Golden Gopher Gridiron | University of Minnesota Football

Jerry Kill was named head coach of the University of Minnesota football program on December 7, 2010.

The Gophers were 3-9 in Kill's first season at the helm in Minnesota. The Gophers finished the 2011 season on a positive note, retaining Floyd of Rosedale with a rivalry game victory over Big Ten foe Iowa and a season-ending Big Ten win over Illinois.

Kill came to Minnesota after spending three seasons on the sidelines at Northern Illinois University. Kill led the Huskies to three consecutive bowl games during his tenure. He also coached NIU to a berth the Mid-American Conference Championship game in 2010. Kill put together a 23-16 record in his three seasons with the Huskies.

In three seasons, Kill coached two winners of the Mid-American Conference Vern Smith Leadership Award, given annually to the conference's top football player. Defensive end Larry English won the award in 2008, Kill's first season with the Huskies. Running back Chad Spann was honored as the conference's top player in 2010. English went on to be the No. 16 overall choice in the 2009 NFL Draft and currently plays for the San Diego Chargers.

During the 2010 season, Kill mentored six first-team All-MAC selections. In his three seasons, the Huskies earned 10 first-team all-MAC honors. His 2010 squad ranked No. 7 in the nation in rushing offense, No. 12 in scoring offense, No. 19 in total offense, No. 14 in scoring defense, No. 26 in total defense, No. 24 in rushing defense and No. 44 in passing defense.

Following the 2010 season, Kill was named the National Coach of the Year by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

In 2009, Kill was presented with the National Football Foundation Courage Award by the Chicago Metro Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.

Kill's overall collegiate head coaching record stands at 130-82 in 18 seasons. In four previous stops as a head coach, he has never left a school with a sub-.500 record. In three of his previous four head coaching positions, he took over a team with a losing record and turned in a winning season in three years or less.

Prior to serving as the head coach at Northern Illinois, Kill was in charge of the football program at Southern Illinois University, an FCS (formerly Division I-AA) program in Carbondale, Ill. He spent seven years on the Saluki sideline and compiled a 55-32 record. Kill's record over his final five seasons with Southern Illinois was 50-14 and included five consecutive NCAA FCS Playoff appearances.

Kill was the head coach at Emporia (Kan.) State for two seasons in 1999-2000. He went 11-11 with the Hornets, who play at the NCAA Division II level. Prior to coaching at Emporia State, Kill was the head coach at NCAA Division II member Saginaw Valley State from 1994-1998. He compiled a 38-14 record with the Cardinals.
 

Kill served as defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator in two different stops at Pittsburg (Kan.) State University. He helped lead the Gorillas to three NAIA playoff appearances in three years as the defensive coordinator from 1985-87. Kill returned to Pitt State as the offensive coordinator from 1990-93. In that four-year span, the Gorillas advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs four times, reaching the championship game twice and winning the 1991 national title.

Sandwiched in between his stints at Pittsburg State, Kill was the head coach at Webb City (Mo.) High School. He was 25-1 in two seasons at Webb City and won a state championship in 1989.

In addition to winning on the field, Kill's tenure at Northern Illinois has also included achievement in the classroom. In his first two seasons at Northern Illinois, his team compiled the highest cumulative grade-point averages in school history. In his first two seasons, 50 NIU student-athletes earned their bachelor's degrees, helping the Huskies rank among the top three teams in the MAC in Graduation Success Rate (GSR). NIU's most recent Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 975 ranked the Huskies 10th among all NCAA Division I schools.

Kill is married to the former Rebecca Smith. He has two daughters -- Krystal (23) and Tasha (19).
 

.635 Winning percentage as a collegiate head coach

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

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

2 National Coach of the Year honors. 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year, 2004 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year

3 Victories over Big Ten opponents. Two at Northern Illinois and one at Southern Illinois

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

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

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

14 Winning seasons (out of 17) as a collegiate head coach