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Spend a little time with first-year Northern Illinois Head Football Coach Jerry Kill and you'll undoubtedly hear him describe himself as a "hard hat, lunch pail" guy. It's a tribute to his blue-collar roots - Kill was the first member of his family to graduate from college - and to the work ethic instilled in him by his parents, Jim and Sonja Kill, while growing up in Cheney, Kansas. That blue-collar work ethic is also one of the qualities that made Kill, who spent the past seven years building the Southern Illinois program into a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) powerhouse, a perfect fit to succeed Joe Novak as the head coach at Northern Illinois. Novak retired from NIU in December, and after an exhaustive search that encompassed the review of more than 1,200 résumés, the Huskies turned to a familiar face and a proven winner. Kill was introduced as Northern Illinois' 20th head football coach on December 13, 2007, just five days after the Salukis ended their 12-2 season in the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) semifinals. For Kill, being named to the top post at Northern Illinois signified the attainment of a dream. "As a young man growing up in a small town of 2,000 people...I chased a dream," Kill said at his introductory press conference. "That dream came true today. I'm just delighted to be a part of the Northern Illinois family. I will tell you that I will give you every single thing that I have. I will work endless hours and do whatever it takes to do great things and make you all even more proud of the football program." After a childhood spent working jobs on farms, in factories and at grocery stores while playing baseball, football and basketball, Kill gravitated toward coaching because "it didn't feel like work." He attended Southwestern College, a NAIA school in Winfield, Kansas, where he played football, met and married his wife, Rebecca, and set out to become a high school biology teacher and coach. But a call from a man who would become one of his mentors, former TCU, Alabama and Texas A&M head coach Dennis Franchione, persuaded him to embark on a career in college football. His passion for the game, and the job, was ignited and has never waned. It is that passion that Kill believes is his greatest attribute. "I think what makes me a good coach is my passion - for the kids who play the game and respect the game," Kill said. "I like dealing with the players. I enjoy seeing young people get better everyday, and when they leave you have made them a better person." On the field, Kill's teams are characterized by discipline and toughness. It is those qualities, as well as players like current New York Giant Brandon Jacobs and Bart Scott of the Baltimore Ravens, that helped his SIU teams record a pair of victories over Football Bowl Subdivision programs, including a win at Indiana in 2006. "On the field, I want our kids to play smart," he said. "I want them to be mentally and physically tough so they can win in the fourth quarter. I believe in hard work and the harder you work, the better your chances of success. I will push them to the limit. I won't win a popularity contest at times, but we're not in it for a popularity contest. My job is to get the best out of them. "Ultimately, the game comes down to the players. If you don't have great players, you aren't going to win many games." Kill's high expectations for his student-athletes extend from the football field to the classroom, the community and beyond. "I expect our student-athletes to represent our school and our community on and off the field," Kill said. "One of the most important things to me is how they do in life after they leave the program. I firmly believe that what we do here and how we drive kids over the four or five years will help them down the road." One of the ways Kill and his staff "drive kids" is the Warrior Elite program. Every year, the roster is split into groups who then compete and earn points for everything from academic success to participation in community service activities to on-the-field effort and weight room benchmarks. The program is one more way that Kill and his staff teach teamwork and build leadership. They believe that football is the perfect vehicle to impart skills that have life-long benefits. "Football is such a challenge because you have to get everybody on the same page in a huge organization," Kill said. "Then to get everybody to execute on a given play is difficult. Most college athletes are playing for four or five years and they are very competitive, and you had better be (competitive) when you go out into the real world or you can get swallowed. Competing in athletics gives you an edge." In less than six months with Kill, the Huskies have embraced his tenets. In fact, the football team out-pointed every other team on campus to win the inaugural Resource Bank Challenge of Champions Trophy in 2007-08. The NIU teams competed for points in areas such as community service, academic achievement and by attending the competitions of their fellow NIU student-athletes. While 2008 will mark Kill's first season as the leader of an NCAA FBS program, the 46-year-old brings 14 years of collegiate head coaching experience and 104 victories to the Huskie Stadium sidelines. In seven years at Southern Illinois (2001-07), he led the Salukis to the FCS playoffs in each of the last five seasons and twice earned a national coach of the year honor. He was named the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year in 2004 following a 10-2 campaign, and won the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award in 2007 while leading SIU to a 12-2 record. Southern Illinois spent 64 straight weeks in the Top 20 between 2003 and 2007 and was ranked in the Top 10 for 12 consecutive weeks last year. Kill went to SIU from Division II Emporia State in his home state of Kansas, where he spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons. Prior to that, in his first collegiate head coaching post, he led Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) to five consecutive winning seasons and a 38-14 mark from 1994-98. The Cardinals finished 9-2 and were nationally-ranked in each of his final two seasons. He began his collegiate coaching career at Kansas small-school powerhouse Pittsburg State, beginning in 1985 with three seasons as the defensive coordinator for the NAIA Gorillas. After spending the 1988 and '89 campaigns as the head coach at Webb City High School and winning the 1989 State Championship, he returned to PSU, this time as offensive coordinator for the then NCAA Division II team under legendary coach Chuck Boyles. He picked up another championship as the Gorillas won the title in 1991 with a 13-1-1 record and advanced to the championship game the next season. "I'm not doing things any differently than I did at Webb City High School," Kill said. "You still have to do the fundamental things that you've learned coming up, you have to block and tackle. You have to be able to run the football to win. But I think the real key to my success is the people that I have surrounded myself with. I have always been able to surround myself with good people that are loyal and that can recruit." Kill has built an amazingly loyal staff, many of whom have been with the coach since the early days of his career. Eight of those coaches have joined him at Northern Illinois. He and Rebecca celebrated their 25th anniversary in May and have two daughters, Krystal (20), and Tasha (16). At no point in his career were his faith and family more important than in 2005, when Kill was diagnosed with kidney cancer during the offseason. But that proved to be another opponent that Kill was able to defeat as he was treated successfully and the disease is now in remission. The experience prompted the Kills to start the Coach Kill Cancer Fund, a foundation to assist needy families undergoing cancer treatment. The Fund was the recipient of $50,000 as part of the 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award. He and his family also host an annual golf tournament to benefit the fund in southern Illinois. Each of his experiences, from his upbringing to his battle with cancer, has helped Kill keep the game in perspective and his focus on people. "I don't think they put your wins and losses on your tombstone, but you do get judged on how you treat people," he said. "I've learned to appreciate life. I don't have any bad days. I'm a positive person. Every day I get up is a great day. It's made me a better person. Sometimes you have some tough things happen in life. It can make you better or worse. It has made me better and I'm proud to say that. The Lord has blessed me and that's why I'm so excited about this opportunity." While some who are involved in the game of college football, look forward to game day and focus primarily on the wins and losses, Kill sees the bigger picture. "I like the journey," he says. "Some people live for game day, but I like the journey."
Coaching History
Accomplishments
•Led Southern Illinois to five straight appearances in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, formerly I-AA) playoffs, including a semifinal berth in 2007.
Honors
• Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award Finalist (2007)
ABOUT COACH KILL
Playing Experience
College
High School
Family
Birthplace
Birthdate
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