Overview

When University of Minnesota football coach Jerry Kill stepped down due to health concerns in October 2015, he said, “I can’t do what I love doing anymore.” What Kill loved doing, and did remarkably well, was turn around college football programs. In this autobiography, Coach Kill shares his inspirational, thought-provoking, and heartwarming story, from his early years playing for and working under Dennis Franchione to guiding the Gophers to a New Year’s Day bowl game and being named Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Kill describes his dedication to his players, how he drove them, and made them into disciplined and inspired football players. Chasing Dreams also highlights Kill’s work to bring awareness to cancer and epilepsy. This is a must-read for football fans, coaches, and anyone seeking inspiration to overcome adversity and achieve their dreams. Discover the power of faith, family, and football in this remarkable journey.

Author Biography

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Media

Jerry Kill chronicles Gophers years with soft edge in upcoming book

Jerry Kill, Former Minnesota Head Coach on Championship Drive

Fmr. U Football Coach Jerry Kill Talks New Book, ‘Chasing Dreams’

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Chasing Dreams:

Living My Life One Yard at a Time

By Jerry Kill with Jim Bruton

Contact: Bill Ames, Triumph Books, 312.676.4256, b.ames@triumphbooks.com

Coaching college football means shouldering immense responsibility. A coach is responsible for managing his staff, designing game plans, handling the media, working with the administration and satisfying the fans’ desire to win games at any cost. But more than anything, a head coach is responsible for developing the young men who take the field.

In Chasing Dreams: Living My Life One Yard at a Time (Triumph Books, September 2016), legendary football coach Jerry Kill, with the help of co-author Jim Bruton, explains how he’s managed to fulfill all of the responsibilities of his position throughout his career. By always putting the players first, he’s maintained a reputation for being more than just a coach who wins, but one who leads, teaches and cares. Kill’s coaching career spans more than three decades, and in that time he’s touched countless lives up until his sudden retirement in October 2015 due to health issues related to epilepsy, a condition that had caused four seizures on the sidelines during games. Stories from the book include:

• Heartfelt forewords from college football figures Jim Phillips, Gary Patterson and Paul Kowalczyk
• A look at Kill’s early years growing up in Kansas and how his family’s influence shaped him into the man he grew up to be
• Behind-the-scenes stories from the locker rooms and sidelines of each of Kill’s coaching stops, from working with foreign exchange students at Webb City High School to future NFL players at Minnesota
• A hilarious list of the always quotable coach’s “Killisms”
• How to build a football program the Jerry Kill way, from recruiting players and building a staff to community and student engagement and postgame speeches
• Facing the greatest challenge of his life: battling cancer and epilepsy, the latter which forced him into an early retirement

Chasing Dreams is an inspiring story of a true American life. Coach Kill has been beloved and successful at every point of his career, and he’s done so while maintaining his commitment to his faith and his family. The insights and philosophies offered by Kill will inspire, educate and enlighten readers of all stripes.

About the Authors:

Jerry Kill was the head football coach of the University of Minnesota. Coach Kill was named the 2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year. He lives in Minneapolis.

Jim Bruton is the author of several books, including A Tradition of Purple, Gopher Glory, We Love Our Twins, and The Big House. Jim is an adjunct faculty member at several colleges and universities in the Twin Cities.

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