Former Southern Illinois football coach Jerry Kill is taking over the athletics department, effective immediately.

 

Chancellor Carlo Montemagno made the move Thursday after deciding not to renew athletic director Tommy Bell's contract, which expires next month. He says it is time "to make a change in leadership that will help the program fulfill its potential."

 

Kill coached at SIU from 2001 until 2007, leading the Salukis to three straight Gateway Conferences championships. He also coached at Northern Illinois and Minnesota, where he was named 2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year before seizures caused by his epilepsy forced him to step down. He served as offensive coordinator at Rutgers in 2017, retiring from coaching in December.

 

He returned to SIU in January as a special assistant to Montemagno. The chancellor said he has not yet established a timeframe for Kill's new role but said he will oversee athletics "for the immediate future."