Kill makes good first impression

Jerry Kill might not have been the Gophers' first choice, but he's OK with that. "I wasn't my wife's first choice, either," Minnesota's new football coach joked Monday after being welcomed to his home stadium.
Kill showed a sense of humility and humor as he talked about how excited he was to accept athletic director Joel Maturi's offer to take over a Gopher program that hasn't seriously contended for a Big Ten championship in more than four decades. Kill, who met with his new players briefly on Monday morning, promised to run a multiple-style offense, with some elements of a spread offense "to keep defenses off-balance."
The 49-year-old coach, who led Northern Illinois to a 10-3 record this season that included a victory over Minnesota, made solid strides in winning over a fan base disappointed that Maturi didn't deliver a more prominent coach for the 3-9 Gophers. He talked about his excitement about getting to coach athletics the caliber of Gopher quarterback MarQueis Gray, promised to honor the university's commitment to any recruit offered a scholarship by the previous coaching staff, and said he never dreamed he would rise to college football's highest level.
Kill also confirmed one surprise: Maturi didn't contact him about the Gophers' opening until Saturday, and he accepted the job on Sunday, only a few hours before flying to Minneapolis. "We were shocked, but it was really exciting," said Kill's wife Rebecca.
We'll have much more on Kill's first day soon on startribune.com, and I'll be conducting an online chat at noon tomorrow.