Kill says Gophers have 'best S&C coach in nation'

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AhliBobwa

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“Eric Klein is a guy that I can’t say enough about,” Kill said. “He’s been with me longer than anybody. No disrespect to any of our other coaches, he is the reason we’ve been successful in turning around programs. The reason. The best in the country, in my opinion. There is no doubt in my mind. He is a great strength coach. I’m excited that he’s with us. Without him, we would not be where we’re at. He may be the biggest hire that I’ve made.” --Jerry Kill

From what I understand, Coach Kill isn't usually given to such potentially hyperbolic praise. I really hope that he is correct, as this gets me excited. Does this mean we can expect to see a Gopher team that is better conditioned than the competition? I've only watched his teams play this year, does Kill have a history of going no huddle Oregon style, to wear out the opposing D?

Plus, if he is successful, I can claim it's because he's a fellow Carl, like myself.
 


AhliBobwa said:
“Eric Klein is a guy that I can’t say enough about,” Kill said. “He’s been with me longer than anybody. No disrespect to any of our other coaches, he is the reason we’ve been successful in turning around programs. The reason. The best in the country, in my opinion. There is no doubt in my mind. He is a great strength coach. I’m excited that he’s with us. Without him, we would not be where we’re at. He may be the biggest hire that I’ve made.” --Jerry Kill

From what I understand, Coach Kill isn't usually given to such potentially hyperbolic praise. I really hope that he is correct, as this gets me excited. Does this mean we can expect to see a Gopher team that is better conditioned than the competition? I've only watched his teams play this year, does Kill have a history of going no huddle Oregon style, to wear out the opposing D?

Plus, if he is successful, I can claim it's because he's a fellow Carl, like myself.
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I've been burned recently by head coaches saying this guy or that guy is the BEST EVAH! So I'll just reserve my judgement until such time as I can figure out if Kill is talking out the side of his mouth. First blush says he doesn't do that, but like I said, I've been burned and so I'll reserve judgement.
 

Sparlimb said:
I've been burned recently by head coaches saying this guy or that guy is the BEST EVAH! So I'll just reserve my judgement until such time as I can figure out if Kill is talking out the side of his mouth. First blush says he doesn't do that, but like I said, I've been burned and so I'll reserve judgement.
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Yeah, that is my reaction. I wanna get excited but Brew said that kinda stuff so many times...
 



We're #1 in something football related. Yay!
 


He has been interviewed for peer to peer publications, has written articles on training for speed and explosion, and been the feature speaker at coaching seminars. He at least has somewhat of a track record among his peers which is a lot better than with Brew's pronouncements.
 

Ahli what year?

1982 for me.
 



When Brewster says it, it's disingenuous. When Kill says it, it just might be true!?!?! Come on!

Coaches say things for myriad reasons. Let's be fair to both and just admit this. Whether or not the S&C coach is the best in the country (he's not, but I hope he is!), I want Kill to be saying this in order to attract recruits. Hopefully they are not as skeptical as we generally are.
 

I know the northern illinois fans have given the guy praise too.
 


With coach Kill giving him praise I give it more credibility than Brewster making the comment. Brewster thought everyone was the greatest coach and tremendous.
 



What you will see, or maybe not really is the players will not run long distance conditioning drills. Rather he will focus on quick twitch muscles, core strength. More timed 40's, 10 yard dash, vertical leap. Football is played from explosion to explosion. The original strength and conditioning originated quite by accident at Nebraska. Boyd Epley was an injured pole vaulter who was attempting to build more speed to the planting box. From there it was core strength to explode over the bar. His idea was speed to the box was key. Surprisingly enough it was 40 yards. His most radical ideas were key to the Huskers success.

"One of the things that made Nebraska successful, which is a little controversial, is running. We did not run as often or as far as a lot of people do. Sport coaches tend to overdo that. They do it for mental toughness, for whatever reason. But the way the body works and the way the game of football is played, there's need for recovery after each play. There's a burst during the play and then a recovery period.

"The body has an energy system that has three parts. The part that football uses only has about six or eight seconds of fuel. So during the rest period of a football game, the tank refills so that you have full power on the next play. If you train football players properly, they will have a great burst, then great recovery and be fully ready for the next play."

This is the essence of what Klein brings. Its something that is completely different from what has been tried at Minnesota. This is why I am excited about Coach Klein.
 


When a S&C coach keeps his job for 17 years, he's doing a hell of a job. Other coaches can hide their deficiencies behind great athletes. S&C coaches cannot.
 

husker70 said:
What you will see, or maybe not really is the players will not run long distance conditioning drills. Rather he will focus on quick twitch muscles, core strength. More timed 40's, 10 yard dash, vertical leap. Football is played from explosion to explosion. The original strength and conditioning originated quite by accident at Nebraska. Boyd Epley was an injured pole vaulter who was attempting to build more speed to the planting box. From there it was core strength to explode over the bar. His idea was speed to the box was key. Surprisingly enough it was 40 yards. His most radical ideas were key to the Huskers success.
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Hardly his 'idea,' Eppley lifted the 40-yard dash idea from Paul Brown...

But what Eppley put in the red Cornhusker jello at Nebraska's training table was all his idea.;)
 

dinkything said:
Hardly his 'idea,' Eppley lifted the 40-yard dash idea from Paul Brown...

But what Eppley put in the red Cornhusker jello at Nebraska's training table was all his idea.;)
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Rufilin?
 

yho dinkything

"Hardly his 'idea,' Eppley lifted the 40-yard dash idea from Paul Brown."

That was not the point. He was a pole vaulter, and the run is forty yards. He was working with weights and strength training in 1967. No Nebraska football player was. In fact when California JC transfer Dick Ruppert and Joe Orduna saw him in the field house they asked about his use of the squat. Osborne who had played for the Washington Redskins saw what was happpening when a few more football players joined Epley. Coming off loses to Alabama and their quickness, Osborne approached Devaney with the idea of putting the team on strength training. Devaney's response if they come out of this any slower, you are fired.

The view of strength training was it tightened your muscles, and reduced the range of motion. It was a time when the rage was Dr. Kenneth Cooper and his idea of Aerobic Training. It was the study of long distance runners, and cyclists.

Epley subscribed to anaerobic trainiing and rejected aerobic conditioning for football. He wanted quick twitch muscle development, a measurement of explosion and recovery. He measured every athlete in a standard set of tests that are common today. 10 yard dash, vertical jump, pro shuttle run, standing long jump, and 40 yard dash.

Epley finds the 2 mile under 15 minutes of no value on a football field. And training for a long distance running contraproductive to the game.

And to asail what he brought to Strength and Explosion training as what he put in the jello, is a cheap shot at what it takes.

I have said this before, but when you sign that Letter of Intent, you sign for 5 years of training.
Minnesota has been only paid lip service to this area. It probably has been a recruiting negative for some. From that same time 1968, the Gopher program was starved for a lack of funds for the program,.Holtz and Mason upgraded the facility, but the direction has not been as good a hand as Coach Klein.

And with him meeting with the players and setting down the weight and conditioning right now, the coverage is deafening. Its boring, but these are the months that make the season.
 


Real Deal

beavergopher said:
Husker70 is spot on.
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And Klein is the real deal! He absolutely will make a visible difference in our performance.
I do not believe Coach Kill is speaking in hyperbole at all in the importance and significance of this hire to the Gopher program. Husker70 is spot on.
 

husker70 said:
"
And to asail what he brought to Strength and Explosion training as what he put in the jello, is a cheap shot at what it takes.
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husker,

If you thought all that quick twitchin' in Lincoln came solely from new S & C techniques...and not with an additional boost from 'chemistry'...then I don't know what to tell ya...;)
 

Anecdotal evidence that the new S&C program is starting to take affect, per MarQueis Gray's Twitter last night:

goldengopherqb5 MarQueis Gray
walked past the mirror and noticed im starting to get a six pack...uh ohh =)
 

We had players on roster (non lineman) without six packs?
 

It's hard to imagine that the most successful programs in the country have not had great strength coaches. Just as with offensive and defensive coordinators, the cream rises to the top and usually ends up in the highest paying jobs at the most well known programs. I hope Kill is corrrect in his assessment but it's hard to believe his guy would work in relative obscurity and much lower than average wages as a strength coach for this long without someone going after him very hard. This is assuming, of course, that he is indeed the "best in the country."
 

LonelyIowaGopher said:
It's hard to imagine that the most successful programs in the country have not had great strength coaches. Just as with offensive and defensive coordinators, the cream rises to the top and usually ends up in the highest paying jobs at the most well known programs. I hope Kill is corrrect in his assessment but it's hard to believe his guy would work in relative obscurity and much lower than average wages as a strength coach for this long without someone going after him very hard. This is assuming, of course, that he is indeed the "best in the country."
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Job security & job satisfaction don't necessarily equate to the highest wages.


Thanks husker for the information and history.
 

Bisker82 said:
Job security & job satisfaction don't necessarily equate to the highest wages.
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Too true. Money isn't everything and that seems to be something that Kill's staff members appreciate. For instance, one his coordinators (can't recall which and don't have time to hunt the link) turned down NFL offers to stay with him.
 

husker- thanks for taking the time for a rational response. People want to believe their competition is winning because they cheat, but more often it is because they are doing a lot better job. Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Iowa have all had better programs than we have, and while I believe it is possible that one (this is a theoretcial point, not a specific accusation) could have cheated, there is no way I believe all of them have. Two of the three have demographic disadvantagesin size, although they are closer to recruiting centers; we have just done a half-ass job with our football program.
The weight program at Nebraska for offensive linemen actually had its own fan club with 40,000 members who contibuted $10 per year to support the training program. That is what winning and the enthusiasm it causes can do.
 



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