The Minnesota Golden Gophers have found their head man after firing head coach Tim Brewster seven games into the 2010 season. Northern Illinois head coach Jerry Kill is moving up in the world, taking the reigns at Minnesota after being officially introduced as the head coach in a press release on Sunday afternoon. Kill has worked his way up the coaching ladder, moving from smaller, FCS schools to Northern Illinois before getting a shot in a BCS conference at Minnesota.
Jerry Kill Hired As Minnesota Head Coach
Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi was pleased with the hire, making it clear Kill was the Golden Gophers’ target from the beginning.
“We cast a wide net in this search, but the name we kept coming back to was Jerry Kill. Coach Kill has won at every level of coaching and has a history of rebuilding programs. I’m confident we have chosen the right man to lead the Golden Gopher program.”
Kill has a big task facing him at Minnesota after Tim Brewster left the program in turmoil. Maturi was quick to blame the former head coach, taking a parting shot at Brewster while announcing he’d been fired from his post as head coach, saying “You’re not following Vince Lombardi here.” If nothing else, the pressure isn’t on Kill to win right away.
As head coach of the Northern Illinois Huskies, Kill compiled a 24-16 record, including a first-place finish in the MAC's Western conference in 2010. Overall, he boasts a 127-73 record including three conference championships and an FCS semi-final berth while at Southern Illinois.
Kill will be officially introduced to the public at a press conference Monday at 3 p.m. Eastern Time.
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