By any measure, the Minnesota Gophers football team had a standout year. The Gophers beat Iowa and Michigan, claiming Floyd of Rosedale and the Little Brown Jug—the first time since 1967 Minnesota has owned both trophies. The team’s 5–3 record in the Big Ten was its best since 2003, and its appearance at the Citrus Bowl, where they fell to Missouri 33–17, was the Gophers’ first January bowl game since 1962.
Coach Jerry Kill willingly shares a big portion of that success with Eric Klein ’93, the Gophers’ head strength and conditioning coach. Klein, who grew up in Apple Valley, Minnesota, has been part of Kill’s coaching staff since 1994, when he joined him at Emporia State in Kansas. Kill hired the relatively inexperienced Klein based solely on the recommendation of Kill’s former roommate at Southwestern College: Carleton athletic director Gerald Young.
Kill spoke recently about Klein to Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse: “Gerald called me about Eric, who was 21 at the time. . . . I told Gerald, ‘I’m not hiring anybody that young.’ But I did, and I tell you, Gerald was right. [Klein’s] biggest attribute is that he’s so smart. He trains all the muscles . . . he strengthens all the core. He’s ahead of his time, always working to get better.”
An English major at Carleton, Klein played football and ran track and field for the Knights. When he graduated in 1993, Klein hung around for the 1993–94 academic year to coach football and track and field, before joining Kill’s coaching staff. Although he had no formal training in exercise science, Klein says he “read every book on exercise I could get my hands on.”
At the University of Minnesota, it’s Klein’s job to lead the team onto the field before every game and after halftime. Reusse asked Kill why this honor goes to the strength coach, which is unusual. “The kids relate to Eric so well, and they believe in him,” said Kill. “None of us would be where we are without a good strength coach. All of us acknowledge how darn good he is. He’s a difference maker.”
The Voice tailed Klein during a regular workday at the Bierman Field Athletic Building and part of a game day at TCF Bank Stadium. Here’s a glimpse at how he makes a difference for the Gophers.
6:00 a.m.
The day begins early for Eric Klein and his team of four trainers, so players can complete their workouts before they’re due in class. When Klein and his staff arrive, 1950s doo-wop is playing on the sound system. When the players arrive half an hour later, the playlist switches to hip-hop.
7:09 a.m.
Watching the freshmen begin their workouts, assistant coach Chad Pearson remarks: “These guys chose their parents well.” When Klein arrived at the university in 2011, the team’s weight room was overhauled according to his specifications.
8:30 a.m.
Klein joins head coach Jerry Kill and the football staff for a daily briefing. Today, the discussion focuses on an injured player and whether he will be ready to play
in an upcoming game.
4:09 p.m.
Klein jokes with his assistant trainers and the players before an afternoon practice.
5:11 p.m.
Klein works with an injured player in an effort get him back out on the field.
3:12 p.m.
Game day! Klein leads the players onto the field at TCF Bank Stadium, where more than 47,000 Gopher fans have turned up to watch their team play Middle Tennessee.
3:57 p.m.
Klein watches from the sidelines as the Gophers defeat the Blue Raiders 35–24.
Photographs by John Noltner