MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota coach Jerry Kill abruptly retired because of health reasons on Wednesday, ending his efforts to rebuild the Golden Gopher football program during a tenure that included a series of game-day seizures.
No specific reason was cited in Minnesota's retirement announcement, but Kill has epilepsy and had to take a leave of absence from the team in 2013 while dealing with seizures. The surprising announcement came one day after Kill missed a scheduled meeting with the media.
Kill missed at least a portion of five games in his first three seasons at Minnesota due to seizures, including one that occurred on the field during a game against New Mexico State in 2011 and another during halftime of a game against Michigan State the following year.