Gophers turn to Claeys to lead football team after Kill retires

Tracy Claeys said he cried "three or four times" Wednesday over his dear friend Jerry Kill's sudden retirement.

But 10 hours after being named the Gophers' interim head coach, Claeys was relaxed, poised and brimming with confidence in a post-practice news conference. The bespectacled Kansas native cracked a wry grin as he sat in a maroon pullover with his arm draped over an adjacent empty chair.

"I want to be the next head football coach here," Claeys said. "I mean, that's all there is to it, OK? I believe I can do it and our staff can do it. I want to be considered. I've been told I'll be considered. And so that's what we're telling the recruits."

Interim athletic director Beth Goetz gave no specific timeline for when the search will start but made it clear she has full confidence in Claeys for the rest of the season, at least.

Claeys, 46, has worked under Kill for 21 years, primarily as a defensive coordinator, but many program insiders have viewed Claeys as a key decisionmaker on issues way beyond defense. He was Kill's right-hand man, and more.

Kill, 54, picked the starting quarterback, decided when to punt and made all the media and speaking appearances. But Claeys spearheaded every detail of the team's soon-to-be constructed practice facility, for example.

Claeys also stepped in as interim coach in 2013, when Kill took a leave of absence to treat his epilepsy, after seizures forced the head coach to miss the Michigan trip. The Gophers opened that stretch with double-digit upset victories over Northwestern and Nebraska.

Claeys said he knew his boss had been having trouble sleeping in recent weeks, but Claeys insisted he didn't know a possible retirement was coming until he and Kill met late Tuesday afternoon.

Kill summoned the rest of his long-tenured staff Wednesday at 6:30 a.m., then met with the players at 7:15. He explained that a recent spate of epileptic seizures had made it impossible to coach the way he wants to.

"Very emotional," quarterback Mitch Leidner said. "Words really can't describe it. [Kill's] such a great man and has had such an impact on all of our lives. For that to happen, and no one really see it coming, it's a tough situation."

Senior cornerback Eric Murray said the Gophers will "lay everything on the line" Saturday against Michigan to honor Kill. But Murray and Leidner were both part of the team when Claeys served as interim coach two years ago.

"I don't think it will be too much of an adjustment because Coach Claeys and Coach Kill are very similar," Murray said. "They have very similar philosophies, and they preach the same thing."

Leidner said more tears were shed at the 2:40 p.m. pre-practice meeting. But once practice started, at 4:15, the team was all business, preparing for the 15th-ranked Wolverines.

"When you're on the field, it takes your mind away from the situation at hand," Murray said. "I think, for all the players, [Kill's] definitely still in the back of our minds."

The players said they were unaware of any symbolic uniform tributes for Kill, such as a patch. But school officials plan to honor Kill on Saturday, even though he is not expected to be among the Halloween sellout crowd at TCF Bank Stadium.

Claeys said he'll return to the sideline from his press box coaching perch, adding that the rules allow the Gophers to add another full-time assistant to their nine-man staff. Claeys said he wanted to discuss those changes with the other coaches before making the announcement Thursday.

As for Wednesday, Claeys compared the gamut of emotions the team ran with Jim Valvano's oft-quoted "ESPYs" speech from 1993.