Posted: December 6, 2010, 11:50 a.m. CT
New Gophers football coach Jerry Kill sat down with FOXSportsNorth.com's Anthony LaPanta on Monday for an exclusive one-on-one interview, his first with a Minnesota media outlet since accepting the offer. Here's the transcript of that interview:
Anthony LaPanta: Coach Kill, your first day at the University of Minnesota campus. Take us through the last couple of days and how this came to be.
Jerry Kill: Well it's been a whirlwind, it really has. I was coaching in a MAC conference championship game and we got beat (26-21 by Miami on Dec. 3) and it was a tough evening and then all of a sudden I get a chance to visit with (athletic director) Joel (Maturi) and the president (Robert H. Bruininks) and then all of a sudden (laughs) I'm the head coach at the University of Minnesota. So it's been a whirlwind, but it's been a great thing and I'm so excited about being here. And me and my wife, we're fired up about getting involved in the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota.
AL: Had the thought ever entered your mind that as you're going through your season, and obviously your No. 1 priority is on the team you're coaching, but as jobs start to open, are you wondering if any of them might be a good fit for you?
JK: You know, not really. As with everywhere I've ever been, I've said this is where I'm going to be and what I'm going to do, and I've been fortunate that I haven't had to look for a job, so I really didn't. Being here right now, you're going, "Wow, what an opportunity," and the good Lord has blessed me, there's no question about that.
AL: It's a little bit of a unique situation because you played against this team this season. (Northern Illinois won 34-23 on Sept. 25.) You've seen the facility. You've had an up-close look at their roster. How much does that help you as you make this adjustment, being somewhat familiar with what you're stepping into?
JK: Well I think the big thing is, preparing to play against a team I'm at now, it certainly helps a little bit, but still you really don't know the ins and the outs of the personnel and we'll have to get to know the kids and so forth. As far as the university and the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota, I know how prideful they are and I've got several friends that live in this area so I know a lot about it. I think it's just great timing to be here and see if we can move things forward.
AL: How much of a priority is it for you to make connections with the community in terms of keeping recruits at home and being connected to the high school football community?
JK: I think it's important and I think it's easy for me to do in the fact that I'm a (former) high school coach. I started off coaching high school football and I still think one of the best jobs I ever had was coaching high school, so I enjoy that. I enjoy coaching. It's a great passion. I enjoy getting involved in the community. My wife enjoys that so you know we look forward to it. We've always given everything we have to anywhere we've ever been and we're certainly going to do that here.
AL: You've always been able to maintain some consistency with your staff. Obviously that's something you take a great deal of pride in or it doesn't happen. How do you do that now when you've got members of your former staff at Northern Illinois who may stay there? You've got members of a staff that were already here. How do you blend those two?
JK: It's something that we just take a look at. I'm very loyal and I've got some great guys at Northern Illinois. There's great people here. I know some of the guys here, but we'll do what's best for the University of Minnesota. That's the bottom line. And I've got to make sure that we put a group together that's going to be here and we're consistent. We can't have people going in and out. We've got to be able to have trust, loyalty, etc. We're going to put that group together and that will be a big component in what we do and how successful we are.
AL: You've coached at different levels. You've always had success. What do you expect that will be a constant as you move into here in terms of style of play perhaps, in terms of just the way you run your team, your organization? What has carried through with you at each level throughout your career?
JK: I think the biggest thing is my upbringing. I grew up in a town of about 2,000 people. I had a great mother and father, a simple life. I was working when I was 14 years old and my dad always said, "Son, there's one thing you control. It's hard work and whoever you work for, you bust your tail end and good things will happen." And that's the philosophy I take in coaching
