There has been no more vocal critic of University of Minnesota athletics than Jim Carter, but the former Gophers football captain acknowledged that school president Eric Kaler and new athletic director Mark Coyle have reached out to him.
Carter was unhappy about Kaler not placing him on the search committee to select the athletic director, despite having a landslide number of nominations from friends and contacts. An advocate for excellence, Carter has criticized University administrators for not creating a winning culture, and has been angry with a series of embarrassments in the athletic department including the job performances of departed athletic director Norwood Teague and men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino.
About two weeks ago Kaler announced Coyle as his choice to succeed interim AD Beth Goetz. The day of the announcement, and prior to holding the news conference, Kaler called Carter. “(Kaler) said they hired a superstar,” Carter told Sports Headliners. “Those are his words, and (he) asked me to greet the new man warmly.
“Then a couple days after Coyle got the job he was nice enough to call, which I was impressed with. I would expect it if a guy was good…he would call the people like me that have voiced lots of disagreement with Kaler and with the way the athletic department is being run. …
“So he did reach out to say let’s get together for a cup of coffee. Wanted to introduce himself over the phone. I congratulated him on getting the job, and I would guess that we’ll get together and get a chance to meet in person.”
The Coyle hire has been applauded by fans, media and others. The 47-year-old Iowa native has an impressive background in athletics administration that includes stops at Boise State, Kentucky and Syracuse. He was the AD at both Boise and Syracuse, and while at Kentucky reportedly helped raise more than $140 million. Before going to those schools Coyle worked in the Gophers athletic department with responsibilities that included marketing, licensing and sponsorships.
“I am sure he is a talented guy,” Carter said. “As you know, I was favoring hiring a person not in the (college athletic director) ranks, or working their way up as assistant AD. I would have much preferred an M man (U letter winner) …somebody that has been in (private) business.
“Having said all that, this looks like a good candidate. We’ll see. It’s still early on. What he (Coyle) does with that Pitino thing, I think we’ll know right away.”
Pitino is under intense scrutiny because of off-court incidents involving his players, and a school worst ever Big Ten record last season of 2-16. Before Kaler introduced Coyle at the news conference he spoke about how “profoundly disappointed” he is with the basketball program.
Don’t Expect Kill to Replace K-State Coach
Former Gophers football coach Jerry Kill starts his new job as an administrator, assisting with the Kansas State football program in July. As associate athletic director, Kill’s job will be to help the program any way he can including directly for legendary head coach Bill Snyder.
Snyder will be 77 in October. Could Kill some day replace him?
“I don’t want to coach (again),” Kill told Sports Headliners on Friday. “It’s not worth the risk.”
The risk, of course, is Kill’s health including his fight with epilepsy. Health issues prematurely ended his era (2011-2015) as Gophers coach last fall. He rebuilt the Gophers into a respected Big Ten program that had various highlights including taking his 2014 team to its first New Year’s Day Bowl game since 1962.
Asked about Power Five Conference offers to coach elsewhere when he was with Minnesota, Kill said there were “one or two” jobs he could have had. Kill didn’t identify those schools but one might have been Nebraska after coach Bo Pelini was let go following the 2014 season.
Carter is among those who believe Nebraska did have conversations with the Gophers coach. If true, Kill turned down the Cornhuskers out of loyalty to Minnesota. That loyalty remains in place toward new Gophers head coach Tracy Claeys, his assistants and players. Kill refers to them as “my guys” and said it will be a “passion” for him to help the program whenever he can.
Carter knows Kill well and while voicing his own perspective didn’t dismiss the possibility the 54-year-old Kansas native might one day find circumstances different than now and want to coach. “…Kill hasn’t indicated any different to me than he has (said) publicly and to the press. He said the same thing, that he is done coaching.
“It’s my personal opinion that Kill is through and through a head football coach. It would not surprise me to see him coach again, and even at the Power Five Conference level because he is a young man and he’s got a lot of energy. If his health keeps continuing to be good, it would not surprise me to see him be a head coach again.”
These days Kill is enjoying a more relaxed schedule than the nearly 24-7 grind he had as Gophers coach and fundraiser for the athletic department. He pays close attention to his diet and exercise routine. He is even playing golf for the first time in 14 years.
Kill is keeping his office open in Minneapolis for the Chasing Dreams Fund through the Epilepsy Foundation, and will return to Minnesota in a few months to promote a new book about his life. Kill’s daughter Krystal lives in the metro area so there are multiple reasons for him to come up this way. “It’s only a seven hour drive from Manhattan to the Twin Cities,” he said.
Kill will keep a connection to Minnesota, and that’s good news for his many friends and admirers.