
[email protected]
Jerry Kill
Former Head Coach of University of Minnesota's Football Program; Epilepsy Survivor & Passionate Epilepsy Advocate
Jerry Kill is a former American college football player and the former head coach of the University of Minnesota's football program. He currently serves as athletic director at Southern Illinois University.
Kill played college football at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, from 1979 to 1982, becoming the first person from his working-class family to graduate from college.
Kill served as the head coach at Saginaw Valley State University, Emporia State University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Northern Illinois University and the University of Minnesota.
Kill has also served as an athletic department administrator, having held positions including his current one as athletic director at Southern Illinois University. He was also briefly at Kansas State as associate athletic director.
During the course of his career, he was credited with bringing several programs to new heights, and these successes led to increasingly more prestigious coaching positions.
Kill has epilepsy, and suffered his first seizure toward the end of a game in October 2005. He was plagued by gameday hospitalizations and seizures for years, which led to him taking a leave of absence from his position as the University of Minnesota's head coach in 2013. Kill returned to serve as head coach for the entirety of the 2014 season and part of the 2015 season, but he resigned from that position in October of 2015 due to his poor health.
Kill has also had kidney cancer in the past, although he is fortunately now in remission. Since his experience with kidney cancer, he started the Coach Kill Cancer Fund foundation to assist low-income southern Illinois residents with treatment.
Kill was a nominee for the 2011 Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Award, presented by Uplifting Athletes, but lost to Princeton running back Jordan Culbreath. In 2016, he was named to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Kill and his wife Rebecca have two daughters, Krystal and Tasha.
Videos

added about 1 year ago

added about 1 year ago
News
Former Minnesota football coach Jerry Kill ripped current head coach P.J. Fleck over the latter's antics since taking over the Golden Gophers.
Minnesota football coach P.J. Fleck says he's "saddened" by critical remarks from former coach Jerry Kill suggesting Fleck cares more about himself than his ...
Related Speakers View all
![]() |
Vince Papale
Former NFL Player & Inspiration for the Movie "Invin...
|
![]() |
Jim Kelly
Pro Football Hall of Fame Member & Radio Host of “Un...
|
|
James Conner
Running Back for the Pittsburgh Steelers
|
![]() |
Chuck Pagano
NFL Coach, Defensive Coordinator with the Chicago Bears
|
![]() |
Gary Darnell
Former Western Michigan University Football Coach; A...
|
![]() |
Bill Bates
Former Dallas Cowboy
|
![]() |
Mike Sherman
Michael Francis Sherman (born December 19, 1954 in N...
|
![]() |
Steve Addazio
Head Football Coach of Colorado State Rams
|
![]() |
Will Muschamp
Head Coach, University of South Carolina Football
|
![]() |
Ron Rivera
Head Coach of the Washington Redskins & Former NFL P...
|
![]() |
John Harbaugh
Head Coach of the Baltimore Ravens; Super Bowl XLVII...
|
![]() |
Blaise Winter
Blaise Winter is living proof of the POWER OF MIND A...
|
![]() |
Caleb Hanie
Former NFL Quarterback & Entrepreneur
|
![]() |
Clint Dolezel |
|
Chris Petersen
Head Football Coach at Boise State University
|
![]() |
Dave Doeren
Head Football Coach of NC State Wolfpack
|
|
Dan Mullen
Head Football Coach of Florida Gators
|
![]() |
Dan McCarney |
![]() |
Chris Ault |
![]() |
Charlie Weatherbie |