University of Minnesota Athletics

Minnesota head football coach Jerry Kill announced today that he is retiring from his position effective immediately due to medical concerns.

Kill Steps Down Due To Health Reasons

10/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football

Oct. 28, 2015

University of Minnesota head football coach Jerry Kill announced today that he is retiring from his position effective immediately due to medical concerns. Kill is stepping away from college football with a career record of 156-102 and a 29-29 mark at Minnesota.

Minnesota Interim Athletics Director Beth Goetz named Tracy Claeys Interim Head Coach this morning. Claeys, who has worked with Kill for 21 years, was previously Minnesota's Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator.

Claeys served as Minnesota's Acting Head Coach for seven games during the 2013 season when Kill took time to focus on his health. Minnesota was 4-3 with Claeys was the Acting Head Coach and posted wins against Northwestern, Nebraska, Indiana and Penn State.

Kill was named Minnesota's head coach on Dec. 7, 2010, and took the Gophers to heights not seen in recent years. Last season, Kill led Minnesota to a January 1 bowl game for the first time since 1962 and coached the Gophers to wins against Michigan and Iowa, which had previously not happened in the same season since 1967. Under Kill's direction, Minnesota also erased a 14-point halftime deficit at Nebraska to beat the ranked Huskers on the road for the first time since 1960. Minnesota won eight games in both 2013 and 2014, which marked only the fifth time since 1906 that Minnesota won eight games in consecutive seasons.

In 2014, Kill was voted the Big Ten's Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year by the conference's coaches and the Dave McClain Coach of the Year by the media who cover the Big Ten. He also was named Region 3 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association for the second straight year. Kill, who was the only repeat winner among the five Football Bowl Subdivision coaches, was recognized by the AFCA for the fourth time, as he was also named a Regional Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2004 while at Southern Illinois.

Last season, Kill coached the Big Ten tight end of the year in Maxx Williams and the Big Ten punter of the year in Peter Mortell and in total five Gophers were named All-Big Ten First Team, the most since 2004.

The NFL also took note of Kill's rebuilding of the Minnesota program, as six Gophers were selected in the last two NFL Drafts. In 2014, Ra'Shede Hageman was selected in the second round by the Atlanta Falcons and Brock Vereen was a fourth-round pick of the Chicago Bears. In 2015, Maxx Williams was taken in the second round by the Baltimore Ravens, while Damien Wilson (fourth round to the Dallas Cowboys), David Cobb (fifth round to the Tennessee Titans) and Cedric Thompson (fifth round to the Miami Dolphins) also heard their named called by NFL teams.

The four draft picks from 2015 are the most that Minnesota has had since it also had four players picked in 2006. The six combined picks from 2014 and 2015 were more than Minnesota had drafted from 2007-13 (Gophers had four players taken during this time).

Kill's rebuilding of the Minnesota program also took place in the classroom. The Gophers recorded a 994 Academic Progress Rate (APR) for the 2013-14 season as well as the 2012-13 and 2011-12 seasons. The 994 score is the highest single-season score that the Minnesota football team has ever recorded and the Gophers' multi-year rate of 975 is also a school record.

Kill By the Numbers:

.605 Winning percentage as a collegiate head coach

1 National Championship. Won as offensive coordinator at Pittsburg (Kan.) State University in 1991

1 Big Ten Coach of the Year (Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year and Dave McClain Coach of the Year) at Minnesota in 2014

2 Mid-American Conference Vern Smith Leadership Award (MVP) winners in three years at NIU

3 National Coach of the Year honors. 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year, 2004 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, 2014 Tom Lemming Coach of the Year

3 Bowl-eligible teams in three seasons at Northern Illinois University. 2008 Independence Bowl; 2009 International Bowl; 2010 Humanitarian Bowl

3 Bowl-eligible team in four seasons at Minnesota. 2012 Meineke Car Care Bowl; 2013 Texas Bowl; 2015 Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl

4 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honors. 2003 and 2004 at Southern Illinois, 2013 and 2014 at Minnesota

5 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoff appearances as head coach at Southern Illinois University

6 NFL Draft picks in his tenure at Minnesota

7 First-team All-Big Ten selections in his tenure at Minnesota

10 First-team All-MAC selections in his three-year tenure at Northern Illinois

15 Winning seasons (out of 21) as a collegiate head coach

156 Career victories

Statements Regarding Coach Kill's Retirement:

"This is a tough moment for me, our players and coaches. First of all, I want to thank the state of Minnesota. The people here are tremendous people who have been very good to my wife and my family. They made us feel like this is our home. The university, administration, the players, the coaches, the friends that we've acquired through our stay - we thank them all; the fans that have been loyal through the good times and the bad times

"I've given every ounce that I have for 32 years to the game of football and the kids that I've been able to coach.

"Last night, when I walked off the practice field, I felt like a part of me died. I love this game. I've always done it for my family. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to coach this game."

-Jerry Kill

"I want to thank Coach Kill for his dedication to this University, our students and staff and the entire state of Minnesota. His commitment to greatness for our student-athletes and our football program - both on and off the field - sets us up for success long into the future. I'm grateful to him for everything he's done and fully support his decision to focus on his health and his family."

-Interim Director of Athletics Beth Goetz

"We are saddened to hear the news of Jerry Kill's retirement due to ongoing health issues. Gopher fans everywhere will miss his steady presence and leadership, but personal health and family must take priority. Coach Kill has always been more than a coach - he has been a teacher and mentor who instills the values of hard work and integrity in the young men he leads. It showed in their performance on the field and just as important, it showed in their performance off the field through increased GPAs and graduation rates. More than anything, it's Coach Kill's values that set him apart. We appreciate the contributions he has made to the Gopher football program and to the entire state of Minnesota."

-Board of Regents Chairman Dean Johnson

"A person's health is far more important than a football game or season, and while I am deeply saddened by Coach Kill's decision to step down as our coach, I respect and support it.

"I am thankful to Jerry for his service to the University, and I wish him and Rebecca only the very best. Jerry has become a friend, and I want him to take care of himself.

"Ours is a football program on an upward trajectory. In his five years as our head coach Jerry Kill brought integrity, discipline and pride to the program. He helped fill stadiums and lead us to post-season bowl games. But, more importantly, we also saw our football student-athletes perform better in the classroom than at any time in history.

"Today is also a day to support and cheer for our student-athletes. Those young people are the hearts and souls of our football team and I know I'll be cheering a little bit harder for them this Saturday as they go through this transition.

"Meanwhile, we have made great progress in raising funds to improve our athletic facilities, and that effort will continue. These are facilities for all of our student-athletes and programs. I look forward to our ground breaking for our Athletes Village on Friday.

"For the remainder of the season, Tracy Claeys, who has been a colleague of Coach Kill's for two decades, will serve as our head coach. I have confidence in Tracy, and I urge Gopher fans and all friends of the University to fully support him and, most importantly, support our student-athletes."

-University of Minnesota President Dr. Eric Kaler

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