.png&width=42&height=42&type=webp)
University of Minnesota Athletics
Blog: Coffee With Coach Kill
12/30/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Former Gopher Ray Hitchcock wants to see as many Minnesota Football alumni as possible become connected with new head coach Jerry Kill, his staff and the current squad. So, Hitchcock and the Gophers' Director of Football Operations Dan O'Brien put together a meeting with Coach Kill, the Minnesota staff and 20-plus former players Thursday morning. The reactions were so positive that it may become a regular occurrence.
"We just had a great response," Hitchcock said of putting the meeting together. "I put out a call last Thursday to 25 guys and 23 immediately got back to me. The other two guys who weren't here this morning are out of town. We've got so many guys who are so anxious to get involved here. I was very encouraged that we had the response we did."
Hitchock would like to have "Coffee With Kill" every few weeks or so. He said plans are already in the works to hold more of these meetings. Hitchcock believes that former players can be a great resource and promotional vehicle for the program out in the community.
"This guy's the right guy," Hitchcock said. "He's a guy who understands the importance of 'M' men and is going to be able to reach out to us. One thing he announced this morning is that he's going to open spring practice to all of us. We'll be welcomed at any time. That will be a good opportunity for us to come over and see how he coaches. If we do this on a monthly basis, we'll have 300 past players in front of him. That's going to give them an opportunity to go out, be advocates for the program and take the message that Coach Kill is talking about out to the street."
Coach Kill was very appreciative of the group taking some time and coming over to the football complex early in the morning to meet him and his staff.
"It was a good morning," Kill said. "It was great to meet some of those guys. It was nice for them to get to know who we are and come up to the football office. It was an honor to have them. It's our football team and it's the history. They're a part of that. They need to be a part of it. We need to learn what went on in our history before we can go on to the future sometimes. It's great for them to be a part of it."
The former players came away impressed by their initial meeting with Coach Kill. Former quarterback Rickey Foggie was one of them.
"First and foremost, that guy knows football. There's no question about that," Foggie said. "The guy has a real passion for football. He's an advocate for football and everything he wants to do to get the program back in the right direction is related to football. You can see the things he's been through in his life. That makes him the type of coach he is. He's going to do whatever it takes to make this program successful. He's willing to get outside help from former players who have some good input. He's willing to listen and get us involved in this program."
In the short time that he's been in the Twin Cities, Coach Kill has been impressed with the number of former players who have stayed in Minnesota for their careers and to raise their families. He sees them and their stories as a real selling point for the University of Minnesota.
"It's unbelievable how many of these players are still in this community," Kill said. "That tells you a little bit about what the University of Minnesota offers. These guys came in for four or five years of school and they've been here the rest of their lives. That's a tremendous thing for us and a tremendous avenue for us to reach out to them."
Former players who are interested in meeting with Coach Kill and taking part in one of these sessions can contact the football office at 612.624.6004 or by email at football@umn.edu.
-By Andy Seeley, Associate Director of Athletic Communications
