Author: David Shama

New Gophers football coach Jerry Kill will receive $50,000 for winning a fifth Big Ten Conference game each season, according to information provided to Sports Headliners by the University of Minnesota.

Former coach Tim Brewster’s Big Ten Conference career record was 6-21 and athletic director Joel Maturi wants Kill to be rewarded for league wins.  Kill’s agreement with Minnesota provides for him to earn $25,000 for each additional Big Ten win beyond No. 5.

Kill’s five-year, $1.1 million agreement includes other incentives such as $150,000 for a Big Ten championship and $100,000 for a division title.  If Kill coaches the Gophers to the national championship game he receives $150,000 and another $50,000 for winning.

There are many incentives in his agreement including those that are based on academic performance by his players.  Although improbable, Kill could earn about $700,000 in a year that he qualified for all incentives including a national title.

If Kill decides to leave the Gophers for another school he must pay double his base salary of $500,000 to the University.  (He receives $600,000 in supplemental salary for radio-TV work and other duties to bring his total annual package without incentives to $1.1 million).

If the University terminates Kill without cause (no misconduct) he must be paid half of his total salary for the remaining years of the contract.  Kill said no one has to worry about asking him to leave if he doesn’t perform for the Gophers.  “I’ll tell ’em they need to get rid of me,” Kill said.  “That’s the truth.”

If Kill wins at Minnesota like his other head coaching stops, nobody will be using the four-letter fire word.  He has a 127-73 record in 17 seasons.  In three of his four coaching assignments he took over programs with losing records and turned in a winning record in three years or less.  He was the 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year after a 12-2 season at Southern Illinois.

The former Northern Illinois coach has been operating almost without sleep the last several days while ending his commitment with the Huskies and spending time in Minneapolis.  Activities have included Monday’s news conference, a meeting with high school football coaching leaders, and calls to donors and Gophers legends Bud Grant, Tony Dungy and Bobby Bell.

Fan voting ended last week to determine the 50 greatest Vikings in franchise history as the organization observes its 50^th season.  The names will be announced at a gala on Sunday, December 19 starting at 7 p.m. in the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Names like Chuck Foreman, Cris Carter, Carl Eller, Paul Krause, Jim Marshall, Randall McDaniel, Adrian Peterson, John Randle and Ron Yary are no-brainers.  The Vikings will pay tribute to those players and 41 more but they won’t label one individual as the best.

To say one player is the best is subjective but Sports Headliners believes that because of his skills, the position he played and what he accomplished, Fran Tarkenton is the most important player in Vikings history.

No position in pro football is more vital to team success than quarterback.  At the time of his retirement following the 1978 season, Tarkenton was the NFL career leader in passing attempts, completions, yards and touchdown passes.  Scramblin’ Fran drove defenses crazy with his running, too.  He was the quarterback on three of the franchise’s four Super Bowl teams.  He was also the first person ever included in the Ring of Honor recognizing the best of the franchise’s players, coaches and executives.

Deserving of mention in the same breath when discussing the most important player in Vikings’ history is defensive tackle Alan Page.  “It’s hard to top either one,” said Dave Mona.

Mona has been the press box announcer for Vikings game dating back to the team’s last years at Met Stadium.  The longtime radio host has followed the franchise since its inception in 1961.

“I think you could make a good argument for Page, but I think the quarterback position is so much more important than any defensive lineman,” Mona said.  “I guess I would agree with you that Tarkenton probably is the single most important and arguably the best Viking player over the years.”

A defense can’t be great without extraordinary pass rushing and Page was so fast and mobile he was a nightmare for quarterbacks.  In 1971 he became the first NFL defensive lineman to be named the Associated Press’ league MVP.  He was a four-time NFC Defensive Player of the Year and nine times was all-pro.  He and Tarkenton, more than any other players, made it possible for the Vikings to play in those three Super Bowls in the 1970s.  Page was the second player inducted into the Ring of Honor.