Central Michigan, Minnesota have similar motives in bowl game after head coaches deal with health concerns
Minnesota Head Football Coach Tracy Claeys and Central Michigan Football Coach John Bonamego pose for photos during the Quick Lane Bowl Media Day at the Detroit Lions Practice Facility and Headquarters in Allen Park on Dec. 9, 2015.
The color scheme isn’t the only common thread between Central Michigan and Minnesota as they prepare for the Dec. 28 Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit.
Maroon and gold fans across Michigan are aware of Head Coach John Bonamego’s battle through cancer in his left tonsil this summer in his first few months with the team.
They know how Bonamego didn’t even show up late to work in the summer, despite daily trips to Ann Arbor for treatment.
They know how he beat cancer, and then beat seven teams and tied for the Mid-American Conference West Division title.
In Minnesota, the maroon and gold team also had to fight through health concerns for their head coach. Gopher Head Coach Jerry Kill, who had been with the team since 2011, announced his retirement Oct. 28 due to health concerns.
Kill has had epilepsy since 2005 and has had multiple seizures in the past year. Kill had to take an extended leave of absence in 2013 due to the health concern.
Defensive Coordinator and Associate Head Coach Tracy Claeys took over in an interim role Oct. 28 and signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract Nov. 11 to become the Minnesota head coach.
“Coach Kill, we’re all there because of him,” Claeys said. “Anybody who knows him, he’s a great person, a great football coach.”
Claeys worked as an assistant for Kill for 21 years, starting in 1995 at Saginaw Valley State. He followed Kill to Emporia State, Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois and Minnesota. Most of the Minnesota staff had worked for Kill for at least 15 years.
“The hard part is, it was like losing your best friend. I’ve seen him every day of the week probably 50 out of 52 weeks,” Claeys said. “Not only did we work together, we were all friends, we’ve been together so long, our families and all that. To not have him around every day, even for the players, it’s like losing a good friend.”
Claeys said he regularly talks to Kill — as do many of the players — and that Kill and his family will always be part of what they do at Minnesota.
After Kill’s unexpected retirement, the Gophers lost to Michigan by three, No. 3 Ohio State by 14 and No. 5 Iowa by five. Minnesota beat Illinois and lost to Wisconsin to finish off their regular season.
Because there weren’t enough teams with 6-6 records or better, the 5-7 Gophers are one of three teams with a losing record to play in a bowl game this season.
The NCAA allowed the 5-7 teams with the best Academic Progress Rate to play in a bowl game. The Gophers are five-point favorites for Monday’s bowl game.
“For everything our kids have been through, we look forward to having the opportunity to play one more game together against a very good team,” Claeys said. “Hopefully, we’ll bring our best on that day. It’ll take our best.”
CMU is the only MAC team to face a Power Five school this postseason. Bonamego said he’s excited to play a team of Minnesota’s caliber.
“We want to measure ourselves against the very best, and certainly, what Minnesota’s been able to accomplish this season under very, very difficult circumstances, it’s a little bit of a parallel to what we’ve gone through,” Bonamego said.
Bonamego and Claeys met for the first time at Quick Lane Bowl Media Day Dec. 9 at the Detroit Lions Practice Facility in Allen Park. They quickly realized they both coached the same player, who now works with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Senior center Nick Beamish said he sees similarities between CMU’s and Minnesota’s situation.
“Any time you go through something with anybody on the team, let alone a head coach, it takes its toll,” Beamish said. “It’s how you respond to it that really matters and I think obviously both teams have responded really well, I mean we’re both in a bowl game.”
The motivation level should be high for both teams, as the Gophers try to win one for Kill — who may or may not be in Detroit for the game — while the Chippewas look to make Bonamego the first CMU head coach to win a bowl game in his first season.
“Having a leader in Coach Bono that responds to that the way he does, it just shows the character,” said wide receiver Jesse Kroll. “The character of your head coach is going to reflect in the team, so we want to do the best we can to resemble him in the way he fought through his adversity.
“We don’t want anything less than to finish the season on a high note.”
