The most heartbreaking things Jerry Kill said today

[Iceland12]

http://www.startribune.com/the-most-heartbreaking-things-jerry-kill-said-today-2/338010211/

* "People are going to ask, ‘What are you going to do now?’ I don’t know. I’ve never done anything else." That came early on in his opening remarks, and it underscored his long battle to stay in the game in spite of multiple health problems — most notably at Minnesota in his fight with epilepsy. He’s been a football coach for more than three decades. When that’s all you know, you do whatever it takes to keep doing it. When it’s suddenly gone, it’s painfully hard to imagine life without it.

* "Last night, when I walked off the practice field … I feel like a part of me died." Again, a sense of just what the game means to him.

* ”Some stuff I had to take, I took myself off of, because I couldn’t think the way I wanted to think." Here, Kill was talking about medication he was on to treat his epilepsy and that he felt was detracting from his ability to coach — underscoring the awful choice he was left with between being healthy and living a fuller long-term life or having the job he loved.

* "You’d be lying to say if you didn’t think about that." Kill, 54, was talking here about Flip Saunders, who died Sunday at the age of 60. As Kill’s own health declined (he said he went to practice Tuesday after having had two recent seizures), life-and-death issues came into sharper focus.

* "That ain’t no way to live." Perhaps the defining quote of the day. Kill here was breaking down while talking about how he hasn’t slept more than three hours any night in the past three weeks and how his wife, Rebecca, stays up watching him.

 

[gopherdudepart2]

http://www.startribune.com/the-most-heartbreaking-things-jerry-kill-said-today-2/338010211/

* "People are going to ask, ‘What are you going to do now?’ I don’t know. I’ve never done anything else." That came early on in his opening remarks, and it underscored his long battle to stay in the game in spite of multiple health problems — most notably at Minnesota in his fight with epilepsy. He’s been a football coach for more than three decades. When that’s all you know, you do whatever it takes to keep doing it. When it’s suddenly gone, it’s painfully hard to imagine life without it.

* "Last night, when I walked off the practice field … I feel like a part of me died." Again, a sense of just what the game means to him.

* ”Some stuff I had to take, I took myself off of, because I couldn’t think the way I wanted to think." Here, Kill was talking about medication he was on to treat his epilepsy and that he felt was detracting from his ability to coach — underscoring the awful choice he was left with between being healthy and living a fuller long-term life or having the job he loved.

* "You’d be lying to say if you didn’t think about that." Kill, 54, was talking here about Flip Saunders, who died Sunday at the age of 60. As Kill’s own health declined (he said he went to practice Tuesday after having had two recent seizures), life-and-death issues came into sharper focus.

* "That ain’t no way to live." Perhaps the defining quote of the day. Kill here was breaking down while talking about how he hasn’t slept more than three hours any night in the past three weeks and how his wife, Rebecca, stays up watching him.

You can tell that coach Kill poured his heart and soul in to the Minnesota Gophers football program he will always be a Gopher. Listening to Anthony Lapanta on KFAN a HS coach at Totino Grace talk about coach Kill and how much the coaches in the Minnesota High School association respected and appreciated the efforts of coach Kill tells you this will be a large hole left in this still building program. Hope everyone finds a way to move forward and that coach and the staff do not bury their heads in the sand. I don't think they will do that but tough to not do when your mentor and leader has to leave not on his own terms.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I thought it was:

"This is the toughest thing since I lost my dad"

 

[Triple D]

I thought it was when he said he called to tell his mom and she asked if he was OK and he said No. Then she told him that she loved him and it wasn't a very long phone call. Gut wrenching.

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

Worst for me was just when he started talking about his family, daughters and potential grandkids and the harsh realization that if he didn't change, he wouldn't be around for them.

 

[Governor Sibley]

That was a heart-breaking video.

I hope his grandchildren will watch that some day.

 

[Catechol]

In a way though, I hope he could continue in some capacity. You know how certain people - especially those who derive so much vitality from their profession - really fail to thrive after that is taken away? Or perhaps he will dedicate more time to epilepsy organizations.

 

[jaymil]

He said something about building programs and not being around to enjoy the end of it, and how he's continuing that tradition. That was tough.