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The fates of adversity have taken their best shots, and each time 62-year-old Jerry Kill has rebounded.
New Mexico State’s head football coach has conquered stage-4 kidney cancer twice after being diagnosed in 2006 and 2015.
As Minnesota’s head coach in 2011, Kill, who suffers from adult epilepsy, collapsed from a seizure during a game.
Last week, he missed Tuesday’s practice and most of Wednesday’s session because of an undisclosed illness. But he coached in NMSU’s 27-17 victory over New Mexico last Saturday, refueling with IVs at halftime.
In that game, Kill was the middle man when a player from each team crashed into him on the sideline. He suffered a bloody nose and bruises.
“The biggest accomplishment was not the health issue I had (last week) Tuesday, Wednesday,” Kill said. “The biggest accomplishment was when I took a hit on the sideline. You need to go back and look at that hit. If I can get up from that hit, I can do a lot of things for a long time. That was far worse than any health issue I’ve ever had. … You need to pull up that baby, and when you see that, you’ll say, ‘that old man is tough.’”
Last year, Kill was hired to develop a New Mexico State program that had won three bowls in 127 years. Kill had rebuilt programs at Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois and Minnesota. After an 0-4 start last year, the Aggies overpowered Hawaii, 45-26, in the turning point to a season that ended with a berth in the 2022 Quick Lane Bowl. The Aggies, who play UH this Saturday at the Ching Complex, match Kill’s resilient and tough personality.
“My dad raised us tough,” Kill said. “We weren’t raised soft. We live in a soft country right now. I’m not afraid to say that. That’s what’s wrong with our country. When there’s no discipline in it, there’s no caring about each other. Everything’s OK. With my dad, not everything’s OK.”
Kill remembered when he suffered a cut lip as a youth. His father took him to a veterinarian’s office, where he received stitches.
“When you’re about 10 to 12, and they’re sewing you up by a vet, you can handle about anything, I guess,” Kill said.
After being floored last week, Kill kidded with a player who was limping: “Hell, I got up and coached. You can certainly get up and play.”
Later, Kill recalled thinking, “geez, I’ve got leverage now.”
After competing as an independent for four years, the Aggies — who once were co-members with UH in the Western Athletic Conference — officially joined Conference USA two months ago. The roster has 48 first-year Aggies. Diego Pavia has been a dependable passer, ranking seventh nationally with 715 yards. Wideout Jonathan Brady is averaging 25.2 yards per catch. Kill said the Aggies have focused on being physical in the trenches.
“We have not reached where I want to be (in physical line play),” Kill said. “But we’ve progressed some last week. But the big emphasis is on ‘some.’ This is a big game for us to play hard and turn it loose, so to speak.”
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