The rollout for Jerry Kill’s book is about to happen. The former Gophers coach told Sports Headliners the book is only days away from being available online at Amazon, and he will travel from his home in Kansas to promote the book in Minneapolis next month.
Chasing Dreams: Living My Life One Yard at a Time is a book with intentions that won’t surprise Kill’s many admirers in Minnesota. He wrote the autobiography with Minnesota author Jim Bruton to help others and raise money for his two nonprofits.
“It’s really a book that is filled full of a lot of different types of information,” Kill said in a telephone interview Sunday. “I am hoping that somebody that has epilepsy would read it. Somebody has cancer would read it. Somebody from the business world would read it (comparing business and big time college sports). I think that’s one of the better chapters in there, honestly.
“The other part of it (the book) is a little bit for where I was raised, family and that kind of thing. It’s a book to try to touch as many lives as I can.”
Kill’s intent is to sell thousands and thousands of books because all profits go to the Illinois-based Coach Jerry Kill Cancer Fund and the Minnesota-headquartered Coach Kill Chasing Dreams Epilepsy Fund. “Both foundations will benefit,” Kill said. “That’s what I am more proud of than anything.
“None of it will go to (wife) Rebecca and I. It will all go to our foundations. So even if you don’t like the book, somebody ought to buy it just to donate 25 bucks or whatever it’s going to cost because they’re helping somebody out.”
Kill will be in Minnesota Friday, September 9 and Saturday, September 10 for book signings. Among his stops will be TCF Bank Stadium September 10 where he will have books available before and after the Gophers-Indiana State football game.
Kill poked fun at his verbal skills when discussing the book. His Kansas twang and folksy manner—and sometimes incomplete and grammatically mixed up remarks—can leave a listener trying to piece things together. “This book may not have perfect English in it cause people said that I don’t speak English real good,” he said. “So it will be interesting. …”
In his book Kill writes about his personal life both growing up and as an adult. ”There will be some stuff that nobody knows about,” he said. “There’s no question about that. I didn’t pull any punches as far as my life.
“My wife left me for a short time. I talk about that and why. It’s in there.”
Kill, who turns 55 next week, is revered by Gophers fans for the accomplishments he had with the football team and the unselfish volunteerism he provided in the community. He inherited an embarrassing program after the 2010 season that was a failure on the field and in the classroom. His “brick-by-brick” slogan came true as the Gophers earned milestone wins and played in their first New Year’s Day Bowl game since 1962. Off the field incidents involving players that had made headlines under previous coaches stopped and GPAs dramatically improved.
Kill and Rebecca made time to help individuals and organizations who reached out to them. They have been mentors and role models to many Minnesotans who needed assistance. Part of why they empathize with others is because of their own struggles. Kill is a cancer survivor and his battles with epilepsy were dramatically highlighted while coaching the Gophers.
Health concerns drove him out of coaching and into retirement last October when he unexpectedly resigned with five regular season games remaining on the schedule. Kill was struggling so much his wife was helping him get through the nights. He was trying to do his own pressure-filled job while adding some responsibilities of resigned athletic Norwood Teague. Kill held a heartbreaking news conference to announce his resignation only days before the October 31 Michigan game.
In the book Kill writes about Teague but doesn’t go after his controversial former boss. “I did say that when he left I had to do a lot more things than I had to…in the past, and that was difficult,” Kill said.
Although Kill admits his situation was very demanding last fall, he doesn’t blame Teague or anyone else for how his career at Minnesota ended. “Everything was brought on (by) myself,” Kill said. “I don’t have anybody to blame except myself as (to) why at the end of the day it was out at Minnesota. …”
In the weeks after Kill’s resignation he tried to figure out what he was going to do with his life and time. The idea of writing a book fit in with his plans. “Well, I think the biggest reason (was) I needed something to do after my situation,” he said. “After a month…I got my feet on the ground and we done it (the book) pretty fast.”
Kill is now an associate athletic director at Kansas State. He works closely with student-athletes and legendary football coach Bill Snyder. A native of small-town Cheney, Kansas, Kill is close to nearby family while working in Manhattan.
Minnesota, though, is still on his mind. He made so many friends here and loved the state.
The book cover shows a triumphant Kill running off the field at TCF Bank Stadium looking up at approving fans. Kill is pleased with the cover and it reminds him of his feelings for Minnesota. “It’s a great state,” he said.