Kill named 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year
12/29/2007 | 12:00:00 | Football
Dec. 29, 2007
CARBONDALE, Ill.-Former Southern Illinois University head coach Jerry Kill was named the 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year earlier today in a special presentation on ABC.
Kill, who left on Dec. 13, after seven years at SIU to become head coach at Northern Illinois, is the first in Saluki football history to win the prestigious award.
Under Kill, the Salukis qualified for the playoffs five-consecutive seasons from 2003-07. SIU was 12-2 and advanced to the final four this past season.
Kill topped The Citadel's Kevin Higgins, Northern Iowa's Mark Farley, South Dakota State's John Stiegelmeier and Morehead State University's Matt Ballard in the overall voting at the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) level.
As a result of winning the award, $50,000 will be donated to a charity of Kill's choice. An additional $20,000 will be given to the SIU Alumni Association.
The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year is awarded to the college football coach who best demonstrates responsibility, integrity, and excellence on and off the field.
The winner in each division was chosen using a combination of fan votes and votes received from members of the 2007 Coach of the Year Selection Committee.
Other winners included Illinois' Ron Zook (IA), Chadron State's Bill O'Boyle (II) and St. John's University's John Gagliardi (III).
