the opportunity to get ahead of it.

If we are going to be a successful university, we have to get past the Jocks v. Nerds battle.

He may have been very ticked-off at the insinuations coming from the Committee Chair who only found had one incident where they could make the charges stick.

He went ballistic when the letter was used in the Strib article last October.

 

[Iceland12]

My personal thoughts: Kill was almost forced into retirement because I think he overworked himself being a Head Coach in addition to basically being an Athletic Director. Yes, he will work long hours still as an OC, but it will all be coaching. Think how many times we heard Jay Johnson or Jay Sawvel out fundraising, speaking, etc. Before Tracy was head coach I think I only heard him speak in a couple of press conferences and the recruiting day social and that is the same as Sawvel.

How do you explain all of his previous seizures then? He certainly wasn't acting Athletic Director and Fundraiser when they happened?

They happened because he first denied he had epilepsy and then he defied doctor's orders. Can't believe that his doctor's where pleased that he was working 10-12 hours a day at Kansas State either.

Good chance though that since he was seizure free down there Jerry used it as his own personal medical "get out of jail" card. Hope it's not revoked.