Ad Disclosure
Jerry Kill retires from coaching
Published:
Minnesota coach Jerry Kill announced that he’s retiring from coaching for health reasons.
The university released the information on Wednesday morning and named defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys the interim coach.
Coach Kill announced today that he is retiring effective immediately due to health reasons. Tracy Claeys has been named interim head coach.
— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) October 28, 2015
Claeys took over for Kill in 2013 when he battled epilepsy. Kill’s ongoing battle with the disease prevented him from being on the sidelines during the early part of his tenure at Minnesota. Claeys was 4-3 leading the Gophers during that stretch.
Claeys’ first three games as coach will be against the likes of Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa beginning with a Saturday night showdown against the Wolverines in Minneapolis.
The 54-year-old coach was in his fifth season with the Gophers. He was the reigning B1G Coach of the Year after leading Minnesota to an 8-5 season. As a result, he earned a one-year extension and a $300,000 raise to keep him in Minneapolis through the 2019 season.
He finished his career 29-29 with the Gophers. The switch marked the third B1G coaching change since August.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.