Northern Illinois coach sticks with 'tough' approach

Northern Illinois football became known for toughness and discipline during the successful 12-year tenure of head coach Joe Novak. When Novak retired following the 2007 season, school officials sought to find a replacement that would maintain that hard-nosed tradition and found an ideal fit in Jerry Kill.

Kill, who grew up in the tiny farming town of Cheney, Kan., has described himself as a "hard hat and lunch pail" type of person. He attributes that attitude to his blue-collar roots and the work ethic instilled by his parents.

"I was raised in the country in a town of 2,000 people. There are just certain core...