Jerry Kill to Speak in Front of Minnesota Boosters Same Day of Game vs Gophers

By    |  
Updated:
Photo: University of Minnesota

PJ Fleck is about to embark on his 6th season as head football coach at the University of Minnesota. His 58 games on the Gophers sideline is tied for 7th-most in school history. But we’ll need to check on the technicalities of such rankings.

Because the other guy with 58 games under his Gopher pigskin coaching belt, Jerry Kill, will also roam the sidelines of Minnesota’s next game, Thursday, September 1. He’ll coach from the visitor’s side of Huntington Bank Stadium, leading the New Mexico State Aggies.

Redemption Games vs Redemption Booster Club Speeches

Sports teams, at all levels, may find themselves competing vs former coaches. “Redemption game” narratives (and there are plenty for this matchup) make for fun pregame storylines. But Jerry Kill’s return to Dinkytown, in a few weeks, is far from out of the ordinary.

What Kill is scheduled to do earlier that day, however, seems beyond strange. According Justin Gaard (KFAN, Gophers FB sideline reporter), Jerry Kill will be the featured keynote speaker for the TC Dunkers Booster Club the same day he’ll face the Gophers.

The “Golden Dunkers” are one of the bigger booster clubs in the Gophers sports world. Why they would entertain an opponent’s coach, on the day of a game, is mind-numbing. Especially when Kill has done nothing but talk down to the University and PJ Fleck, since the school moved on from Jerry’s predecessor, Tracy Clayes, and hired Fleck.

Kill vs Fleck

Jerry Kill, while coaching here, did a lot to help raise money for all of the amenities that University of Minnesota athletes enjoy today. Still, that doesn’t designate him a special privilege to run down future coaches and spit on the University every time he’s handed a mic.

What’s Jerry going to talk about, anyway? How PJ Fleck is 35-23 (.603) in his 58 games as Minnesota Gophers head coach, compared to his .500, 29-29 mark? Maybe ole Jer Bear wants to tell Gopher boosters how much better Minnesota has been in bowl games under Fleck (3-0 vs 0-3). Or, how many times Minnesota has beaten Wisconsin with Fleck (TWICE) vs Kill (ZERO) at the helm.

There are other program improvements Kill could speak on. Like the 11-2 season from 2019, when PJ lead the Gophers to more wins than the program had mustered in over a century. Kill never hit more than nine wins in a season.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Mentioned in this article:

More About: