Copyright Star Tribune
Tuesday marked the 10-year anniversary of the hardest moment of Jerry Kill’s coaching career. That day he sat alone at a podium and somberly announced his resignation as Gophers football coach by saying, “I feel like a part of me died.” “Because the people treated me so good,” he said. “I was on a good roll. You can’t control what happens to you with a health situation. I’ve had to battle that stuff my whole life. … “I was at the pinnacle, and we had things going and working on the new facility [Athletes Village]. I hit my head against that wall so hard. I gave every ounce I could to Minnesota. I mean every single ounce. Eventually, you’ve got to be able to sleep and you’ve got to be able to eat and I wasn’t doing any of it. All I could do was think about Minnesota football, and I gave everything I had. I look back at it and if I had been able to stay healthy, who knows what would happen.” “I know a lot of people said you could have taken a year off,” he said. “That would have killed recruiting. It would have killed the program. You can’t take a year off and then come back, not with recruiting. I did what I had to do, and I didn’t cheat Minnesota.” Even though he had no previous connection to Lea, Kill put retirement on hold and signed a three-year contract. As a bonus, he’s only two hours away from his granddaughter (with another grandchild on the way). Pavia’s unlikely path began at New Mexico Military Institute where he played in the junior college national championship. Kill and Beck were recruiting the quarterback from Iowa Western in that game but decided to take Pavia instead, and now here is being mentioned as a Heisman Trophy candidate for a Vanderbilt team that is thick in the race for the College Football Playoff. “He has so much confidence and swagger to him,” Kill said. “Did I think he was going to do what he’s doing right now? I don’t think anybody did. But he did. That’s what makes him so good.” As for his health, he says “I’ve got it pretty well under control, the seizure part of it.” He loves living in Nashville, and the Commodores are taking a magic carpet ride that can continue to pick up speed with a win Saturday at Texas. “Minnesota made me a better person,” he said. “The people were great to me. I made the best out of it and fought my way back.”
