BleedGopher
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per NJ.com:
"Coach Kill is a very heartfelt guy," Smith said at Big Ten Media Days. "A lot of people can relate to him because of his health issues. I'm a diabetic -- I don't know if anybody knows that -- and he made sure that I was taken care of individually. He assured that to my parents. We had a relationship off the football field. It meant a lot to me."
Smith's teammate, defensive lineman Steve Richardson, picked Minnesota in recruiting after finding common ground with Kill.
"I really connected with Coach Kill because I'm all about family," Richardson said. "I felt like I was home when I first got here. He invited me down for a junior day and offered me a day or two after, but he also had a really good connection with my high school coach. That's where we built a relationship from the beginning."
The anecdotes won't come as a surprise to those who know Kill, including Minnesota's first-year coach P.J. Fleck.
Eight years ago, Fleck worked for Kill at Northern Illinois, before the former left to become Rutgers wide receivers coach and the latter left to become Minnesota's head coach.
Kill retired in October 2015 due to the effects of seizures, handing off the job to friend and defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys. Fleck, who started 12-0 as Western Michigan's fourth-year head coach last season, replaced Claeys in January.
"Jerry always taught me how to care for the players," Fleck said. "I was a caring individual before, but to watch Jerry truly to care for people was really inspiring. That means all the time. Not just when you are on. All the time."
http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/i...sota_players_pj_fleck_learned_under_rutg.html
Go Gophers!!
"Coach Kill is a very heartfelt guy," Smith said at Big Ten Media Days. "A lot of people can relate to him because of his health issues. I'm a diabetic -- I don't know if anybody knows that -- and he made sure that I was taken care of individually. He assured that to my parents. We had a relationship off the football field. It meant a lot to me."
Smith's teammate, defensive lineman Steve Richardson, picked Minnesota in recruiting after finding common ground with Kill.
"I really connected with Coach Kill because I'm all about family," Richardson said. "I felt like I was home when I first got here. He invited me down for a junior day and offered me a day or two after, but he also had a really good connection with my high school coach. That's where we built a relationship from the beginning."
The anecdotes won't come as a surprise to those who know Kill, including Minnesota's first-year coach P.J. Fleck.
Eight years ago, Fleck worked for Kill at Northern Illinois, before the former left to become Rutgers wide receivers coach and the latter left to become Minnesota's head coach.
Kill retired in October 2015 due to the effects of seizures, handing off the job to friend and defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys. Fleck, who started 12-0 as Western Michigan's fourth-year head coach last season, replaced Claeys in January.
"Jerry always taught me how to care for the players," Fleck said. "I was a caring individual before, but to watch Jerry truly to care for people was really inspiring. That means all the time. Not just when you are on. All the time."
http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/i...sota_players_pj_fleck_learned_under_rutg.html
Go Gophers!!