Minnesota head football coach Jerry Kill announced Wednesday morning that he is retiring, effective immediately, because of medical concerns.
The 54-year-old Kill has dealt with the effects of epilepsy since 2005 — including several game-day seizures — and took a seven-game leave of absence in 2013.
Kill retires with a 29-29 record in five seasons at Minnesota and a 156-102 career record, including stints at Northern Illinois and FCS Southern Illinois.
A source told ESPN’s Brett McMurphy that Kill is “tired and not feeling great,” but that “he doesn’t want to have it get to the point it was (in previous years).”
Minnesota interim athletic director Beth Goetz named Tracy Claeys, the Gophers’ associate head coach and defensive coordinator, as interim head coach. Claeys led Minnesota to a 4-3 record as acting head coach in Kill’s absence two years ago and has worked with Kill for the past 21 years.
Minnesota, which hosts Michigan on Saturday, is 4-3 this season.