Keith Gill, who led the Yuma Indians to the 2009 Class 1A state championship, passed away earlier this week.
He was hospitalized for about a week before passing away. He leaves behind his wife Janet. Details about when the service would be held were not available at the time of this article.
Coach Jill has been teaching English in Scottsbluff, Nebraska for the past few years and was an assistant coach for the Bearcats football team at Judson Hall.
Hall is a YHS graduate and served as an assistant to Gill during the 2009 championship season.
“He was always positive,” Hall said. “He had a unique way of pushing kids and getting the most out of them, not just in soccer but in the classroom.”
Coach Jill had an outstanding five years at YHS and had a tremendous impact on the players, students, and assistant coaches. He will be remembered for significantly building a program that was struggling before his arrival. His Yuma teams have a combined record of 35-18, including 29-6 over the past three seasons. That period included three consecutive playoff appearances, reaching the semifinals in 2008 and winning it all in 2009.
The Indians recorded a 16-game winning streak under Gill, extending the 2010 season by three games.
His teams will be remembered for his physicality and his two-wing attack.
Two of the most memorable games in YHS football history occurred in 2009, both in Akron. The first moment came in the final game of the regular season, when the Indians embarked on “The Drive” in the final minutes, ending Akron's long winning streak.
An iconic photo of Gill celebrating after the winning touchdown was published the next day in the Denver Post.
A month later, the Indians returned to Akron for the state championship game, and the defense made “The Stop” at the goal line to defend Yuma's first football state championship in 47 years. His name became immortal. The program hasn't won a single game since then.
Jill retired from Yuma after the 2010-11 school year and returned to Alameda, where he had previously coached and taught. He held other jobs over the years, but eventually ended up living with Hall in Scottsbluff.
When he returned to Yuma to celebrate his 10th anniversary during the 2019 season, he reunited with former players and coaches.th Anniversary of the championship season.
Hall said the front door of Keith and Janet's home in Scottsbluff is decorated with memorabilia from their time in Yuma.
“I know the Yuma community was a big part of their lives,” Hall said.
