Jerry Kill is my #1 choice to replace Brew

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WOW...read Jerry Kill's bio at the Northern Illinois web site. He would be the "Killer" hire that Brew promised but could never pull off. Gopher fans would love his values and farming background plus he has won big every place he has coached and his players attend class, play smart and graduate!
 



Sorry, but this guy is the Killer.

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Big fan of Jerry Kill.

Not a big fan of geek humor internet pictures.
 



What kind of health problems did/does he have? He's not even 50, but it looks like he has a lot of miles on him.
 



While not in my own top 5, I wouldn't be opposed to giving Kill a long, hard look for the position of Golden Gopher Head Football Coach. Health issues would be a concern for me too though.

And all the headline writers for the local papers would probably love this hire if nothing else. A near infinite number of easy ways to incorporate 'Kill' into the headline, win or lose.
 

It worries me that tons of people on this board profess to want a "proven coach" and a "proven winner" yet dismiss Kill as an option. He is a good coach, plain and simple. You hate how the guy we have talks too much, doesn't develop his players, and doesn't win games? Kill is your guy.

Luckily for all of us, nothing any anonymous poster, myself included, writes on the GopherHole will go into the decision of who the next football coach will be.
 

I'd be open to it. But I'm not interested in his farming background. I wouldn't be interested in his farming background even if I had a farming background. There are lots and lots of jobs out there, farming isn't any more or less virtuous than anything else. My father is a retired pharmacist, I wouldn't care if the coach had a pharmacy background.

That said, the teams he has worked with has been successful. It is ironic that he lists his career totals of wins and losses, not just as a head coach, but as an assistant, just as Brewster was lambasted for. In both cases, anyone who read it could understand what was being said, of course. It's also funny that under the Saginaw State section, under the title, he's not just listed as head coach, but as "nationally ranked head coach".

He did take Northern Illinois out of the ditch, getting them to 6-7 in 2008 with a bowl, and 7-6 with a bowl last year, and he is 4-2 so far this year. I'd have no problem with it if he was to become our next head coach. I don't think he would give us the instant burst of public interest that a bigger name coach would have, then again, I am wary of a big name flop.
 

All I know is Kill killed us with less talent than he would have to work with here. I'm interested too. But if he is on the cusp of being killed by health problems then I think we should kill this thread.
 



The loyalty is exemplified by his coaching staff. Eight of Kill's 10 full-time assistants - including director of sports performance Eric Klein - have been with the head coach for at least nine years, and defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys, running backs coach Rob Reeves and Klein have accompanied Kill at each of his collegiate head coaching stops.
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How impressive is this?
 

I'm not concerned by health problems, that's more of a concern with a player. If he gets us out of the ditch and has to retire for health reasons, we would be in much better position to hire another coach, the job would be much more appealing than it is now. In that case, he's like a relief pitcher.
 

The last time we pulled some one off the farm, he ended up with a bobble head at TCF Bank Stadium. Someone connect the dots!
 

I'm warming up to this. Count me in Team Kill! Kill! Kill! Sorry, got carried away. He pulled Northern Illinois out of the ditch, and that's where we are now. We need someone who knows how to get the most out of what he has.
 

Kill has experience coaching both sides of the ball!

Kill began his collegiate coaching career at Kansas small-school powerhouse Pittsburg State, beginning in 1985 with three seasons as the defensive coordinator [/]for the NAIA's Gorillas. After spending the 1988 and '89 campaigns as the head coach at Webb City High School and winning the 1989 state championship, he returned to PSU, this time as offensive coordinator for the then NCAA Division II team under legendary coach Chuck Boyles. He picked up another championship as the Gorillas won the title in 1991 with a 13-1-1 record and advanced to the championship game the next season.

Kill's high expectations for his student-athletes extend from the football field to the classroom, the community and beyond.

The Northern Illinois football program has achieved academically under Kill, as the team has compiled the highest cumulative grade point averages in school history during his tenure. In Kill's two seasons at NIU, 50 football student-athletes have earned their bachelor's degrees to help NIU rank among the top three teams in the Mid-American Conference in Graduation Success Rate (GSR). Even more impressively, the football team's most recent Academic Progress Rate of 975 ranks the Huskies 10th of all Division I schools in the country in eligibility, retention and graduation of student-athletes.

In the community, Kill's team earned the NIU athletic department's Challenge of Champions Award for 2008-09, which includes community service hours, involvement in Northern Illinois CHAMPS/Life Skills program and attendance at athletic department events. After home games, the Huskies come out of the locker room and sign autographs for children.

"I expect our student-athletes to represent our school and our community on and off the field," Kill said. "One of the most important things to me is how they do in life after they leave. I firmly believe that what we do here and how we drive kids over the four or five years will help them down the road."

Kill brings in a wide variety of speakers throughout the year, from successful business alumni to cancer survivors to local law enforcement officials. During camp in August 2009, the Huskies collectively read Tony Dungy's book "Uncommon." Each of these is an effort to teach teamwork, build leadership and impart skills that have life-long benefits.
 

"I believe in hard work and the harder you work, the better your chances of success," Kill says. "I will push [our players] to the limit. My job is to get the best out of them."

Kill and his staff not only talk to their players about hard work, they are everyday examples of that mentality.

"I will give you every single thing that I have," Kill said back in December 2007 when he was hired to replace Joe Novak. "I will work endless hours and do whatever it takes to do great things and make you all even more proud of the football program."

He has followed through on that promise, not only through coaching, recruiting and leading the Huskies, but also by reaching out to the DeKalb community, speaking to numerous groups and making appearances at meetings and charity events. In 2010, he personally called every fan who renewed their season tickets to thank them.

On the field, Kill's teams are characterized by discipline and toughness.
 

Quote from Jerry Kill

"I think the real key to my success is the people that I have surrounded myself with," Kill said. "I have always been able to surround myself with good people that are loyal and that can recruit."
 

Kill is active in the community!

"I believe in hard work and the harder you work, the better your chances of success," Kill says. "I will push [our players] to the limit. My job is to get the best out of them."

Kill and his staff not only talk to their players about hard work, they are everyday examples of that mentality.

"I will give you every single thing that I have," Kill said back in December 2007 when he was hired to replace Joe Novak. "I will work endless hours and do whatever it takes to do great things and make you all even more proud of the football program."

He has followed through on that promise, not only through coaching, recruiting and leading the Huskies, but also by reaching out to the DeKalb community, speaking to numerous groups and making appearances at meetings and charity events. In 2010, he personally called every fan who renewed their season tickets to thank them.
On the field, Kill's teams are characterized by discipline and toughness
 

Yet who is Jerry Kill, and how has he risen from football obscurity to coaching a team that can contend for a national title?

The Cheney, Kan. native describes himself as an overachiever. Clearly, he has excelled when others thought he couldn't.

Not an especially gifted athlete, he weighed 160 pounds as a freshman at Division II Southwestern College (Kan.) in 1979. His football coach encouraged him to play point guard for the basketball team.

Instead, Kill played linebacker and eventually became a starter, all-conference player and two-time captain. He was named the team's most inspirational player his senior year.

Raised in a working class family, Kill became the first member of his family to graduate from college. He earned a degree in teaching with a minor in biology.

His coaching career began shortly thereafter, and Kill paid his share of dues, earning a meager sum as an assistant coach to his mentor, Dennis Franchione, at Division II Pittsburg State. He was eventually promoted to offensive coordinator -- the title he held during PSU's 1991 National Championship run.

Kill worked his way up the coaching ladder, eventually landing his first head coaching job at Saginaw Valley State in 1994. He posted five-straight winning seasons at SVS, including back-to-back 9-2 campaigns in 1997 and 1998.

Yet after his father passed away from liver cancer in 1999, Kill took the head coaching job at Emporia State (Kan.) to be closer to his grieving mother. In the process, he left a program that was nationally ranked to coach one that had a losing record.

Kill came to SIU in 2001 and quickly sized up his predicament.

"I thought it would take at least five years to turn things around," he said. "But it was worse than I thought when I came for my interview."

Yet, Kill rolled up his sleeves and made incremental progress his first two years.

He was instrumental in striking a deal with the local electrical union to install lights at the stadium so the team could play night football again.

He reached out to the community, making himself and his team available for frequent community-service and goodwill projects.

The community, in return, rewarded his team with the biggest crowds at McAndrew Stadium in more than a decade.
Himself a generous donor to worthy causes, he has inspired others to contribute to the program, which helped renovate the locker room and replace the stadium's artificial turf.

Kill brings a no-nonsense approach. His work ethic, honesty and integrity are unparalleled.

A practice session under Coach Kill reflects his personality; crisp, well-organized and fiercely competitive. He is very demanding of his players on the field, but is also a friend off the field.

"I try to treat people like I want to be treated," he said. "It takes a while to build that family atmosphere. You do it by being around the players. You've got to have them in situations where you're not just talking football all the time. Being visible, communicating with the players and getting to know them is very important."

What does all this say about Jerry Kill? Plenty.

No matter what the odds, no matter what people might expect him to accomplish, he has consistently exceeded expectations.

And he has done it by following the Golden Rule to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. He cares about people. In June of 2004, Kill was shocked to receive a call from his alma mater. The reason for his surprise? They were calling to induct him into the school's hall of fame.

Hardly the kind of achievement anyone would have predicted when he first set foot on that campus 26 years ago. Or as Kill likes to joke, "not bad for a short, fat, bald guy."
 

Is this the "Kill Shot" that Brew was talking about all along?
 

"The loyalty is exemplified by his coaching staff. Eight of Kill's 10 full-time assistants - including director of sports performance Eric Klein - have been with the head coach for at least nine years, and defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys, running backs coach Rob Reeves and Klein have accompanied Kill at each of his collegiate head coaching stops."

This continuity would be a refreshing change of pace, considering Brewster changes coordinators more frequently than most people change out the batteries in their smoke detectors. Loyalty is a good thing. OTOH, it would be nice to see that some of Kill's assistants have gone on to bigger and better things. Say what you want about Alvarez, but there's a "who's who" of current coaches who worked on his staff at one point or another. Including a few currently under our employ. Well, maybe that isn't a good thing...
 

I'm liking this more and more. Head coaching experience. A winner. Knows offense and defense. Can pull a team out of a ditch AND improve academics. Even if you don't care about academics, low graduation rate can cost scholarships. I think there is talent on this team that Brewster can't exploit. I think Kill will be able to.
 

Too Long in the Wasteland said:
This continuity would be a refreshing change of pace, considering Brewster changes coordinators more frequently than most people change out the batteries in their smoke detectors. Loyalty is a good thing. OTOH, it would be nice to see that some of Kill's assistants have gone on to bigger and better things. Say what you want about Alvarez, but there's a "who's who" of current coaches who worked on his staff at one point or another. Including a few currently under our employ. Well, maybe that isn't a good thing...
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Continuity would be a fantastic thing. He knows what he wants to do, he'd not going to be making major philisophical changes on a regular basis. Getting rid of the revolving door, and bringing in a team that works together well is a lot better than each year trying to assumble a new machine.
 

Law_Abiding_Gopher said:
All I know is Kill killed us with less talent than he would have to work with here. I'm interested too. But if he is on the cusp of being killed by health problems then I think we should kill this thread.
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I see what you did there. You are giving Reusse too many ideas.
 

Kill is an interesting candidate.

I'd rather have him than Bohl I can tell you that much.
 

If you're looking for an established D1A coach with a stable coaching staff this is your candidate.
He's not a hotshot coordinator or a NFL guy, this is a successful coach who's worked his way up through the different levels of college football and won at all of them.
He's not going to be flashy or bring in national coverage, but he will put his system down and develop the program. He's beaten big10 opponents and looks to be winning the MAC this year.
I think he'd put Gray in a prime position to succeed in his O, and I'd like to think it's a fairly simple run heavy spread to install being that it's been used at lower D1 levels with success.

His health issues don't seem too serious to be honest, had kidney cancer, beat it, and is in remission. His hospitalization this year was due to dehydration(I'm assuming his kidneys aren't in great shape)

Still like Golden due to youth, national recruiting resume' and big time BCS coordinator experience, but Kill is definitely a solid option.
 


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