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Jerry Kill is retiring.
Years from now, after Coach Kill had closed out a long and successful career as the head football coach at the University of Minnesota, writing the words "Jerry Kill is retiring" would've had a much different feeling. But with the shocking announcement this morning that Coach Kill has decided to step down out of concern for his health, I -- and everyone else associated with the program -- feel nothing but sadness.
Coach Kill Speaks About Retiring
Coach Kill Speaks About Retiring
This morning's heartbreaking press conference was difficult to watch because it was clear that the man sitting at the podium had been stripped of one of the things he loves most in this world. This is much worse than a football coach being fired for not winning games. This is a man being forced to give up what he loves to live a long and fruitful life with the people that he loves. That is no choice anyone should have to face, and I can't even begin to imagine what Coach Kill must be going through now.
All we can do now, as fans, is offer two important words: "Thank you."
With respect to his predecessors, Jerry Kill is without question one of the best football coaches to ever walk the sidelines for the Golden Gophers. Hands down. His overall record of 29-29 is misleading and not indicative of the work he has done to make Minnesota relevant again in the Big Ten. When he was hired back in December of 2010, he inherited a program that had bottomed out under Tim Brewster, compiling an atrocious 17-33 record over four years and a myriad of embarrassing losses to lesser programs. In the next four and a half years, Coach Kill would rebuild the Golden Gophers from the ground up, amassing an unparalleled list of accomplishments:
- Won four straight Big Ten games in 2013, the Golden Gophers' first four-game conference winning streak since 1973.
- Beat Penn State in 2013 to re-claim the Governor's Victory Bell for the first time since 2004.
- Beat Nebraska in 2013 for the first time since 1960. Beat them again in 2014 for back-to-back wins over the Cornhuskers for the first time since 1954.
- Beat Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2014 for the first time since 2005 to re-claim the Little Brown Jug. That was also the Golden Gophers' second win over the Wolverines in 24 years.
- Beat both Michigan and Iowa (to re-claim the Floyd of Rosedale) in 2014, the first time the Golden Gophers have done that in the same season since 1967.
- Finished 2nd in the Big Ten West in 2014. The Golden Gophers' 5-3 conference record in 2014 was also the program's first winning Big Ten record since 2003.
- Took the Golden Gophers to the Citrus Bowl in 2015, their first New Year's Day bowl game since 1962.
- Posted back-to-back 8-win seasons in 2013-14 for the first time since 2002-03.
- The Golden Gophers also saw four players selected in the NFL Draft in 2015 -- Maxx Williams, David Cobb, Damien Wilson, and Cedric Thompson -- the most from Minnesota since 2006.